Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel, 1881

Cardiocondyla emeryi is an accomplished tramp species that originated in Africa and has since spread across the globe’s tropical and subtropical regions (Seifert, 2003a). The species is very small and difficult to distinguish from its trampy congeners, and occurs in both light and dark morphs (Seifert, 2003a). Cardiocondyla emeryi is among the few introduced ant species for which a moderate amount of natural history information is known that is not also a significant pest. It is omnivorous, polygynous, ground-nesting species capable of dispersing by colony budding, and it lives in small colonies (Creighton & Snelling, 1974; Heinze et al., 2006; King & Porter, 2007; Seifert, 2003a). The strategies of Cardiocondyla species as successful tramp species is reviewed by Heinze (2006).