Pandey M, Addesso K M, Archer R S, Valles S M, Baysal-Gurel F, Ganter P F, Youssef N N, Oliver J B
Tennessee State University, College of Agriculture, Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center, McMinnville, TN.
Tennessee State University, College of Agriculture, Nashville, TN.
Environ Entomol. 2019 Jun 7;48(3):727-732. doi: 10.1093/ee/nvz023.
Worker size and geographical distribution of red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren), black imported fire ants (Solenopsis richteri Forel), and their hybrid (S. invicta × S. richteri) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were evaluated from colonies sampled across Tennessee. The fire ant species and hybrid status were determined using cuticular hydrocarbon and venom alkaloid indices obtained from gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Hybrids were the most common fire ant throughout Tennessee. With the exception of a few isolated S. invicta samples, only hybrids were found in east Tennessee, and hybrids predominated in middle Tennessee. In west Tennessee, mixed populations of S. richteri and hybrids were found. Hybrids were more common in west Tennessee than a survey performed a decade earlier. No statistical differences were detected in the average inter-colonial worker size of S. richteri and hybrids. Likewise, average worker size was not related to geographic location in Tennessee. The similarity in average worker size among hybrid colonies with a wide range of cuticular hydrocarbon and venom alkaloid values suggests introgression was not impacting ant size in colonies sampled throughout Tennessee.
对从田纳西州各地采集的红火蚁（Solenopsis invicta Buren）、黑火蚁（Solenopsis richteri Forel）及其杂交种（S. invicta × S. richteri）（膜翅目：蚁科）群体的工蚁大小和地理分布进行了评估。利用气相色谱和质谱获得的表皮碳氢化合物和毒液生物碱指标确定火蚁种类和杂交状态。杂交种是田纳西州最常见的火蚁。除了少数孤立的红火蚁样本外，田纳西州东部只发现了杂交种，杂交种在田纳西州中部占主导地位。在田纳西州西部，发现了黑火蚁和杂交种的混合种群。与十年前进行的一项调查相比，杂交种在田纳西州西部更为常见。在黑火蚁和杂交种的平均群体间工蚁大小上未检测到统计学差异。同样，平均工蚁大小与田纳西州的地理位置无关。在具有广泛表皮碳氢化合物和毒液生物碱值的杂交群体中，平均工蚁大小的相似性表明渐渗并没有影响田纳西州各地采集群体中的蚂蚁大小。
