Geographic Spread of Solenopsis globularia (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Abstract

Several species of Solenopsis have spread beyond their native ranges and have become exotic pests, most notably Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) and Solenopsis invicta Buren. Here, I examine the geographic spread of a smaller, less conspicuous Solenopsis species, Solenopsis globularia (Smith). I compiled S. globularia specimen records from >700 sites. I documented the earliest known S. globularia records for 59 geographic areas (countries, US states, and major West Indian islands), including many for which I found no previously published records: Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Barbuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Congo, Curaçao, Dominica, Martinique, Montserrat, Nevis, St Kitts, St Martin, San Andrés Island, Senegal, Tobago, and Trinidad. Solenopsis globularia has a broad distribution in the New World, from Corrientes, Argentina (28.4°S) in the south to Craven County, North Carolina (35.1°N) in the north. Most S. globularia records came from islands. It is unclear whether S. globularia is native throughout its New World range. For example, it is possible that this species is exotic to the Galapagos Islands. All populations of S. globularia outside the New World are probably exotic, introduced through human commerce, including populations on Atlantic islands (Ascension, Cabo Verde, St Helena), Pacific islands (Hawaii, French Polynesia, Philippines), and Africa (Congo, Ivory Coast, Senegal). On the Cabo Verde islands, off the coast of West Africa, S. globularia is extremely widespread on all nine inhabited islands. Records from nine diverse sites in Ivory Coast indicates that S. globularia is well able to spread in continental Africa as well.

Effects of Urbanization on the Diversity, Abundance, and Composition of Ant Assemblages in an Arid City

“…Although little is known about the biology and behavior of dark rover ants, their small worker size (4-5 mm) and ease of coexistence with larger, more aggressive ant species (MacGown et al 2007) suggest that they might avoid direct competition with other ants. Other confirmed (C. mauritanica) or suspected (H. opaciceps) exotic ant species recorded in our study sites were not known to behave as invasives (Wetterer 2012(Wetterer , 2015 and were only found in small numbers.…”

Population and colony structure of an ant with territorial males, Cardiocondyla venustula

“…Mating occurs inside the nest and mostly involves sibs, and the frequent occurrence of solitarily walking winged and dealate queens (which have lost their wings after mating) [13] suggests limited dispersal capability and a highly viscous population structure. This stands in striking contrast to reports that Cardiocondyla are often among the first ants colonizing disturbed or rehabilitated habitats and that several species are highly successful "tramp species" with an almost worldwide distribution [14][15][16][17]. While the reproductive behavior of Cardiocondyla has been studied in detail in a number of species (e.g., [18][19][20][21], little is known about the genetic structure of populations and how far queens disperse.…”

“…Though it still remains to be clarified how long-range dispersal is achieved, the preference of C. venustula for ruderal, degraded patches with sparse vegetation certainly facilitates the colonization of novel habitats, such as rehabilitated mines, parks, or roadsides. Human-assisted transfer in potted plants may have allowed it to spread from its Afrotropical origin to Florida and several Caribbean and Pacific Islands [11,17] and may also have contributed to the limited isolation by distance across all collecting sites in Rietvlei.…”

Association between host wing morphology polymorphism and Wolbachia infection in Vollenhovia emeryi (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae)

“…Vollenhovia emeryi Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae) is a common ant species endemic to East Asia; this species has invaded North America (Kjar & Suman, 2007; Wetterer, Guenard, & Booher, 2015; Wright & Kubik, 2011). It is polymorphic for normal long and aberrant short wing length in queens.…”