Tramp ants of Tangier, Morocco

In May 2016, we collected ants at 16 sites in the city of Tangier, Morocco, primarily in urban gardens and parks. We found a total of 38 ant species, including eight non-native tramp species, Cardiocondyla emeryi, Linepithema humile, Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi, Paratrechina longicornis, Pheidole megacephala, Strumigenys membranifera, Tetramorium bicarinatum, and Tetramorium caldarium. These eight plus Monomorium pharaonis represent all non-native ant species known from Morocco. Two of these species are not been previously known from Morocco: N. jaegerskioeldi and P. megacephala. We found N. jaegerskioeldi at five sites, suggesting that this previously unreported species may have an expanding population in Morocco. We found P. megacephala in a single park in Tangier. Competition with native Pheidole species may limit the spread of P. megacephala in Morocco. The only tramp species from the New World known from Morocco is the Argentine ant, L. humile, which we collected at 7 sites. This species, originally from South America, is an important ecological and agricultural pest in areas with Mediterranean-like climates, including not only the Mediterranean region, but also southern California, southern Africa, and southern Australia.