Pheidole parva is a widespread and probably
invasive species in parts of the
Old World and belongs to the
P. rinae complex. Most likely it is an introduced species to the
Malagasy region. Indeed, live ants of this species have recently been found travelling onboard different ships. Also its ubiquity in many different habitats and
microhabitats on
Mauritius and the
Seychelles and its presence in ports there indicate that it is well-adapted to human environments and thus a likely candidate to invade new areas through human commerce. This tiny and relatively inconspicuous ant is very common in places and can be found in soil and
leaf litter, under stones or root mats, in rotten logs, foraging on or nesting in the ground, as well as in lower vegetation and even under the bark of live trees. It was collected in a variety of different habitats, from parks and gardens, to
mangrove and coastal scrub, to degraded dry forest, littoral and mixed forest, and
rainforest, in elevations between 1 and 445 m. It has also been found on the
Arabian Peninsula in
Saudi Arabia and in the
United Arab Emirates, on farms mostly inland from the coast at elevations of 675 and 735 m. As the nests were also found under potted plants, it is very likely that
P. parva has been introduced to the Arabian Peninsula by human commerce. ==Description==