Author
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MACGOWN, JOSEPH - Mississippi State University |
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Submitted to: Midsouth Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2011 Publication Date: 3/1/2012 Citation: Macgown, J. A. First record of the tramp ant Cardiocondyla obscurior (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) for Mississippi. Midsouth Entomologist. 5(1):9-10. 2012. Interpretive Summary: The Mississippi Entomological Museum (MEM) has conducted faunal surveys of ants in the southeastern US since 2002. These surveys, coupled with trap samples collected by APHIS and other groups, serve as a monitoring system for the detection of exotic insects entering our region. As a result of these collections in Mississippi, a new exotic record, Cardiocondyla obscurior Wheeler, was detected in 2005 in Pearl River County, Mississippi from a Lindgren funnel trap. Cardiocondyla is an old world genus of small, omnivorous ants native to Africa and Asia. At this time, it is not known whether or not this species is established in the state, or what impact it may have on native species. Technical Abstract: Cardiocondyla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) is an old world genus of omnivorous ants native to Africa and Asia. The genus Cardiocondyla includes several common tramp species that have spread globally with human commerce. A single alate female C. obscurior Wheeler was collected by J. M. