Species Tetramorium immigrans - (Immigrant) Pavement Ant

Regarding North American ants formerly thought to be Tetramorium caespitum (Linnaeus, 1758), Dr. James C. Trager says: "Almost all are now species E, with the exception of a population of T. tsushimae introduced in and slowly moving outward from St. Louis. There are a few places in Missouri and nearby Illinois where the two meet up, and apparently the polygyne, unicolonial T. tsushimae eventually wins out against mono- or oligogyne, multicolonial sp. E."

From Wagner, et al. (See below):

The [rather appropriate] name Tetramorium immigrans is applied to this population as follows:

Tetramorium caespitum var. immigrans SANTSCHI, 1927: 54;

junior synonym of T. caespitum: BOLTON 1979: 171;

revived from synonymy, raised to species rank, and lectotype designation hereby."

Workers ca. 3mm

Native across southern and central Europe, found in cities and towns throughout the United States and southern Canada (but mostly absent in the southern tier US states)

Urban parks, yards, vacant lots, under sidewalks and building rubble, especially, but also rural roadsides, farms, feedlots and auction yards, and rock quarries.

Omnivorous, fond of greasy human food scraps,

Introduced from Europe.

It is parasitized by another imported Myrmicine Anergates atratulus (also introduced).

Wikipedia.

UC Davis.