''Solenopsis geminata'' or tropical fire ant is a species of

fire ant Fire ants are several species of ants in the genus ''Solenopsis'', which includes over 200 species. ''Solenopsis'' are stinging ants, and most of their common names reflect this, for example, ginger ants and tropical fire ants. Many of the nam ...

s, described by

Fabricius Fabricius (, ) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *people from the Ancient Roman Fabricia gens, gens Fabricia: **Gaius Fabricius Luscinus, the first of the Fabricii to move to Rome * Johann Goldsmid (1587–1616), known by his ...

in 1804, in the tribe

Solenopsidini Solenopsidini (meaning "pipe-faced") is a tribe of myrmicine ants with about 20 genera. Genera *'' Adelomyrmex'' *'' Anillomyrma'' *'' Austromorium'' *'' Baracidris'' *'' Bariamyrma'' *'' Bondroitia'' *'' Chelaner'' *'' Cryptomyrmex'' ...

; it was originally placed in the ''

Atta Atta or ATTA may refer to: * ''Atta'' (ant), a genus of ants * ''Atta'' (novel), a 1953 novel by Francis Rufus Bellamy * Atta flour, whole wheat flour made from durum wheat commonly used in South Asian cooking * Atta (Buddhism) or Ātman, Pali f ...

'' genus. This species has a pan-

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

distribution.GBIF
''Solenopsis geminata'' (Fabricius, 1804)

Distribution

''Solenopsis geminata'' is native to Central and South America, including the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

islands, but has since spread throughout the tropics by human means. It is an

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

with a world-wide distribution even greater than that of other invasive fire ant species such as ''Solenopsis invicta'' (

red imported fire ant ''Solenopsis invicta'', the fire ant, or red imported fire ant (RIFA), is a species of ant native to South America. A member of the genus ''Fire ant, Solenopsis'' in the subfamily Myrmicinae, it was Species description, described by Swiss ento ...

).''Solenopsis geminata (tropical fire ant)''
CABI datasheet, update Dec 2019

Colonies and reproduction

''S. geminata'' build their nests primarily in the soil in open, sunny areas. The nests are formed, some as craters or mounds, up to 2 feet wide and 12 inches tall with multiple entrance holes up to some 20 per nest. The number of mounds varies greatly, from 10 to 80 per acre in native habitats to up to 1000 or even 1500 mounds per acre in areas where they are introduced. The colonies can either be monogyne, containing a single queen, or

polygyne The gyne (, from Greek γυνή, "woman") is the primary reproductive female caste of social insects (especially ants, wasps, and bees of order Hymenoptera, as well as termites). Gynes are those destined to become queens, whereas female workers ...

, containing many reproductive queens. They are known to hybridize with other closely related fire ant species. Queens may start a new colony following a

nuptial flight Nuptial flight is an important phase in the reproduction of most ant, termite, and some bee species. It is also observed in some fly species, such as '' Rhamphomyia longicauda''. During the flight, virgin queens mate with males and then land ...

. Otherwise, like other fire ants, they are known to spread by floating. Globally they can expand over long distances by jump-dispersal through human-mediated transport and invade new areas.

Venom

The venom of ''S. geminata'' is comparable in power and dangerousness to the one of ''

Solenopsis invicta ''Solenopsis invicta'', the fire ant, or red imported fire ant (RIFA), is a species of ant native to South America. A member of the genus '' Solenopsis'' in the subfamily Myrmicinae, it was described by Swiss entomologist Felix Santschi as a ...

'', and can cause severe allergic reactions capable of threatening human survival.

Subspecies

The

Global Biodiversity Information Facility The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international organisation that focuses on making scientific data on biodiversity available via the Internet using web services. The data are provided by many institutions from around th ...

includes: # ''Solenopsis geminata'' subsp. ''geminata'' (Fabricius, 1804) # ''Solenopsis geminata'' subsp. ''micans'' Stitz, 1912 # ''Solenopsis geminata'' subsp. ''rufa'' (Fabricius, 1804) Image:Solenopsis geminata casent0055762 profile 1.jpg, Reproductor Image:Solenopsis geminata casent0102966 profile 1.jpg, Worker Image:Solenopsis geminata casent0102966 head 1.jpg, Head Image:Solenopsis geminata casent0104935 dorsal 1.jpg, Dorsal view Solenopsis geminata 256490764

References

External links

* * {{taxonbar, from=Q3720386 geminata Hymenoptera of Asia Fauna of the Pantropical realm Insects described in 1804