Lasius neglectus

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Lasius neglectus
Lasius neglectus casent0173143 profile 1.jpg
L. neglectus worker from Belgium
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Genus: Lasius
Species:
L. neglectus
Binomial name
Lasius neglectus
Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrásfalvy, 1990  [1]

Lasius neglectus is a polygynous, sometimes invasive, ant of the genus Lasius . The ant was identified in 1990 after establishing a colony in Budapest, Hungary. [2] Superficially, they are similar in appearance to the common black garden ant, Lasius niger , but have significantly different behavioural patterns, particularly in the social structure within colonies. [2]

Contents

Lasius neglectus is believed to be prey for several animals and insects, specifically Clytra laeviuscula and some Picidae family birds. [3]

Colonies

Lasius neglectus occupies 'super colonies', systems of interconnected nests with many queens, estimated to be over 35,500 in some colonies. [4] The queens, instead of moving to a new nest to start a new colony, will mate within the existing colony. [5] Unlike most ant species, queens mate underground and are incapable of flight. As the occupants of these colonies are related, they do not demonstrate territorial aggression. [5]

Lasius neglectus does not build elaborate nests, instead, the species usually nests under flat stones, in the topsoil under leaf litter and even in trash piles. In human habitats, L. neglectus tends to nest inside electrical devices. [6] Like other invasive ant species, L. neglectus relies on honeydew for its main food source and, but for a single instance in a grassland without trees in Tbilisi, known food sources come exclusively from insect prey and honeydew-producing insects on trees. [6]

Social immunity

L. neglectus was the first ant species to be observed performing "destructive disinfection" to their brood, wherein tending ants find pupae infected with Metarhizium brunneum , a parasitic fungus. The tending ants then bite into the cuticle of the pupa and spray it with antiseptic poison to kill both the pupa and the fungus. [7] While getting rid of the parasitic fungi, colonies are exposed to the Metahizium species. Sometimes, this leads to a protective immunity to future low-level exposures to this fungi for the surviving colony members. [8]

As pests

Lasius neglectus can outnumber native European varieties of ant by 10 to 100 times in infested gardens and, as such, has been considered a pest in many central European countries. [9] [10] The species has spread as far as Jena in Germany, Ghent in Belgium and Warsaw in Poland. [11] A colony has been reported in Hidcote Bartrim, Gloucestershire in England, where it demonstrates an affinity for outdoor electrical fittings where it may constitute a fire risk. [12]

Similar to many other invasive species, L. neglectus has so far only been found to infest disturbed urban habitats such as parks and gardens, where it eradicates most native ants and other insect populations while damaging trees because of the massive aphid cultures that it maintains. Whereas most other known pest ants require warm temperatures to thrive, L. neglectus can survive winters with extended frost periods, so that further dispersal into temperate climatic zones seems unavoidable. Asia Minor has been suggested as the most likely region of origin of L. neglectus as it co-occurs here with its non-invasive sister-species L. turcicus . [13]

The species has been proposed as a candidate to become a similar problem to the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ant</span> Family of insects

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their geniculate (elbowed) antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.

<i>Lasius</i> Genus of ants

Lasius is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, Lasius niger. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, L. neoniger, and L. alienus. Other species include the temporary social parasites of the L. mixtus group and the hyper-social parasite Lasius fuliginosus. Lasius flavus is also a commonly seen species, building grassy hillocks in undisturbed pasture. In the Alps, these mounds – always aligned east to catch the first rays of the rising sun – have been traditionally used by goatherds as natural compasses. Species in the subgenus Acanthomyops, in particular L. interjectus and L. claviger, are commonly known as citronella ants due to their citronella-like smell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leafcutter ant</span> Any of 47 species of leaf-chewing ants

Leafcutter ants, a non-generic name, are any of 47 species of leaf-chewing ants belonging to the two genera Atta and Acromyrmex, within the tribe Attini. These species of tropical, fungus-growing ants are all endemic to South and Central America, Mexico, and parts of the southern United States. Leafcutter ants can carry twenty times their body weight and cut and process fresh vegetation to serve as the nutritional substrate for their fungal cultivates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black garden ant</span> Species of ant

