Showler Allan T, Osbrink Weste L A, Dorsey Bailee N, Caesar Ryan M
USDA-ARS, Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, Kerrville, TX.
Department of Science, Schreiner University, Kerrville, TX.
Environ Entomol. 2019 Sep 30;48(5):1063-1070. doi: 10.1093/ee/nvz097.
Multiple predatory ant species, including the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Buren) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), have been reported to attack ixodids (Ixodida: Ixodidae), but evidence has largely been circumstantial. When living lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.) (Acarina: Ixodidae), eggs, and unfed and blood-engorged larvae, nymphs, and adults were deployed on bait transects with hot dog slices and dead house flies, Musca domestica L., in West, Central, and South Texas. The various ixodid life stages were not attacked while ants were strongly recruited to the hot dog and M. domestica baits. Similarly, when the same ixodid life stages and other baits were placed adjacent to colonies of two ant species (red harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus (Smith) and the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren) the ixodids were not preyed upon while hot dog slices and dead M. domestica were immediately attacked. Some ant species dragged blood-engorged adult ixodids and eggs away from the colony entrance, where they were originally placed, and discarded them. Evidence and mechanisms for allomone-based ant deterrence in the genera Amblyomma, Dermacentor, and Rhipicephalus (metastriate ixodids) are discussed. Protection of ixodids from predatory ants helps to explain why metastriate ixodids remain problematic worldwide despite the presence of predaceous ants.
包括入侵红火蚁（Solenopsis invicta (Buren)，膜翅目：蚁科）在内的多种掠食性蚂蚁物种已被报道会攻击硬蜱（蜱螨目：硬蜱科），但证据大多是间接的。在得克萨斯州西部、中部和南部，将孤星蜱（Amblyomma americanum (L.)，蜱螨目：硬蜱科）的卵、未进食和饱血的幼虫、若虫及成虫与热狗切片和家蝇（Musca domestica L.）尸体一起放置在诱饵样带上。在蚂蚁被强力吸引到热狗和家蝇诱饵时，各种硬蜱的生命阶段并未受到攻击。同样，当把相同的硬蜱生命阶段和其他诱饵放置在两种蚂蚁（红收获蚁，Pogonomyrmex barbatus (Smith)和入侵红火蚁，Solenopsis invicta Buren）的蚁巢附近时，硬蜱未被捕食，而热狗切片和家蝇尸体却立即遭到攻击。一些蚂蚁物种将饱血的成年硬蜱和卵从最初放置的蚁巢入口拖走并丢弃。本文讨论了钝缘蜱属、革蜱属和璃眼蜱属（后气门亚目硬蜱）中基于异种信息素的蚂蚁威慑作用的证据和机制。硬蜱免受掠食性蚂蚁的侵害有助于解释为什么尽管存在捕食性蚂蚁，后气门亚目硬蜱在全球范围内仍然是个问题。
