The ants of Tokelau

Abstract

This paper combines published and new collection records to provide a comprehensive list of ant species collected on Tokelau, a Pacific island nation with the world's smallest land area. Twenty‐eight ant species have been recorded since the late 1950s, 10 in recent surveys, and the majority of which are tramp species. Known invasive species such as Anoplolepis gracilipes, Monomorium pharaonis, Pheidole megacephala, and Tapinoma melanocephalum are present but currently appear to have a limited distribution on two of the three atolls. There are no ant species endemic to Tokelau, but two Pacific endemics, and 11 Pacific natives; 26 listed ant species are present in Samoa, which is the likely point of origin for most of Tokelau's ant fauna. Pitfall trap collections from three visits between 2002 and 2005 highlight how different sampling intensities and locations alter the species accumulation rate and species richness and diversity estimates. The relationship between total ant species and land area of Pacific islands is linear, but combined with earlier records, this study reports more ant species from Tokelau than the analysis predicts. This study indicates the remote and small nation of Tokelau is as susceptible to invasive species as other larger, more populated, land masses in the Pacific.