Tapinoma melanocephalum

Distribution
This taxon was described from French Guiana. It is also found in the United States, Cuba, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Philippines, Ecuador, and New Caledonia.

Nomenclature

 *  melanocephalum. Formica melanocephala Fabricius, 1793: 353 (w.) FRENCH GUIANA. Emery, 1887a: 249 (m.); Forel, 1891b: 102 (q.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1951: 197 (l.); Crozier, 1970: 119 (k.). Combination in Micromyrma: Roger, 1862b: 258; in Tapinoma: Mayr, 1862: 651; in Tapinoma (Micromyrma): Santschi, 1928e: 475. Senior synonym of pellucida: Mayr, 1886c: 359; of nana: Emery, 1892b: 166; of familiaris: Forel, 1899c: 101; of australis: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 80; of australe: Bolton, 1995b: 401. Current subspecies: nominal plus coronatum, malesianum. See also: Smith, D.R. 1979: 1421; Shattuck, 1994: 148.
 * nana. Formica nana Jerdon, 1851: 125 (w.) INDIA. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of Formica nana Latreille, 1802c: 263.] Junior synonym of melanocephalum: Emery, 1892b: 166.
 * pellucida. Myrmica pellucida Smith, F. 1857a: 71 (w.) SINGAPORE. Junior synonym of melanocephalum: Mayr, 1886c: 359.
 * familiaris. Formica familiaris Smith, F. 1860b: 96 (w.) INDONESIA (Batjan I.). [Unresolved junior primary homonym of Formica familiaris Smith, F. 1860a: 68 (now in Pseudolasius).] Junior synonym of melanocephalum: Forel, 1899c: 101.
 * australe. Tapinoma (Micromyrma) melanocephalum var. australe Santschi, 1928e: 475 (w.) VANUATU. Junior synonym of melanocephalum: Bolton, 1995b: 399. [Note. Shattuck, 1994: 148 treats australis and australe as variant spellings, but the type-localities of the two are different and the names must be treated as separate.]
 * australis. Tapinoma (Micromyrma) melanocephalum var. australis Santschi, 1928a: 53 (w.) SAMOA. Junior synonym of melanocephalum: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 80.