Pheidole megacephala has been reported from the US Virgin islands since the late 1800s. It shares the island group with various other exotic and invasive species, such as Solenopsis geminata, Solenopsis invicta, Wasmannia auropunctata, and Paratrechina longicornis.
In St. John's, Previous records of the species include:
Location: 18.324,-64.788
Location description: Great Cruz Bay, Hotel grounds
Collection date: 2005-11-13
Collector: Wetterer, J.
Location: 18.331, -64.795
Location description: Cruz Bay, downtown
Collection date: 2005-11-14
Collector: Wetterer, J.
Location: 18.348, -64.726
Location description: Carolina, 1 km up 20
Collection date: 2005-11-10
Collector: Wetterer, J.
Location: 18.352, -64.760
Location description: St John; Cinnamon Bay; moist beach
Collector: Pressick and Herbst 1973
Location: 18.317, -64.718
Location description: St John; Lamesaur; Croton-Acacia Scrub
Collector: Pressick and Herbst 1973
To the records above, the following records are being added:
Location: 18.35261, -64.76818
Location description: Trunk Bay Covered Picnic Area
Collection date: 2017-2
The ants formed trails along the sides of the covered cemented picnic area, as well as nearby areas, where their friable nest mounds are very easily noticed thrusting out from the ground.
Location: 18.32757, -64.79318
Location description: Car Ferry Parking Lot
Collection date: 2017-2
The ants formed trails along the sides of the parking lot leading up to the car ferry.
I surveyed parts of Cinnamon Bay, including the the beach itself and the grounds making up the Cinnamon Bay resort and Campground, and did not find P. megacephala in this area, although I did find another larger Pheidole species.
Author: A.R. Sunjian
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