Rough-edged Angulate Trailing Ant
Syllophopsis sechellensis
Species Info General
Other common names include: n/a
Syllophopsis sechellensis is an uncommonly encountered creature – a tiny ant with tiny eyes. Not a lot is known about this ant. Williams et al. (1931) wrote that “[i]t is generally distributed here [in Hawaiʻi] and has been found in soil among cane roots and at the base of pineapple plants”, while Huddleson & Fluker (1968) described it as a “widely distributed, ground-dwelling species.” “[S]ifted [soil and leaf] litter has been the most effective collection method for individual workers of [Syllophopsis sechellensis], though one small nest series was taken from a rotten log” according to Heterick (2006), adding that in Madagascar it “is found in dry tropical forest and gallery forest habitats”. Sarnat & Economo (2012) reported that in Fiji “[c]olonies were found nesting under logs and stones” and that “[w]orkers were collected foraging on trees”.
Specimen collected in 2023 in Haʻikū, Maui by T. Dillenburg
Attribution: Monte Tudor-Long/Maui Invasive Species Committee (composite of two images)
Identification/Description
This tiny, yellowish-brown ant is similar in appearance to our much more common tiny Solenopsis abdita, the Overlooked Thief Ant. As a tiny yellowish-brown ant it could certainly be mistaken for a Little Fire Ant, but this ant is rarely encountered, and certainly not in large numbers as is usually the case with Little Fire Ants.
Specimen collected in 2023 in Waiheʻe, Maui by T. Legare
Attribution: Monte Tudor-Long/Maui Invasive Species Committee
Specimen collected in 2023 in Haʻikū, Maui by T. Dillenburg
Attribution: Monte Tudor-Long/Maui Invasive Species Committee (scale in millimeters)
Impacts
- Very little is known about this particular ant’s habits or potential impacts, but as a low-density species that is not commonly encountered it is unlikely to be having a significant impact in Hawaiian ecosystems.
History
- This species was first collected in the Islands in 1916 on Oʻahu (Timberlake 1925). It has been known to be present on Maui and Lānaʻi since at least the late 1960s (Wilson & Taylor 1967, Huddleston & Fluker 1968). It has not been recorded on Molokaʻi or Kahoʻolawe.
Resources/References
- Syllophopsis sechellensis – AntWiki
- Heterick, B. 2006. A Revision of the Malagasy Ants Belonging to the Genus Monomorium Mayr, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 4:57(3): 69–202.
- Huddleston, E. W. & Fluker, S. S. 1968b. Distribution of Ant Species of Hawaii. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 20(1): 45–69.
- Sarnat, E. & Economo, E. P. 2012. The Ants of Fiji. University of California Press, Berkeley & Los Angeles, California. 384 pp.
- Timberlake, P. H. 1925. [Notes and Exhibitions]. New Records of Hawaiian Ants. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 6(1): 7–8.
- Williams, F. X., Muir, F., Van Zwaluwenburg, R. H. & Swezey, O.H. 1931. Handbook of The Insects and Other Invertebrates of Hawaiian Sugar Cane Fields. Advertiser Publishing Co., Honolulu. 400 pp.
- Wilson, E. O. & Taylor, R. W. 1967. The Ants of Polynesia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pacific Insects Monograph 14: 1–109.
