Lepisiota frauenfeldi

Distribution
Although its origin seems Palaearctic, this species is more densely distributed in the Mediterranean area and the Middle East and has been introduced on some islands of the Afrotropical, Indo-Malayan and Nearctic region as well as in the Australasia region (Guénard et al., 2017). Schifani et al. (2018) recently discovered it in the Canary Islands of Tenerife and Fuerteventura. In our sampling, it was also detected on Lanzarote and La Gomera as well as the islands where it was previously reported (Hernandez-Teixidor et al., 2020).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Malagasy Region: Réunion. Oriental Region: India, Sri Lanka. Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Balearic Islands, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Israel, Malta, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Spain, Turkey.

Biology
Sorger et al. (2016) - In 2005, this species was discovered at the airport in Guam and subsequently eradicated (Hoffmann et al. 2011). In 2013, it was found covering a 60-ha area around Perth, Australia, airport, where it may have arrived 5 years earlier, and a year later a 10-ha outbreak was located 6km away in the suburb of Belmont. While these Perth populations have been eradicated, in 2016 another infestation of this species led to the partial shut-down of the port of Darwin, Australia (Mark Widmer, pers. comm.).

Lepisiota frauenfeldi is considered an invasive species (FAO, 2018), which eats and displaces native ant species, as well as other insects in the infested area (Commonwealth of Australia, 2019). In Australia, it is a serious environmental pest (Commonwealth of Australia, 2019) and currently is under national eradication there (Commonwealth of Australia, 2018) (Hernandez-Teixidor et al., 2020).

Nomenclature

 *  frauenfeldi. Hypoclinea frauenfeldi Mayr, 1855: 378 (w.) YUGOSLAVIA. Roger, 1859: 243 (q.); Emery, 1878b: 46 (m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1968: 209 (l.). Combination in Acantholepis: Mayr, 1861: 42; in Lepisiota: Baroni Urbani, Bolton & Ward, 1992: 303. Senior synonym of azerbeidzhanica, caucasica: Arakelian, 1994: 81. Current subspecies: nominal plus aegyptiaca, atlantis, barbara, ferganica, integra, kantarensis, kassansai, libanica, marocana, pubescens, saharensis, truncata, variabilis, velox. See also: Bingham, 1903: 316; Santschi, 1917d: 42; Tohmé, H. 1981: 1; Atanassov & Dulssky, 1992: 205.
 * azerbeidzhanica. Acantholepis frauenfeldi var. azerbeidzhanica Karavaiev, 1932: 250, fig. 1 (w.) AZERBAIJAN. Combination in Lepisiota: Bolton, 1995b: 226. Junior synonym of frauenfeldi: Arakelian, 1994: 81.