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Strumigenys membranifera Emery, 1869 Materials Type status: Other material. Occurrence: individualCount: 3 workers; occurrenceID: 5C397122-D41A-59C2-9B64-B12DBAB58E7B; Taxon: genus: Strumigenys; specificEpithet: membranifera; scientificNameAuthorship: Emery, 1869; Location: island: La Réunion; country: France; municipality: Saint-André; locality: Front de mer; verbatimElevation: 21 m; decimalLatitude: - 20.97917; decimalLongitude: 55.68361; Identification: identifiedBy: T. Ramage; Event: verbatimEventDate: 10. XII. 2023; habitat: beach front; Record Level: collectionID: CRP Diagnosis This species can be confused with the four other Strumigenys species present in La Réunion Island (Strumigenys emmae (Emery, 1890), Strumigenys ludovici (Forel, 1904), Strumigenys nepalensis (De Andrade, 1994), Strumigenys rogeri Emery, 1890). S. membranifera can be differentiated from S. emmae and S. rogeri by its distinctive mandibular shape. In S. membranifera, the mandibles are triangular and short, featuring numerous teeth along the inner margin (Fig. 6). In contrast, S. rogeri displays elongated and slender mandibles, while S. emmae exhibits sickle-shaped mandibles, both of which possess apical and pre-apical teeth. It differs from S. nepalensis by the number of antennal segments (six for S. membranifera, four for S. nepalensis). Finally, S. membranifera has shorter mandibles with fewer teeth (<20) and a more rounded head, while S. ludovici has longer mandibles with more than 25 teeth and a more elongate head than S. membranifera. Distribution Besides S. emmae and S. rogeri, this species is one of the most widespread dacetine ants in the world (Wetterer 2011). This highly invasive species is considered native to several countries of Africa, although phylogenetic analyses place the origin of S. membranifera in the Indomalay Region (Booher et al. 2021). This species is widespread worldwide and reported as introduced in South America, United States of America, Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Malagasy Region. Ecology As with other dacetines, S. membranifera is a predatory species that primarily feeds on springtails (Collembola) and other minuscule soil arthropods (Wilson 1953). Typically dwelling within soil and leaf litter, S. membranifera seldom ventures openly above ground for foraging purposes (Wetterer 2011). Thanks to minuscule teeth on pliers-like mandibles, S. membranifera can clamp down on and securely hold prey (Wetterer 2011).