Threat Level: Low

Cardiocondyla minutior is introduced throughout the Pacific Island region, but its effects on native biodiversity, agriculture and human health appear to be very limited. Accurate identifications of Cardiocondyla species can be difficult because of their small size and similar generalized appearance.

Other ant 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 minutior can usually be distinguished from other introduced Cardiocondyla by the characters illustrated 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 & of moderate length
Antennal scrobe absent
Antennal scapes do not exceed posterior margin of head
Antennal club with three segments
Slope of mesosoma gradual, not steep
Metanotum not impressed
Postpetiole appears swollen in dorsal view Posteptiolar anterior corners bluntly rounded Postpetiole with anterior margin weakly concave

Chart 1. Cardiocondyla vs. Mononomorium, Tetramorium, Pheidole.
Chart 2. Cardiocondyla minutior vs. Cardiocondyla species with impressed metanotum.
Chart 3. Cardiocondyla minutior 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)

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	C. minutior	C. emeryi	C. obscurior	C. wroughtonii
Face
Profile
Metanotal impression	absent	present	present	present
Propodeal spines (variable character)	moderate	long	moderate	long
	C. minutior	C. emeryi	C. obscurior	C. wroughtonii

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	C. minutior	C. mauritanica	C. kagutsuchi
Face
Profile
Metanotal impression	absent	absent	absent
Propodeal spines (variable character)	moderate	small	small
	C. minutior	C. mauritanica	C. kagutsuchi

• 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.