Worldwide Spread of <em>Pheidole teneriffana</em> (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Abstract
Pheidole teneriffana is an Old World ant species that has spread to other parts of the world through human commerce. To evaluate its known distribution, I compiled and mapped P. teneriffana records from >200 sites. I documented the earliest known P. teneriffana records for 43 geographic areas (countries, island groups, major islands, and US states), including 11 West Indian islands for which I found no previously published records: Antigua, Barbados, Barbuda, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic (Hispañola), Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, and St Lucia. Pheidole teneriffana is known from sites scattered across the greater Mediterranean region (North Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East, and neighboring islands), though it is unclear which parts of this area constitute its native range. Pheidole teneriffana is known from only a few Old World sites distant from the Mediterranean region, i.e., Ascension, China, England, St Helena, and South Africa. In the New World, where this species is certainly exotic, there are published P. teneriffana records only from California, Cuba, and Peru. The first records from 11 West Indian islands presented here, all from 2003 or later, suggest that P. teneriffana is actively spreading through this region. Almost all West Indian records of P. teneriffana come from beaches or urban areas. It seems doubtful that P. teneriffana will develop into a major pest species like its congener, the infamous Pheidole megacephala.Pheidole teneriffana es una especie de hormigas del Viejo Mundo que se ha extendido a otras partes del mundo a través del comercio humano. Para evaluar su distribución conocida, he compilado registros de Pheidole teneriffana de >200 sitios y los he puesto en un mapa. Documenté los registros de P. teneriffana mas antiguos conocidos de 43 zonas geográficas (países, grupos de islas, islas principales, y los estados de los EE.UU), incluyendo 11 islas de las Antillas de la cuales se encontró registros no estaban publicados anteriormente: Antigua, Barbados, Barbuda, Curazao, Dominica, República Dominicana (Hispañola), Guadalupe, Jamaica, Martinica, Montserrat y Santa Lucia. Pheidole teneriffana es conocida de sitios dispersos por toda la región Mediterránea (norte de África, el sur de Europa, el Medio Oriente y las islas vecinas), aunque no está claro qué partes de esta zona constituyen su área de distribución nativa. Se conoce la hormiga Pheidole teneriffana solamente de unos pocos lugares del Viejo Mundo lejos de la región Mediterránea, es decir, Ascensión, China, Inglaterra, Santa Elena y Sudáfrica. En el Nuevo Mundo, donde esta especie es ciertamente exótica, solo hay registros de Pheidole teneriffana publicados de California, Cuba y Perú. Los primeros registros de 11 islas de las Antillas que se presentan aqui, todos del año 2003 o después, indican que P. teneriffana esta dispersando activamente por esta región. Casi todos los registros de P. teneriffana de las Antillas provienen de las playas o zonas urbanas. Es ciertamente dudoso que P. teneriffana se convertirá en una importante especie plaga como su congénere, la infame Pheidole megacephala.
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