Pheidole navigans

This species occurs in both disturbed areas and moist woodlands but rarely enters houses (Deyrup, Davis, & Cover, 2000). It is not considered a major pest; however, in the south-east of the United States, it has been expanding its distribution area since its first record (Sarnat et al., 2015; Hernandez-Teixidor et al., 2020).

Identification
Pheidole navigans is a small, short-limbed, reddish-brown species belonging to the P. flavens complex. Minor workers are impossible to distinguish on the basis of morphological characters, but major can be separated from other species of the P. flavens complex. The distinctive characters are the combination of predominantly longitudinal rugae on their posterolateral lobes, the more distinct and narrower antennal scrobe bordered mesially by a strong, unbroken frontal carina and the more continuously glossy scrobe depression (Sarnat et al., 2015; Hernandez-Teixidor et al., 2020).

Distribution
Pheidole navigans is thought to be native to the Neotropical region (centre and north of South America) and has been introduced into the Palaearctic and Nearctic regions (Sarnat et al., 2015; Wetterer, 2017). In the Canary Islands, it was only collected in a farming area in the north of Tenerife (Hernandez-Teixidor et al., 2020).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Mexico.

Biology
This species is known to remove seeds (Atchison & Lucky, 2022).

Nomenclature

 *  navigans. Pheidole flavens r. navigans Forel, 1901h: 79 (s.w.) GERMANY (intercepted in quarantine, from Mexico). Subspecies of flavens: Emery, 1922e: 107. Junior synonym of flavens: Wilson, 2003: 419. Status as species: Sarnat, et al. 2015: 57 (redescription).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Sarnat E. M., G. Fischer, B. Guénard,and E. P. Economo. 2015. Introduced Pheidole of the world: taxonomy, biology and distribution. ZooKeys 533: 1-109.