| predators of the tick amblyomma variegatum (acari: ixodidae) in guadeloupe, french west indies. | some vertebrate species in guadeloupe are predators of free or parasitic stages of amblyomma variegatum (fabricius). among birds, 1.9% of the 421 identified animals found in the stomachs of grackles (quiscalus lugubris), 1.6% of the 364 animals found in the stomachs of free-ranging chickens, and 0.3% of the 4642 animals found in the stomach of cattle egrets (bubulcus ibis) were a. variegatum ticks. the most efficient predator of ticks was the tropical fire ant, solenopsis geminata, which was obs ... | 1991 | 1773677 |
| fly pupae as attractant carriers for toxic baits for red imported fire ants (hymenoptera: formicidae). | eight laboratory-reared ant species were fed baits of house fly, musca domestica l., pupae treated with hydramethylnon. two fire ant species, solenopsis invicta buren and solenopsis geminata (f.), and pheidole morrissi (forel) were killed; average percentage of mortality of the five other species was less than 20%. in contrast, all species that were fed the commercial fire ant bait containing hydramethylnon (amdro) died or were adversely affected. in the field, applications of house fly pupae an ... | 1990 | 2324379 |
| mechanism of action of fire ant (solenopsis) venoms. i. lytic release of histamine from mast cells. | the mechanism of histamine release from rat mast cells by whole venom from solenopsis geminata and s. invicta or by 2-methyl-6-undecylpiperidine hcl (c11) was investigated. histamine release stimulated by one or more of these agents (1) occurred in normal and metabolically inactivated cells, (2) had a biphasic time course in normal and inactivated cells, (3) was temperature dependent and did not occur at 0 degrees c, (4) was accompanied by concomitant cytoplasmic enzyme release, (5) was accompli ... | 1982 | 6184853 |
| behavioral and chemical analysis of venom gland secretion of queens of the ant solenopsis geminata. | bioassays in a y-tube olfactometer showed that workers of solenopsis geminata (hymenoptera: formicidae) were attracted to venom gland extracts of queens. gas chromatography coupled mass spectrometry analysis of individual glands of queens of s. geminata showed that the secretion is composed mainly of a large amount of 2-alkyl-6-methylpiperidine alkaloids and a tiny amount of a delta-lactone and a a-pyrone, which have been earlier identified as components of the queen attractant pheromone of sole ... | 2001 | 11789950 |
| the role of ants, especially the fire ant, solenopsis geminata (hymenoptera: formicidae), in the biological control of tropical upland rice pests. | predatory ants are omnipresent year-round in upland (dryland) rice fields in the philippines. at least 14 species were identified of which the very aggressive solenopsis geminata (fabricius) and also tapinoma sp. nr indicum forel usually predominated. some highly aggressive species, notably pheidolegetonspp. and bothriomyrmex dalyi forel were localized. solenopsis geminata flourished within many fields, not only during the crop season but also throughout dry season fallows where they remained ag ... | 2002 | 12241568 |
| detection of thelohania solenopsae (microsporidia: thelohaniidae) in solenopsis invicta (hymenoptera: formicidae) by multiplex pcr. | oligonucleotide primer pairs were designed to unique areas of the small subunit (16s) rrna gene of thelohania solenopsae and a region of the gp-9 gene of solenopsis invicta. multiplex pcr resulted in sensitive and specific detection of t. solenopsae infection of s. invicta. the t. solenopsae-specific primer pair only amplified dna from t. solenopsae and t. solenopsae-infected s. invicta. this primer pair did not produce any amplification products from dna preparations from uninfected s. invicta, ... | 2002 | 12507489 |
| daily foraging pattern and proteinaceous food preferences of solenopsis geminata (fabricius) (hymenoptera:formicidae). | a field study on foraging activity and proteinacous food preference was performed on the tropical fire ant (solenopsis geminata) (fabricius) at the school of biological sciences and desasiswa bakti permai, universiti sains malaysia (usm), penang. foraging activity studies of 4 colonies of s. geminata were conducted in the field for 24 hours. foraging activity significantly increased 4 hours before sunset and maximum foraging occurred at midnight until early morning. three types of proteinacous f ... | 2006 | 17322814 |
| phenology, distribution, and host specificity of solenopsis invicta virus-1. | studies were conducted to examine the phenology, geographic distribution, and host specificity of the solenopsis invicta virus-1 (sinv-1). two genotypes examined, sinv-1 and -1a, exhibited similar seasonal prevalence patterns. infection rates among colonies of s. invicta in gainesville, florida, were lowest from early winter (december) to early spring (april) increasing rapidly in late spring (may) and remaining high through august before declining again in the fall (september/october). correlat ... | 2007 | 17412359 |
| interspecific hybridization and caste specificity of protein in fire ant. | one natural population of fire ant in texas was found to be a hybrid between solenopsis geminata and s. xyloni. evidence from isozyme studies and breeding experiments is provided to demonstrate interspecific hybridization in ants. in this hybrid population, all worker ants have both parental types of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-malate dehydrogenase isozymes, but 95 percent of queens possess only the maternal type. | 1977 | 17776925 |
