Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Pheidole megacephala

Big-headed Ant

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Sorry, there are no multimedia or other resources available for this species yet.

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Big-headed Ant, Harvester Ant

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ro (RR), Rō Kāti (MG), Leo (PK); COMMENT: Ro = "general name"

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Africa?; EXOTIC EXOTIC circumtropical (incl. Vanuatu - Cooks) and subtropical (incl. NZ)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, forest, horticultural, coastal

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Serious invasive; Moderate pest

SIMILAR SPECIES: P. fervens soldiers are distinguished by their rugose (wrinkled, furrowed) heads, in contrast to P. megacephala with its smooth, shiny head. (W&T67)

Enlarged Image of 'Pheidole megacephala'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P	P	P	P	P	P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			P

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius, 1793)
SYNONYMS: Formica megacephala

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Hymenoptera; Apocrita; Aculeata; Vespoidea; FORMICIDAE, Myrmicinae

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Serious invasive; Moderate pest. Comments: One of world's 100 invasive alien species [ISSG,2001].

GENERAL NOTE: Tramp species = Certainly distributed by recent human commerce. Attributed by naturalists as being one of the agents most destructive to the native Hawaiian insect fauna. (W&T67)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: specimen - Rhode, B.E.; Berry, J.A. 2000. Ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) held in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection. Rarotonga: Wheeler1914. Pukapuka: Bryan1924.

References:
Special Reference: PM79, W&T67,

Data Update History (information):
zB02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List