Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius, 1793)

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 : 26

Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius, 1793)

Pantropical Big–Headed Ant

( DEYRUP et al., 2000)

(ANTWEB: ICCDRS0003685). ( Map 24 )

Distributed in tropical and subtropical areas (WETTERER, 2015), P. megacephala is an invasive species and is considered a threat to the native fauna in many parts of the world ( PERKINS, 1913; VANDERWOUDE et al., 2000; BASKIN, 2002; HOLWAY et al., 2002; WETTERER & O’HARA, 2002; WETTERER, 2015). In Galápagos the first specimens were collected in San Cristóbal Island in 2006 ( HERRERA et al., 2013). Currently it is present in the dry areas on three islands: it is widespread in urban zones in Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz), Puerto Baquerizo Moreno ( San Cristóbal) and Puerto Villamil (Isabela). Pheidole megacephala is a pest in houses in Galápagos and can invade gardens where it is known to forage and hide under grass ( Z. matrella var. pacifica ), visit flowers of H. rosa – sinensis and attend Homoptera species on introduced plants (e.g. C. roseus ). Although the impact of P. megacephala has not yet been evaluated in Galápagos, similar problems to those recorded on other Pacific Islands can be expected ( WETTERER, 2007; HERRERA et al., 2013). In mainland Ecuador specimens of Pheidole megacephala were collected in Guayaquil, the main port for cargo boats that travel to Galapagos (Herrera unpublished data).

Figures

Map 24. Distribution of Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius, 1793).