Pheidole megacephala ( Fabricius, 1793 )

Pheidole megacephala ( Fabricius, 1793) View in CoL

Material examined. Bukit Batok East Avenue 6, 1.34304, 103.76235, 30 Aug 2016, G.W. Yong leg., BB4GH101, ZRC _HYM_0001776; Bukit Timah forest, Oct 1968, D.H. Murphy leg., ZRC _HYM_0000739; University campus (Bukit Timah), 23 Jun 1968, D.H. Murphy leg., ZRC _HYM_0000738 GoogleMaps .

Material not physically examined. In Wetterer (2012) – site unknown, 1879, F. Smith ( BMNH). Non-types, ANIC32-022899 About ANIC ( ANIC). Non-types, J.K. Wetterer leg. ( USNM) – Bishan , by MRT station, 31 Jul 2014, vial #424; Harbourfront , 4 Aug 2014, vial #469; Little India, 27 Jul 2014, vial #330; Mountbatten, by MRT station, 4 Aug 2014, vial #465; Promenade, by MRT station, 4 Aug 2014, vial #466 .

Literature. Forel (1901); Wetterer (2007, 2012); Tan & Corlett (2012).

Localities. Bishan; Bukit Batok East; Bukit Timah forest; Harbourfront; Little India; Mountbatten; University campus (Bukit Timah); National University of Singapore campus (Clementi/Kent Ridge); Promenade.

Habitat/Ecology. This species was found mostly in disturbed young secondary forest fragments in urban or semi-urban settings in Singapore, including waste woodlands and abandoned plantation forests, also along exposed forest fringes. Sometimes, ant trails were also found within urban man-made infrastructure such as concrete buildings, typically close to adjoining patches of disturbed spontaneous vegetation.

Remarks. Commonly known as the ‘African big-headed ant’, P. megacephala is a recognized globally widespread and particularly aggressive invasive species. It has been reported to often have severe negative impacts on native invertebrate fauna where it occurs ( Wetterer 2012a). The native range of P. megacephala is presumably the Afrotropical region ( Wetterer 2015),