Exotic Ants of the Asia-Pacific: Invasion, National Response, and Ongoing Needs

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yijuan Xu ◽  
Edward L. Vargo ◽  
Kazuki Tsuji ◽  
Ross Wylie

Human activity has facilitated the introduction of many exotic species via global trade. Asia-Pacific countries comprise one of the most economically and trade-active regions in the world, which makes it one of the most vulnerable regions to invasive species, including ants. There are currently over 60 exotic ant species in the Asia-Pacific, with the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, among the most destructive. Exotic ants pose many economic and ecological problems for the region. Countries in the Asia-Pacific have dealt with the problem of exotic ants in very different ways, and there has been an overall lack of preparedness. To improve the management of risks associated with invasive ants, we recommend that countries take action across the biosecurity spectrum, spanning prevention, containment, and quarantine. The creation of an Asia-Pacific network for management of invasive ants should help prevent their introduction and mitigate their impacts. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Entomology, Volume 67 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Disna Gunawardana

Abstract S. invicta is an ant native to South America. It is an aggressive generalist forager that occurs in high densities and can thus dominate most potential food sources. It breeds and spreads rapidly and, if disturbed, can relocate quickly, ensuring the survival of the colony. S. invicta is highly invasive because of its high reproductive capacity, large colony size, ability to exploit human disturbances, wide food range and ability to sting. Its stinging ability allows it to subdue prey and even repel larger vertebrate competitors from resources (ISSG, 2014). S. invicta has become widespread in the southern USA and Caribbean after its introduction in the 1930s (Morrison et al., 2004). It has also been introduced to parts of Australia and New Zealand. S. invicta is one of the most notorious invasive ants and has been nominated for the 100 World's Worst Invaders list compiled by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG, 2014).


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-224
Author(s):  
Hironori Sakamoto ◽  
Koichi Goka

AbstractThe red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is a serious invasive alien ant around the world and has expanded its invasive range to the Pacific Rim since the early 2000s. It was first reported in Japan in 2017, and its entry through cargo has been reported numerous times in many ports. Colonies have been found in Tokyo Port since 2019, and now it is an urgent issue to prevent further invasion and establishment. Chemical control is the best tested method of insect control, but we have little information on the efficacy of insecticides against S. invicta in Japan. Here, we conducted acute toxicity assays of six quick-acting pyrethroids (transfluthrin, prallethrin, phenothrin, permethrin, metofluthrin, and pyrethrin) for killing adults and five new-type insecticides (fipronil, thiamethoxam, indoxacarb, imidacloprid, and hydramethylnon) for controlling colonies with toxic baits. We found that the LD50 from six pyrethroids were comparable to each other. The ED50 causing abnormal behaviors were smaller than LD50, but some ants recovered from paralysis within 12 h. Fipronil showed the lowest LD50 suggesting this chemical is the most promising agent for controlling S. invicta. Our results promise to develop a method for the chemical control of S. invicta.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Vatanparast ◽  
Robert T. Puckett ◽  
Deuk-Soo Choi ◽  
Youngjin Park

AbstractThe red imported fire ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren is native to South America and is known as a global problematic invasive species. This study focused on the molecular response of RIFA by comparing gene expression profiles after exposing ants to low (10 °C) and high (40 °C) temperature stress and comparing them to untreated controls (30 °C). A total of 99,085 unigenes (the clustered non-redundant transcripts that are filtered from the longest assembled contigs) were obtained, of which 19,154 were annotated with gene descriptions, gene ontology terms, and metabolic pathways. 86 gene ontology (GO) functional sub-groups and 23 EggNOG terms resulted. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with log2FC ≥ 10 were screened and were compared at different temperatures. We found 203, 48, and 66 specific DEGs co-regulated at 10, 20, and 40 °C. Comparing transcriptome profiles for differential gene expression resulted in various DE genes, including cytochrome P450, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1, cuticle protein and heat shock protein (HSP), which have previously been reported to be involved in cold and high temperature resistance. GO analysis revealed that antioxidant activity is up-regulated under high temperature stress. We verified the RNA-seq data by qPCR on 20 up- and down-regulated DEGs. These findings provide a basis for future understanding of the adaptation mechanisms of RIFA and the molecular mechanisms underlying the response to low and high temperatures.


2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (11) ◽  
pp. 1434-1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lekhnath Kafle ◽  
Wen-Jer Wu ◽  
Suey-Sheng Kao ◽  
Cheng-Jen Shih

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