Solenopsis geminata (Formicidae) tropical fire ant

Species description or overview

Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius 1804)
Detailed images, and information on the range, identification, and natural history of the ant species Solenopsis geminata is provided here.

Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius)
This pest summary on the white-footed ant contains general information on pest hosts, distribution, damage, biology, and management in Hawaii.

AntWatch: Ants of Hawai'i
Antwatch provides images and descriptions of ants that have been introduced to Hawaii.

Solenopsis geminata (insect)
Lots of information, including description, range, habitat, diet, life cycle, control, images, and more is provided here.

Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) 
A description of Solenopsis geminata, its distribution globally, and its potential impact if introduced in New Zealand is provided by Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research.

Identification

Taxonomy & nomenclature

Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius, 1804)
ITIS, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System, lists taxonomic data for Solenopsis geminata and allows searches of other databases.

Pest alerts

Impacts

Fire Ant Bites
Information on how fire ants sting, the physical response to those stings, populations most likely to get stung, medical treatments, and much more is provided by eMedicine.

Effect of a keystone predaceous ant, Solenopsis geminata, on arthropods in a tropical agroecosystem
Arthropod communities with and without S. geminata in a corn/squash agroecosystem in Mexico are compared (note, Ecology, 1982).

Control methods

NATURAL PEST CONTROL FOR HOME GARDENS & LAWNS, Vol. I, #7
A description of the fire ant problem and information on the damage caused and treatments for this imported pest is available here.

The Best Control of Fire Ants
This in-depth site feature information on the species identification, life cycle, control, stings, and more.

The Best Control of Fire Ants in PDF format 
This in-depth site feature information on the species identification, life cycle, control, stings, and more.

Host specificity of four Pseudacteon spp. (Diptera: Phoridae), parasitoids of fire ants in Argentina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Parasitic flies used as biocontrols for red imported fire ants Solenopsis invicta are not as interested in the tropical fire ant S. geminata.

Eradication of two exotic ants from Kakadu National Park (Australia) 
The African big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala) and the tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata) were successfully eradicated from the Kakadu National Park through a disciplined program of assessment, treatment, and monitoring.

Discussion forums

Images

Ants of Borneo
Several clickable images can be enlarged to show greater detail.

Solenopsis geminata SEM image
This SEM (scanning electron microscope) image of Solenopsis geminata is a frontal head view.

Distribution

Ants from Moorea, Society Islands (American Museum of Natural History, 1908)
In 1906-1907, 13 ant species were collected for the American Museum on the island of Moorea (Eimeo), near Tahiti. Some of the species are listed by outdated names.

Fiji Ant Project information
Anoplolepis gracilipes, Paratrechina vaga, Pheidole megacephala and Solenopsis geminata are currently impacting the native diversity of endemic ants in Fiji.

New arthropod records from Kahoolawe (Bishop Museum Occasional Papers, 2004) 
New island records of a variety of arthropods collected on Kahoolawe are reported here.

Checklist of the ants of Fiji (Bishop Museum Occasional Papers, 2006). 
This checklist of the ants of Fiji includes 138 currently valid species and subspecies: 91 Fijian endemics, 22 wide-ranging Pacific natives, and 25 exotics.

Full-text articles

Pacific Ant Prevention Plan 
This proposal was prepared by ISSG for the Pacific Plant Protection Organization and Regional Technical Meeting For Plant Protection in March 2004.

The ecology, policy, and management of ants in Hawaii (Proc. Hawaiian Entomol Soc., 2005)
The ecology and impacts of the roughly 45 ant species introduced to Hawaii, and their implications for agriculture, other sectors of the economy, and the conservation of native biodiversity, are reviewed (abstract with link to full article).

Current and potential ant impacts in the Pacific region (Proc. Hawaiian Entomological Society, 2005)
Is an "invasional meltdown" involving ants and scale insects a wave of the future for the Pacific? This article discusses the potential impacts of invasive insects on Pacific Islands.

A review of the association of ants with mealybug wilt disease of pineapple (Proc. Hawaiian Entomological Society, 2003)
The mutualism between ants and mealybugs on pineapple is reviewed.

The causes and consequences of ant invasions 
Invasive ants compete with and prey upon a diversity of other organisms, including some vertebrates, and may enter into or disrupt mutualistic interactions with numerous plants and other insects.

Ants of the Dry Tortugas, the outermost Florida keys
The two dominant ant species of the Tortugas, Pheidole megacephala and Solenopsis geminata, may pose a threat to native fauna, including sea turtle and sea bird nestlings.

Indirect effects of phorid fly parasitoids on the mechanisms of interspecic competition among ants (Oecologia, 1999) 
Promising biocontrol agents, phorid flies caused many Solenopsis geminata workers to assume a stationary, curled defensive posture. The flies also affected foraging behavior of S. invicta.

Arthropod pests of conservation significance in the Pacific: A preliminary assessment of selected groups 
Invasive ants are individually reviewed in this section of "Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy" published in June 2000 by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

The causes and consequenses of ant invasions 
This article reviews the ecological effects of invasive ants on continents and islands. Tables and extensive references are provided.

Introduced ants in Galápagos (Floreana Island): Importance of coompetition, coexistence and aggressive behaviors (doctoral thesis) 
Competitively dominant species Monomorium destructor and Solenopsis geminata monopolize resources on Florean island. Biotic and abiotic factors contributing to their success are discussed.

Determinants for the successful establishment of exotic ants in New Zealand 
The exotic New Zealand ant fauna is examined for characteristics that predict or determine an exotic species' ability to establish. A predictive model based on quarantine records, climate, and ant species size was 71% accurate.

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The Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) project is currently funded by the Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) through PIERC (USGS) with support from HCSU (UH-Hilo). More details are available online.

The template for this page was created on 15 March 2004 by EMS, and was last updated on 20 February 2006 by PT. The content of this page was last regenerated on (or after) 28 March 2008 by PT.