Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Trichomyrmex destructor (Jerdon, 1851)

Hormiga de singapur, Singapore ant

The Singapore ant is a small (1.8 to 3.5 mm) omnivorous ant that ranges in colour from yellow to brown, with a smooth texture and long antennae. Singapore ants form large colonies with multiple queens and new colonies of ants are established when one of these queens migrates to a different nest site.

The Singapore Ant is a small (1.8 to 3.5 mm) omnivorous ant that ranges in colour from yellow to brown. It has a smooth texture and long antennae. It forms large colonies with many queens. New colonies are most commonly formed by one of the queens walking to a new nest site.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Arthropoda

Class
Insecta

Order
Hymenoptera

Suborder
Apocrita

Superfamily
Vespoidea

Family
Formicidae

Section
Crematogastrini

Genus
Trichomyrmex

Species
destructor

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn: Monomorium destructor

Origin: Introduced - established

Introduction

Year of first record: 1999

Mode of introduction: Accidental

Introduction Pathway: Stowaway

Subpathway: Hitchhiker on transport vehicles/cargo

Introduced status: Naturalized

Invasive status: Invasive

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Baltra, Floreana, Isabela, Santiago

References

  • Herrera, H. W., Baert, L., Dekoninck, W., Causton, C. E., Sevilla, C. R., Pozo, P., & Hendrickx, F. (2020) Distribution and habitat preferences of Galápagos ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Belgian Journal of Entomology 93: 1–60.
  • Herrera, H. W., Tocora, M. C., Fiorentino, G., Causton, C. E., Dekoninck, W., & Hendrickx, F. (2024) The ants of the Galápagos Islands (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): a historical overview, checklist, and identification key. ZooKeys, 1191, 151.

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Trichomyrmex destructor", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=18751. Accessed 15 May 2025.