First Report of Lioponera longitarsus Mayr, 1879 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Algeria: An Exotic or a Rare Native Ant Species from North Africa?

© Entomological Society of Southern Africa. Myrmecological investigations were conducted in an olive grove agro-ecosystem. Among the taxa we report the presence of the cryptic ant species Lioponera longitarsus, subfamily Dorylinae, for the first time in Algeria. Standard morphological measurements are presented for worker and queen. The discovery of this genus for the fourth time in North Africa in different habitats within a semi-arid climate suggests that the populations of Lioponera may be native but it is not possible to exclude them having been transported by humans.