Shonna R. Storz, Walter R. Tschinkel
Journal of Insect Science 4 (12), 1-11, (1 April 2004) https://doi.org/10.1673/031.004.1201
KEYWORDS: abundance, community, Formicidae, Myrmicinae, nest density, nonnative, pitfall trap, range, rarefaction
A field survey of the southeastern United States showed that Pheidole obscurithorax Naves, an ant introduced from South America, inhabits a 80-km-wide band along the coast between Mobile, Alabama, and Tallahassee, Florida, and is continuing to increase its range. In Tallahassee P. obscurithorax is rapidly spreading, and its nest density increased by a factor of 6.4 over a two-year period. Evidence suggests that P. obscurithorax has spread gradually by natural means. It coexists with the fire ant Solenopsis invicta Buren, appears to be part of a largely exotic community of ants that are tolerant of highly disturbed habitats, and seems to have little negative effect on the ant communities that it invades.