Tetramorium guineense

*19. Tetramorium guineense (Fabricius).

Formica guineense Fabricius, Ent. Syst. 2: 357, 1793.

Tetramorimn guinecnse (Fabricius) Bingham, Fauna Brit. India, Hymenopt. 2: 184, 1903. Wheeler, New York Ent. Soc., Jour. 20: 46, 1912; B. P. Bishop Mus., 0cc. Papers 11 (11): 30, 1935.

This red pantropical ant is distributed throughout the Pacific area and to India. It was collected in Guam by Fullaway in 1911, and is one of the very abundant species. It was collected practically everywhere, and in many situations: in cane fields, often nesting in rotten cane, often associated with mealybugs; in the house, the garden, and lawn; nesting under bark of Pithecolobium , in dead branch of breadfruit and orange, in rotten bamboo stumps; on corn, cacao, and pumpkin vines. In one nest among bases of coconut leaf stems were the small yellow lepismicls which are inhabitants of ant nests.