Nylanderia steinheili (Forel, 1893)

Herrera Léon Baert Wouter Dekoninck, Henri W., Causton, Charlotte E., Sevilla, Christian R., Pozo, Paola & Hendrickx, Frederik, 2020, Distribution and habitat preferences of Galápagos ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 93, pp. 1-60 : 15

Nylanderia steinheili (Forel, 1893)

( ANTWEB: CASENT0173233). ( Map 11 )

This species is found in tropical areas of Central, South America and some Caribbean islands ( KEMPF, 1972; BRANDÃO, 1991; BOLTON et al., 2006). Nylanderia steinheili was likely introduced to the Galapagos Islands 20-30 years ago. It was collected for the first time in 2003 in the Humid Zone of Santa Cruz ( HERRERA et al., 2014). Since then it has been found in the dry and humid areas and on six islands in the archipelago including in areas that are invaded by W. auropunctata and S. geminata . It has been found nesting under stones, logs, and rotten trunks. Workers were collected in gardens, P. guajava forest and open areas of urban, natural and cultivated zones. Nylanderia steinheili is also reported from shade–grown coffee zones and associated with anthropogenic areas. Its behavior in other parts of the world suggests that it is not a threat for the fauna of the archipelago ( VARGAS et al., 2006; MCGLYNN & KIRKSEY, 2000; REYES, 2010; KALLAL & LAPOLLA, 2012; HERRERA et al., 2014), however a monitoring program is suggested.

Figures

Map 11. Distribution of Nylanderia steinheili (Forel, 1893).