The black garden ant, also known as the common black ant, is a formicine ant, the type species of the subgenus Lasius, which is found across Europe and in some parts of North America, South America, Asia and Australasia. The European species was split into two species; L. niger, which are found in open areas; and L. platythorax, which is found in forest habitats. It is monogynous, meaning colonies contain a single queen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fungus-growing ants</span> Tribe of ants

Fungus-growing ants comprise all the known fungus-growing ant species participating in ant–fungus mutualism. They are known for cutting grasses and leaves, carrying them to their colonies' nests, and using them to grow fungus on which they later feed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ant colony</span> Underground lair where ants live, eat, and tend eggs

An ant colony is a population of ants, typically from a single species, capable of maintaining their complete lifecycle. Ant colonies are eusocial, communal, and efficiently organized and are very much like those found in other social Hymenoptera, though the various groups of these developed sociality independently through convergent evolution. The typical colony consists of one or more egg-laying queens, numerous sterile females and, seasonally, many winged sexual males and females. In order to establish new colonies, ants undertake flights that occur at species-characteristic times of the day. Swarms of the winged sexuals depart the nest in search of other nests. The males die shortly thereafter, along with most of the females. A small percentage of the females survive to initiate new nests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpenter ant</span> Genus of ants (Camponotus spp.)

Carpenter ants are large ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharaoh ant</span> Species of ant

The pharaoh ant is a small (2 mm) yellow or light brown, almost transparent ant notorious for being a major indoor nuisance pest, especially in hospitals. A cryptogenic species, it has now been introduced to virtually every area of the world, including Europe, the Americas, Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is a major pest in the United States, Australia, and Europe. The ant's common name is possibly derived from the mistaken belief that it was one of the Egyptian (pharaonic) plagues.

<i>Tapinoma sessile</i> Species of ant

Tapinoma sessile is a species of small ant that goes by the common names odorous house ant, sugar ant, stink ant, and coconut ant. Their colonies are polydomous and polygynous. Like many social insects, T. sessile employs complex foraging strategies, allocates food depending on environmental conditions, and engages in competition with other insects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow meadow ant</span> Species of ant

The yellow meadow ant, also known as the yellow hill ant, is a species of ant occurring in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Populations in North America are now considered a different, related species, Lasius brevicornis.

<i>Lasius umbratus</i> Species of ant

Lasius umbratus, colloquially known as the yellow shadow ant and yellow lawn ant, is a Palearctic species of parasitic ant distributed across Eurasia and the Maghreb region of Africa. It was once thought that this species occurred in North America as well, but comparative genomic studies indicate the Afro-Eurasian and American populations are discrete and not closely related enough to represent a single species. The North American populations are now treated as a different species, Lasius aphidicola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentine ant</span> Species of ant

The Argentine ant is an ant native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil. This invasive species was inadvertently introduced by humans on a global scale and has become established in many Mediterranean climate areas, including South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, Easter Island, Australia, the Azores, Europe, Hawaii, and the continental United States. Argentine ants are significant pests within agricultural and urban settings, and are documented to cause substantial harm to communities of native arthropods, vertebrates, and plants within their invaded range.

<i>Lasius alienus</i> Species of ant

Lasius alienus, or cornfield ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae. Workers have a length of about 2–4 mm, Queens are larger (7–9 mm).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slave-making ant</span> Species of ants that steal young ants of another species to contribute to their colony

Slave-making ants or slaver ants are brood parasites that capture broods of other ant species to increase the worker force of their colony. After emerging in the slave-maker nest, slave workers work as if they were in their own colony, while parasite workers only concentrate on replenishing the labor force from neighboring host nests, a process called slave raiding.

Eusocial insects have developed from their organization an ability to recognize one another within their society. This recognition of others, from recognizing individuals to groups, is an indication of society, and creates an identity colony wide for each insect.

