Monomorium pharaonis

Japanese Name

Ie-hime-ari

Linnaeus, C. (1758) Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio 10. 1: 823 pp. Holmiae.

Formica Pharaonis Linnaeus (Linnaeus, 1758) , Monomorium pharaonis Mayer (Mayer, 1862) ,

Total length of workers around 2 to 2.5 mm. Body unicolored: yellow to reddish brown. Eyes each with around 20 facets. Mandibles each with 4 teeth. Paired longitudinal carinae on clypeus distinct. Metanotal groove distinct. Posterodorsal margin of propodeum more or less angulate. No standing hairs on propodeal dorsum. Ventral outline of petiole not strongly convex. Body surfaces from head to postpetiole finely, densely, and distinctively punctate and opaque.

Monomorium pharaonis is essentially world-wide in distribution, and is well known as a household, hospital and store pest capable of nesting within buildings and ships. It was first reported from Japanese urban areas many years ago, and was, for example, introduced into Osaka City in the 1920s (Teranishi, 1930). It inhabits open land or grassland in the Nansei Islands, but there have been no reports of its presence outdoors from Kyushu or more northern areas of Japan.

Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Nansei Is, Ogasawara Is; worldwide.