Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jonghyun Park, Chan-Ho Park, Jongsun Park
Summary: The study identified the mitochondrial genome of Linepithema humile collected in South Korea, revealing new SNPs and INDELs compared to the previous genome, as well as a different haplotype. Phylogenetic analysis was consistent with previous studies within the tribe Leptomyrmecini, but not between other tribes in the subfamily Dolichoderinae.
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA PART B-RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Benning Le, Hoeun Park, Kathleen Campbell, Michael K. Rust, Chow-Yang Lee, Dong-Hwan Choe
Summary: Due to their mutualistic relationship with plant pests, the Argentine ant is considered a major pest in subtropical fruit orchards and vineyards. Liquid baiting using hydrogel materials has been demonstrated as an effective method to suppress the Argentine ant populations. In this study, boric acid incorporated in a calcium alginate hydrogel effectively killed Argentine ant workers, and the preservative potassium sorbate did not impact the efficacy of boric acid.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Ivan Milosavljevic, Nicola A. Irvin, Michael Lewis, Mark S. Hoddle
Summary: This study found that spinosad-infused hydrogel beads (HGBs) significantly reduced high-density populations of Linepithema humile (Argentine ant) in California citrus orchards. The highest concentration of spinosad tested demonstrated comparative control to thiamethoxam, the standard treatment. A tri-weekly application schedule for spinosad-infused HGBs provided the best control.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Entomology
Daniel R. Suiter, Benjamin M. Gochnour, Jacob B. Holloway, Karen M. Vail
Summary: Ants can be major pests in urban and suburban environments, with traditional control methods relying on chemical insecticides that can harm the environment. Research on alternative, low-impact ant control strategies has gained attention to reduce human exposure to harmful insecticides. New approaches include the use of essential oils, mass trapping, and altering ant behavior without liquid broadcast applications of EPA-registered insecticides.
Article
Entomology
Sara Castro-Cobo, Olivier Blight, Xavier Espadaler, Elena Angulo
Summary: The Argentine ant is an invasive species that has spread to three islands in the Mediterranean Sea and is organized in three European supercolonies. Human presence affects the likelihood of invasion on certain beaches, with certain supercolonies showing more expansion in specific locations. Co-occurrence with native ant species was observed on some beaches, suggesting the importance of long-term studies for understanding the dynamics of invasions.
MYRMECOLOGICAL NEWS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Stefano Cantone, Andrea Di Giulio
Summary: A new ant species, Linepithema paulistana sp. nov., belonging to the fuscum group, was described based on male morphology in this study. It is the only species of the fuscum group in the eastern part of South America. The analysis and illustration of the male external genitalia, as well as comparison with other Linepithema species groups, support the use of male genitalia as effective characters for genus or species identification.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Matthew T. Kamiyama, Kenji Matsuura, Tsuyoshi Yoshimura, Chin-Cheng Scotty Yang
Summary: The study found that Japanese acrobat ants have a certain impact on the survival rate of Halyomorpha halys nymphs, reducing their numbers in their native range. However, they may need to act in conjunction with other natural enemies to cause mortality in different growth stages of H. halys.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Young Jun Jung, Dayeong Kim, Dong Eon Kim
Summary: This study analyzed the genetic changes of Argentine ants discovered in Korea, revealing different mutation types and genetic backgrounds. By studying the genetic diversity, it provides insights into the impact of Argentine ant invasion on the domestic ecosystem.
ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Antoine Felden, Jana Dobelmann, James W. W. Baty, Joseph McCormick, John Haywood, Philip J. J. Lester
Summary: This study investigates the feasibility of manipulating the immune system of a biological invader using double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to increase susceptibility to pathogens. While the immune pathway disruption resulted in changes in viral loads, it did not consistently increase microbial infections or alter ant abundance in the field.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Enrico Schifani, Antonio Alicata
Summary: The ant genus Aphaenogaster is highly diverse in the West-Palearctic region, but its taxonomy poses challenges in several groups. The existence of redundant valid taxa without clear identities complicates specimen identification and biodiversity databases. Through literature review and study of material, taxonomic changes are proposed that will reduce the gap between nomenclature and actual understanding of species diversity.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hubballi Aravinda, Kadanakuppe Thammayya Shivakumara, Krishanappa Chandrashekara, Abalavadi Thammaiah Rani, Ryan Casini, Shaban R. M. Sayed, Hosam O. Elansary, Ahmed M. El-Sabrout
Summary: AMPs compounds were isolated and purified from ants, with the highest protein content found in the abdomen extract. The abdomen extract exhibited antimicrobial activity against E. coli.
ARABIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
W. T. Tay, L. N. Court, B. D. Hoffmann, A. Polaszek
Summary: This study presents the draft mitochondrial genomes of two worker ants from the invasive species Lepisiota frauenfeldi. The analysis of the genomes suggests separate introductions from Pakistan and India for the two invasive populations.
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA PART B-RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Paulo C. Afonso Neto, Ricardo Micolino, Danon Clemes Cardoso, Maykon Passos Cristiano
Summary: Recent studies on ants have provided new insights into their chromosome variation and evolutionary processes. The research on trap-jaw ants suggests that pericentric inversions and centromeric fissions play important roles in the karyotype evolution of Anochetus and Odontomachus genera.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Irene Castaneda, Elsa Bonnaud, Franck Courchamp, Gloria Luque
Summary: Nest establishment is a crucial stage in the ant life cycle, with the number of queens influencing both queen and worker behavior during and after this process. The study found that having six queens resulted in faster entry of queens into the nest, more workers inside the nest during establishment, and fewer workers engaged in nest tasks after establishment. Differences in response were observed between invasive Argentine ants and native Mediterranean ants.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Itanna O. Fernandes, Fredrick J. Larabee, Marcio L. Oliveira, Jacques H. C. Delabie, Ted R. Schultz
Summary: The study presented a phylogeny of the trap-jaw ant genera Anochetus and Odontomachus with dense taxon sampling. The analyses using Bayesian and maximum-likelihood criteria recovered the same phylogenetic relationships and identified new species groups. The most recent common ancestor of Odontomachus and Anochetus is estimated to have occupied the Neotropical or Afrotropical regions during the late Cretaceous, with the two genera radiating during the early Paleocene.
SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
