Jacobson A L, Thompson D C, Murray L, Hanson S F
Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces 88003-8003, USA.
J Econ Entomol. 2006 Apr;99(2):313-22. doi: 10.1603/0022-0493-99.2.313.
As red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, continues to expand its range into the southwestern United States, it can be easily confused with the native southern fire ant, Solenopsis xyloni McCook. Variability in the morphological characteristics commonly used to differentiate these ant species was quantified by examining the length of the clypeal tooth, striations of the mesopleuron, length of antennal scape, area of the petiolar process, number and size of mandibular teeth, and color by using both scanning electron and light microscopy. Given enough samples, the average values of each of these characteristics is different between the two species; however, significant morphological variability occurs in both S. xyloni and S. invicta populations, creating an area of overlap where either of the two species could exhibit similar characteristics. Better differentiation of these two species is achieved using a combination of characteristics, but morphological techniques are not dependable unless numerous ants from each population are analyzed by a taxonomist familiar with Solenopsis. For situations requiring a more accurate identification, such as before quarantining a county or a portion of a county, a molecular technique using mitochondrial DNA and polymerase chain reaction techniques was developed.
随着外来入侵物种红火蚁（Solenopsis invicta Buren）不断向美国西南部扩展其分布范围，它很容易与本土的南方火蚁（Solenopsis xyloni McCook）混淆。通过使用扫描电子显微镜和光学显微镜，对用于区分这两种蚂蚁物种的常见形态特征的变异性进行了量化研究，这些特征包括唇齿长度、中胸侧板条纹、触角柄节长度、柄后腹突面积、上颚齿的数量和大小以及颜色。在有足够样本的情况下，这两种蚂蚁的这些特征的平均值各不相同；然而，在南方火蚁和红火蚁种群中都存在显著的形态变异，从而形成了一个重叠区域，两种蚂蚁都可能表现出相似的特征。综合多种特征能更好地区分这两种蚂蚁，但形态学技术并不可靠，除非由熟悉火蚁属的分类学家对每个种群的大量蚂蚁进行分析。对于需要更准确鉴定的情况，比如在对一个县或该县的一部分进行检疫之前，开发了一种利用线粒体DNA和聚合酶链反应技术的分子技术。
