The worldwide transfer of ants: geographical distribution and ecological invasions

*S. wagneri = S. invicta, [S. wagneri has been supressed in favor of S. invicta, Anon. 2001].*[147 ant species in 49 genera have been recorded outside of their native habitat. The proportion of transferred ants is similar to the number of genera & species in each subfamily. The species-rich subfamily Myrmicinae contains nearly 50% of all transferred species, while many of the species-poor subfamilies have absolutely no transferred species. A disproportionate high number of transferred ants originate from the Neotropical & Oriental biogeographic regions. The Pacific Islands are the recipients of the most transferred ant species. Most transferred ants belong to the cryptic, opportunist, or generalized myrmicine functional groups. There are no recorded transfers of army ants or leaf-cutting ants. Both invasive & human commensal "tramp" ant species are nonrandom subsets of transferred ants. "Tramp" species & invasive species tend to have widespread geographical distributions, & share life history characteristics including queen number, nest structure, & foraging behavior.]