<i>Lasius neoniger</i> Species of ant

Lasius neoniger, also known as the turfgrass ant, Labour day ant, cornfield ant or nuisance ant, is a species of ant in the genus Lasius. Found in North America, the species is common in the eastern United States and Canada, though they can be found all over the continent. They are usually light brown in color, with a slightly darker head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social immunity</span> Antiparasite defence mounted for the benefit of individuals other than the actor

Social immunity is any antiparasite defence mounted for the benefit of individuals other than the actor. For parasites, the frequent contact, high population density and low genetic variability makes social groups of organisms a promising target for infection: this has driven the evolution of collective and cooperative anti-parasite mechanisms that both prevent the establishment of and reduce the damage of diseases among group members. Social immune mechanisms range from the prophylactic, such as burying beetles smearing their carcasses with antimicrobials or termites fumigating their nests with naphthalene, to the active defenses seen in the imprisoning of parasitic beetles by honeybees or by the miniature 'hitchhiking' leafcutter ants which travel on larger worker's leaves to fight off parasitoid flies. Whilst many specific social immune mechanisms had been studied in relative isolation, it was not until Sylvia Cremer et al.'s 2007 paper "Social Immunity" that the topic was seriously considered. Empirical and theoretical work in social immunity continues to reveal not only new mechanisms of protection but also implications for understanding of the evolution of group living and polyandry.

The social networks of colonies of social insects have been extensively studied as model biological networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ant supercolony</span> Exceptionally large ant colony

An ant supercolony is an exceptionally large ant colony, consisting of a high number of spatially separated but socially connected nests of a single ant species, spread over a large area without territorial borders. Supercolonies are typically polygynous, containing many egg-laying females. Workers and queens from different nests within the same supercolony can freely move among the nests, and all workers cooperate indiscriminately with each other in collecting food and care of the brood, and show no apparent mutual aggressive behavior.

References

  1. "Lasius neglectus Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrásfalvy". Invasive ants. Landcare Research. Archived from the original on May 17, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Richard Black (December 3, 2008). "Ant invader knocks on UK's door". BBC News. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  3. Xavier Espadaler and Víctor Bernal (April 29, 2008). "Lasius neglectus – interactions". Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  4. X.Espadaler; S.Rey; V.Bernal (2004). "Queen number in a supercolony of the invasive garden ant, Lasius neglectus". Insectes Sociaux. 51 (3): 232. doi:10.1007/s00040-003-0732-y. S2CID   40937458.
  5. 1 2 Louise Gray (December 2, 2008). "Invasive foreign ant could be heading to Britain". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 Paris, C.; Espadaler, X. (2012). "Foraging Activity of Native Ants on Trees in Forest Fragments Colonized by the Invasive Ant Lasius neglectus". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 2012: 1–9. doi: 10.1155/2012/261316 .
  7. Pull, Christopher D; Ugelvig, Line V; Wiesenhofer, Florian; Grasse, Anna V; Tragust, Simon; Schmitt, Thomas; Brown, Mark JF; Cremer, Sylvia (January 9, 2018). Tautz, Diethard (ed.). "Destructive disinfection of infected brood prevents systemic disease spread in ant colonies". eLife. 7: e32073. doi: 10.7554/eLife.32073 . ISSN   2050-084X. PMC   5760203 . PMID   29310753.
  8. Konrad, Matthias Vyleta, Meghan L. Theis, Fabian J. Stock, Miriam Tragust, Simon Klatt, Martina Drescher, Verena Marr, Carsten Ugelvig, Line V. Cremer, Sylvia (April 2012). "Social Transfer of Pathogenic Fungus Promotes Active Immunisation in Ant Colonies". PLOS Biology. 10 (4). Public Library of Science: e1001300. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001300 . OCLC   841451730. PMC   3317912 . PMID   22509134.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. Xavier Espadaler and Víctor Bernal (May 11, 2006). "Lasius neglectus – pest status". Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  10. James Randerson (December 3, 2008). "'Super ants' threaten UK gardens, scientists warn". The Guardian. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  11. Xavier Espadaler and Víctor Bernal (July 24, 2009). "Lasius neglectus – distribution". Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  12. "National Trust property test site for super ant pest control". Daily Telegraph. December 27, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  13. Cremer, S.; Ugelvig, L. V.; Drijfhout, F. P.; Schlick-Steiner, B. C.; Steiner, F. M.; Seifert, B.; Hughes, D. P.; Schulz, A.; Petersen, K. S.; Konrad, H.; Stauffer, C.; Kiran, K.; Espadaler, X.; d'Ettorre, P.; Aktaç, N.; Eilenberg, J. R.; Jones, G. R.; Nash, D. R.; Pedersen, J. S.; Boomsma, J. J. (2008). Svensson, Erik I (ed.). "The Evolution of Invasiveness in Garden Ants". PLOS ONE. 3 (12): e3838. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.3838C. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003838 . PMC   2585788 . PMID   19050762.