Genus Paratrechina Motschoulsky

These ground­dwelling ants are infrequently encountered in natural habitats of California, except P. hystrix Trager, a desert species. P. vividula (Nylander) is common in many urban locations, and behaves like an introduced species, although it is assumed to be native to Mexico (Trager 1984b). A second tramp species, P. longicornis (Latreille), of Old World origin, is established at some locations in southern California.

Species identification: keys in Trager (1984). Additional references: Creighton (1950a), MacKay (1998), Smith (1965), Saporito et al. (2004), Wetterer et al. (1999).