Although originally described from New Zealand this species is almost certainly introduced from Australia, perhaps Western Australia. Its original site there is also doubtful as it is found in many urban environments from Perth to Sydney. It is also present in Hawai'i and California. In New Zealand it was for many years confined to the north but from 1960 onwards it was found in Wanganui and Wellington and even in the very cool, maritime Chatham Islands. It appeared in Christchurch in the late 1960's yet is is still seemingly confined within the city to the drier, warmer slopes of Cashmere and other suburbs on the hills. It has now been found at nearby Lincoln. Similar distributions are seen in the beetle Adoryphorus couloni, the slaters (isopods) Armadillidium vulgare and Eluma caelata, and Darwin's ant. The last is now spreading northwards in the sandier, coastal parts of the city and may indicate the route for future expansion of these other relatively restricted pests.
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