Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel, 1890

Cardiocondyla mauritanica is a small (~ 2 mm), nondescript, light brown to blackish brown species with short antennal scapes, propodeal spines reduced to small angles and without erect hairs on its mesosoma. The species is a highly successful tramp ant (Heinze et al., 2006)and is one of the most abundant and most widely distributed Cardiocondyla species of the world, preferring semi-deserts and other xerothermous habitats (Seifert, 2003a). Despite its success at invading new habitats, C. mauritanica remains an inconspicuous member of the ant fauna across its range, and is not reported to cause harm to either humans or native species. Cardiocondyla mauritanica is known to be polydomous and polygynous and founds new colonies preferentially by nest splitting (Seifert, 2003a).