They arrived and don’t stop coming: an update on the distribution of exotic ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in continental Ecuador

By

Salazar-Basurto, Jefferson
Troya, Adrián
Romero, Francisco
Wild, Alexander L
Pazmiño-Palomino, Alex

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023-11-3

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

19

Series / Issue

Issue: 6

Pages

801--819

Subjects

Adaptation , Biological invasions , Citizen science , human disturbance , invasive species , tramp ants

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/19.6.801

 

Abstract

We present an updated list of introduced ants to continental Ecuador, and compile records of occurrence, as well as map the distribution of 15 exotic species. We analyzed specimens in entomological collections and data from AntWeb, GBIF and iNaturalist. Among these, we add two new records for the country: Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel, 1980 and Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius, 1793). The former is also the first record for South America, while the finding of the latter shows how little we know about introduced tramp ants. In addition, we add site records for nine species: Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel, 1881, Cardiocondyla minutior Forel, 1899, Cardiocon­dyla wroughtonii (Forel, 1890), Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868), Monomorium floricola (Jerdon, 1851), Monomo­rium pharaonis (Linnaeus, 1758), Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille, 1802), Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793), and Tetramorium bicarinatum (Nylander, 1846). Based on our previous fieldwork observations, it appears that our understanding of exotic species richness is still in its early stages.