Threat Level: Low

Cardiocondyla emeryi is believed to be native to Africa, but is now one of many Cardiocondyla tramp species that has spread across the globe by human activity. Accurate identifications of Cardiocondyla species can be difficult because of their small size and similar generalized appearance. As the video shows, C. emeryi can recruit heavily to food resources, and unlike many of the other Cardiocondyla species, it can form strong foraging trails.

Other genera appearing in PIAkey with a two segmented waist and three segmented antennal club include Monomorium, Tetramorium and Pheidole. In addition to the characters given in the identification guide and comparison charts, Cardiocondyla can also be separated from the previously mentioned genera by the very swollen appearance of the postpetiole in dorsal view.

Cardiocondyla emeryi can usually be distinguished from other introduced Cardiocondyla by the combination of the characters given in the comparison chart.

For a detailed taxonomic treatment of the world Cardiocondyla, a recent revision of the genus provided by Seifert (2003) is an excellent resource.

Waist with two segments (petiole & postpetiole)
Propodeal spines present & relatively long
Antennal scrobe absent
Antennal scapes do not exceed posterior margin of head
Antennal club with three segments
Slope of mesosoma gradual, not steep
Metanotum impressed
Postpetiole appears swollen in dorsal view Posteptiolar anterior corners bluntly rounded Postpetiole with anterior margin weakly concave
Gaster darker than rest of body

Chart 1. Cardiocondyla vs. Mononomorium, Tetramorium, Pheidole
Chart 2. C. emeryi vs. Cardiocondyla species with impressed metanotum.
Chart 3. C. emeryi vs. Cardiocondyla species without impressed metanotum.

Chart 1. Cardiocondyla vs. Mononomorium, Tetramorium, Pheidole

	Cardiocondyla	Mononomorium	Tetramorium	Pheidole (minor worker)
Face
Profile
Propodeal spines	present	absent	present	present
Mesosoma slope	gradual	gradual	gradual	steep
Antennal scrobes	absent	absent	present	absent
Antennal scapes relative to posterior margin of head	shorter	shorter	shorter	longer
	Cardiocondyla	Mononomorium	Tetramorium	Pheidole (minor worker)

(top of page)

	C. emeryi	C. obscurior	C. wroughtonii
Face
Profile
Metanotal impression	present	present	present
postpetiole in dorsal view	anterior corners blunt; anterior margin weakly indented	anterior corners sharp; anterior margin strongly indented	anterior corners sharp; anterior margin strongly indented
Propodeal spines (variable character)	long	moderate	long
Color of gaster relative to body (variable character)	uniformly darker	uniformly darker	uniformly the same, or only darker on portion of 1st gastral tergite
	C. emeryi	C. obscurior	C. wroughtonii

(top of page)

	C. emeryi	C. minutior	C. kagutsuchi	C. mauritanica
Face
Profile
metanotal impression	present	absent	absent	absent
Propodeal Spines	long	moderate	small	small
	C. emeryi	C. minutior	C. kagutsuchi	C. mauritanica

• Antweb: specimen images, data & maps
  
  
• Bolton, B. (1995) A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 504 pp.
  
  
• Heinze, J., Cremer, S., Eckl, N. & Schrempf, A. (2006) Stealthy invaders: the biology of Cardiocondyla tramp ants. Insectes Sociaux, 1-7.
  
  
• Seifert, B. (2003) The ant genus Cardiocondyla (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a taxonomic revision of C. elegans, C. bulgarica, C. batesii, C. nuda, C. shuckardi, C. stambuloffii, C. wroughtonii, C. emeryi, and C. minutior species groups. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien Serie B Botanik und Zoologie, 104B, 203-338.
  
  
• Wilson, E.O. & Taylor, R.W. (1967) The ants of Polynesia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pacific Insects Monograph, 14, 1-109.