Brachymyrmex depilis Emery, 1893

Jallow, Mamudou & Gomez, Kiko, 2024, Intriguing additions of exotic and invasive ants to The Gambia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 146, pp. 1-12 : 4-5

Brachymyrmex depilis Emery, 1893

Fig. 1

First record to Africa as exotic species outside of its native range.

The genus Brachymyrmex Mayr, 1868 is distributed all along the Neotropical and Nearctic regions. Some species of this genus have been recorded as exotic. Brachymyrmex cordemoyi Forel, 1895 has been found as exotic from the Malagasy region ( FISHER & BOLTON 2016, P. Hawkes pers. comm.), Saudi Arabia ( SHARAF et al., 2016), Canary Islands ( HERNANDEZ-TEIXIDOR et al., 2020), Arizona, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu ( ORTÍZ SEPÚLVEDA et al., 2019), The Netherlands ( BOER et al., 2018) and Germany ( HUSEMANN & ORTIZ-SEPULVEDA, 2019). Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr, 1868 has also been found as exotic in Europe ( ESPADALER & PRADERA, 2016) and North America ( MACGOWN et al.,2013).

Some doubtful records under this genus were cited for the Afrotropical Region ( FISHER & BOLTON 2016), but all of them have been reidentified under other genera and are subject to future publications (Peter Hawkes, pers. comm.).

Our record of B. depilis is the first confirmed identification out of any Brachymyrmex species for the Afrotropical region and the first out of its native Nearctic range for this species. Several workers were collected under garbage near the Gambia College Mosque (Brikama).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: The Gambia: West Coast : Gambia College Mosque (Brikama) 20 m. 13.28441, -16.65637, Ruderal. Wetterer, J. 17/11/2022, Hand collected, Foraging [KG06260D, KGCOL02507 ]

Figures

Fig.1 Brachymyrmex depilis Emery, 1893 (CASENT0106038), USA. Worker. A, Head frontal view. B, Habitus lateral view. © Antweb.