Abstract
Abundance of the workerless parasitic ant Solenopsis daguerrei (Santschi) in fire ant populations was surveyed in southern and southwestern Brazil, eastern, central, and northern Argentina, western and northern Uruguay, central Paraguay, and Bolivia from 1974 to 1996. A total of 12,180 fire ant colonies was sampled from 726 collecting sites for the presence of adults or queens, or both, of the parasitic ant. The presence of the parasite in fire ant colonies within the area surveyed was very low. In Argentina, S. daguerrei occurred in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, and Entre Rios, in 1.4–7.0% of the colonies. In Brazil, the areas of Dourados, Campo Grande, and Rochedo, Mato Grosso do Sul contained 1–6.2% of parasitized colonies. In Uruguay, <1% of the colonies were parasitized. The parasite was not found in Paraguay and Bolivia. A new host ( S. macdonaghi Santschi) is reported for S. daguerrei . The field site with the highest presence of S. daguerrei (7%) was selected in Buenos Aires province for ecological studies. The low presence in its native areas should not discourage the potential use of this parasite as a biological control agent of imported fire ants in the United States.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