| cutaneous allergic vasculitis due to solenopsis geminata (hymenoptera: formicidae) envenomation in indonesia. | severe cutaneous allergic vasculitis in a 60 year-old caucasian male following the bite of the tropical fire ant, solenopsis geminata (f.) is reported. over the course of 8 weeks, the pathology progressed from an extensive red papular urticaria to vasculitis with peri-vascular inflammation and ulceration of the skin on the feet, ankles and lower limbs. many of the affected areas of the skin eventually became covered with black eschar associated with further tissue breakdown and ulcer formation. ... | 2007 | 18041296 |
| predaceous ants, beach replenishment, and nest placement by sea turtles. | ants known for attacking and killing hatchling birds and reptiles include the red imported fire ant (solenopsis invicta buren), tropical fire ant [solenopsis geminata (fabr.)], and little fire ant [wasmannia auropunctata (roger)]. we tested whether sea turtle nest placement influenced exposure to predaceous ants. in 2000 and 2001, we surveyed ants along a florida beach where green turtles (chelonia mydas l.), leatherbacks (dermochelys coriacea vandelli), and loggerheads (caretta caretta l.) nest ... | 2007 | 18284732 |
| behavioral and olfactory antennal responses of solenopsis geminata (fabricius) (hymenoptera: formicidae) workers to their dufour gland secretion. | behavioral and electrophysiological tests were performed to evaluate the responses of workers of the ant solenopsis geminata (fabricius) from different size categories to dufour gland extracts. morphometric measures based in head widths across eyes were used to determine worker sizes. trail following response of different worker sizes to dufour gland extract from workers of different sizes was assessed. for each worker size category olfactory responses to dufour gland extracts were determined us ... | 2008 | 18506290 |
| the raiding success of pheidole megacephala on other ants in both its native and introduced ranges. | we studied the behaviour of the invasive african myrmicine ant, pheidole megacephala, when confronted with colonies of other common ant species in cameroon, a part of its native range, and in mexico, where it has been introduced. p. megacephala raided the nests of the other ants in both cases. eleven species out of 12 put up a rather strong resistance to raiding p. megacephala workers in cameroon compared to only three species out of 11 in mexico, where only colonies of solenopsis geminata, dory ... | 2008 | 18606393 |
| [temporal and spatial distribution of ants in a light gradient, in a coffee agroforestry system, turrialba, costa rica]. | shade trees are frequently present in coffee (coffea arabica l.) agroforestry systems of mesoamerica. these systems can harbor a rich entomofauna, including ants, which could be predators of key pests in these systems. however, the role of shade on the distribution and abundance of these ants is unknown, yet such knowledge could suggest guidelines for manipulating certain environmental conditions of their habitat, thereby achieving their conservation and increase. therefore, we studied the effec ... | 2007 | 19086397 |
| positive effects of shade and shelter construction by ants on leafhopper-ant mutualism. | the myrmecophilous five-spotted gamagrass leafhopper, dalbulus quinquenotatus delong and nault, and its tending ants on gamagrass tripsacum dactyloides l. were examined to determine the influence of shade and ant-constructed shelters on the population sizes of d. quinquenotatus and ants. gamagrass plants hosting ants and leafhoppers were exposed to 50, 30, or 0% artificially constructed shade. the greatest numbers of leafhoppers and ants were found on plants that received 50% shade. shelters mad ... | 2008 | 19161690 |
| significance of the tropical fire ant solenopsis geminata (hymenoptera: formicidae) as part of the natural enemy complex responsible for successful biological control of many tropical irrigated rice pests. | the tropical fire ant solenopsis geminata (fabricius) often nests very abundantly in the earthen banks (bunds) around irrigated rice fields in the tropics. where some farmers habitually drain fields to the mud for about 3-4 days, the ants can quickly spread up to about 20 m into the fields where they collect food, including pest prey such as the eggs and young of the apple snail pomacea caniculata (lamarck) and insects such as lepidopterous larvae and hoppers, notably nilaparvata lugens (stäl) t ... | 2009 | 19203401 |
| secretion profiles of venom alkaloids in solenopsis geminata (hymenoptera: formicidae) in taiwan. | solenopsis geminata (f.) was introduced into southern taiwan decades ago and has continued to threaten the residents. although the venom compositions of various fire ant species have been studied, the effects of environmental cues on the secretion pattern have received relatively little attention in an area with subtropical climate and high humidity, such as taiwan. this study characterizes the effects of temperature and season on the venom compositions of s. geminata in taiwan. pure venom was s ... | 2009 | 19508799 |
