Biol Invasions (2009) 11:253–256 DOI 10.1007/s10530-008-9229-y

ORIGINAL PAPER

Myrmica specioides Bondroit: a new invasive species in the USA?

Gunther Jansen Æ Alexander Radchenko

Received: 13 December 2007 / Accepted: 12 February 2008 / Published online: 27 February 2008 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008

Abstract are among the most successful range (Chapman et al. 2007; Holway et al. 2002; invasive species. The establishment of the infamous Kappes et al. 2007; Neira et al. 2007; Wilson et al. red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta (Fabricius) 1992). Lowe et al. (2004) list five ant species among has caused a considerable amount of damage to the 100 most successful invaders. Many introduced both the economy and the native ecosystem of the ants are able to spread rapidly by colony budding, and Southern United States. We report the first record of a their social, cooperative behavior enables them to newly introduced ant species, specioides dominate ecosystems (Wilson 1971). In polygynous Bondroit, to the state of Washington. It possesses the colonies, reduced intraspecific aggression facilitates characteristics of a potential pest ant: high aggres- the establishment of supercolonies, a widely spread siveness, polygyny, and the tendency to reach high network of interconnected nests. Because individuals local abundances. This early record might facilitate within these supercolonies avoid the costs associated the control of introduced populations before they can with intercolonial competition and territoriality, they develop into a genuine nuisance. can invest more resources into their growth, foraging capability and defense (Zakharov 1972; Holway et al. Keywords Invasive species Pest 1998). These factors can make ants very successful, Ants Myrmica Formicidae America and dangerous, invasives. With an annual inflicted damage estimated at $1 billion per year (Pimentel et al. 2000), the infamous red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Fabricius) (: Formi- cidae), is one of the major pest ants in North America. A plethora of studies have documented the devastat- Direct competition and predation have resulted in a ing impact of invasive species on their introduced drastic reduction of the population numbers of native species, ranging from indigenous species to G. Jansen (&) birds (Giuliano 1996) and lizards (Montgomery Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, 1996). Solenopsis build large mounds that can University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, 00014 Helsinki, Finland destroy crop roots, and at high densities they even e-mail: gunther.jansen@helsinki.fi threaten vertebrates with their vicious, painful sting (Allen et al. 2004). A. Radchenko Recently, Groden et al. (2005) described the Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 64, Wilcza Str., 00-679 Warsaw, Poland colonization of the Eastern coast of Maine by another e-mail: [email protected] myrmicine ant, Myrmica rubra (L.) (Hymenoptera: 123 254 G. Jansen, A. Radchenko

Formicidae). This species shows the characteristics of found in the soil and tussocks of a dry garden a typical invasive ant, and it is rapidly reaching high meadow in Olympia, Washington, USA (47°08, densities in the eastern US and Canada, where it has 4830 N 122°58, 5790 W, 116 ft). Below we provide reportedly interacted negatively with humans. Unfor- some taxonomic and ecological characteristics of this tunately, many invasive species remain undetected species that might assist in the identification and until they become too large a problem to handle. control of this introduced species before it becomes a Once their populations have become completely pest. established, it is often extremely difficult to imple- M. specioides is originally described from Belgium ment effective control measures. Therefore, the (Bondroit 1918) and is distributed in Central and finding of a newly introduced ant species can be of Southern Europe, the southern part of Eastern great importance for the conservation of the native Europe, in Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Iran, and environment and its species, and demands a fast and Turkmenistan. It belongs to the scabrinodis species- adequate response to prevent its spread and potential group of Myrmica (Radchenko 1994; Radchenko and harm. Elmes 2004). This ant species can easily be differ- One more introduced ant species, Myrmica spec- entiated from all native American Myrmica species. ioides Bondroit (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), was The antennal scape of M. specioides is angularly encountered by one of the co-authors of this paper curved at the base, and has a horizontal ridge or (GJ) during his field investigation of the American narrow lobe, running along its dorsal plane (see fauna of the genus Myrmica. Several colonies were Fig. 1b, c). It could only be confused with the very

Fig. 1 Myrmica specioides, lectotype worker; (a) head, dorsal view; (b) antennal scape, lateral view; (c) antennal scape, dorsal view; (d) mesosoma and waist, lateral view (scale bars: 1 mm) 123 A new invasive ant species in the USA 255 common West Palaearctic M. scabrinodis Nylander, altered environment strongly suggests that it can but differs by the relatively wide frons, the less survive in close proximity to human settlement, extended frontal lobes, fairly short propodeal spines, where negative interactions can be most easily felt. and by the slightly rounded petiolar node dorsum which lacks a well marked dorsal plate (Fig. 1a, d). Acknowledgements This work was supported by the The males of M. specioides have a short antennal Academy of Finland, LUOVA (The Finnish Graduate School in Wildlife Biology, Conservation and Management) travel scape, and much shorter standing hairs on the tibiae grants and SYNTHESYS (European Union-funded Integrated than in M. scabrinodis (see also Seifert 1988, 2002; Infrastructure Initiative grant) (GJ), the grants of the Ministry Radchenko et al. 1997; Czechowski et al. 2002). of Education and Sciences of Poland, No. 2P04C 064 29 (AR), M. specioides is one of the most thermophilous and by the basic scientific programs of our Institutions. We thank John T. Longino for his encouragement and for granting species of the genus in , where it access to his garden. mainly inhabits open areas with scanty and low herbaceous vegetation. In the southern parts of its distributional area it prefers relatively cool, shady References habitats. 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Annu Rev Ecol Syst 33:81–233 Kappes H, Lay R, Topp W (2007) Changes in different trophic Most of the introduced M. rubra populations reach levels of litter-dwelling macrofauna associated with giant much higher densities than in their native ranges knotweed invasion. Ecosystems 10(5):734–744 (Groden et al. 2005). Lowe S, Browne M, Boudjelas S, De Poorter M (2004) 100 of Analogously, M. specioides may increase its the World’s worst invasive alien species: a selection from the global invasive species database. Invasive Species aggressiveness, colony size and population density Specialist Group, Gland in a habitat that lacks natural enemies. It shares with Montgomery WB (1996) Predation by the fire ant, Solenopsis M. rubra some of the traits that make a successful ant invicta, on the three-toed box turtle, Terrapene carolina invasive. M. specioides can form polygynous colo- triunguis. 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