| species delimitation: a case study in a problematic ant taxon. | species delimitation has been invigorated as a discipline in systematics by an influx of new character sets, analytical methods, and conceptual advances. we use genetic data from 68 markers, combined with distributional, bioclimatic, and coloration information, to hypothesize boundaries of evolutionarily independent lineages (species) within the widespread and highly variable nominal fire ant species solenopsis saevissima, a member of a species group containing invasive pests as well as species ... | 2010 | 20525628 |
| molecular diversity of the microsporidium kneallhazia solenopsae reveals an expanded host range among fire ants in north america. | kneallhazia solenopsae is a pathogenic microsporidium that infects the fire ants solenopsis invicta and solenopsis richteri in south america and the usa. in this study, we analyzed the prevalence and molecular diversity of k. solenopsae in fire ants from north and south america. we report the first empirical evidence of k. solenopsae infections in the tropical fire ant, solenopsis geminata, and s. geminata×solenopsis xyloni hybrids, revealing an expanded host range for this microsporidium. we al ... | 2010 | 20691187 |
| inter- and intraspecific aggression in the invasive longlegged ant (hymenoptera: formicidae). | the longlegged ant, anoplolepis gracilipes (fr. smith) (hymenoptera: formicidae), is a highly invasive species that can aggressively displace other ant species. we conducted laboratory assays to examine interspecies aggression of a. gracilipes versus 15 sympatric ant species found in the urban environment and disturbed habitat in malaysia: monomorium pharaonis (l.), monomorium floricola (jerdon), monomorium orientale mayr, monomorium destructor (jerdon), pheidole parva mayr, crematogaster sp., s ... | 2010 | 21061979 |
| bacterial diversity in solenopsis invicta and solenopsis geminata ant colonies characterized by 16s amplicon 454 pyrosequencing. | social insects harbor diverse assemblages of bacterial microbes, which may play a crucial role in the success or failure of biological invasions. the invasive fire ant solenopsis invicta (formicidae, hymenoptera) is a model system for understanding the dynamics of invasive social insects and their biological control. however, little is known about microbes as biotic factors influencing the success or failure of ant invasions. this pilot study is the first attempt to characterize and compare micr ... | 2011 | 21243351 |
| discovery dominance tradeoff: the case of pheidole subarmata and solenopsis geminata (hymenoptera: formicidae) in neotropical pastures. | interspecific competition has been shown to play a role in the structure of ant communities. however, the role of foraging behavior and the type of competition that results from this behavior has been less investigated. here we present results from baiting experiments at various scales to determine the degree of exploitative and interference competition between two neotropical ants (hymenoptera: formicidae) in pastures in the atlantic coast of nicaragua. results suggest that the coexistence of ... | 2011 | 22251712 |
| cover cropping alters the diet of arthropods in a banana plantation: a metabarcoding approach. | plant diversification using cover crops may promote natural regulation of agricultural pests by supporting alternative prey that enable the increase of arthropod predator densities. however, the changes in the specific composition of predator diet induced by cover cropping are poorly understood. here, we hypothesized that the cover crop can significantly alter the diet of predators in agroecosystems. the cover crop brachiaria decumbens is increasingly used in banana plantations to control weeds ... | 2014 | 24695585 |
| the dynamics of seed harvesting in early successional communities by a tropical ant, solenopsis geminata. | the neotropical ant, solenopsis geminata, in the moist lowlands of southeastern mexico was most abundant in agricultural fields and early second growth habitats. it was not found within forest habitats.in addition to its foraging for insects and general scavenging, this ant also harvests seeds. under field experimental conditions, a wide variety of small seeds, especially grasses, were taken. nest mound size and number were greatest on plots experimentally seeded to high grass density and low on ... | 1984 | 28311068 |
| new species and records of pseudacteon coquillett, 1907 (diptera, phoridae), parasitoids of the fire ant solenopsis geminata group (hymenoptera, formicidae). | the genus pseudacteon coquillett (diptera, phoridae) has a worldwide distribution and comprises parasitic myrmecophilous species that decapitate host ants. seventy one species are known in the genus, 41 of them occur in the neotropical region and are 25 from brazil. in northeastern brazil, there are only records for two species, pseudacteon dentiger borgmeier and pseudacteon antiguensis malloch. in this paper, two new species of the genus are described from female specimens, pseudacteon pesquero ... | 2015 | 26624156 |
| do herbivores eavesdrop on ant chemical communication to avoid predation? | strong effects of predator chemical cues on prey are common in aquatic and marine ecosystems, but are thought to be rare in terrestrial systems and specifically for arthropods. for ants, herbivores are hypothesized to eavesdrop on ant chemical communication and thereby avoid predation or confrontation. here i tested the effect of ant chemical cues on herbivore choice and herbivory. using margaridisa sp. flea beetles and leaves from the host tree (conostegia xalapensis), i performed paired-leaf c ... | 2012 | 22235248 |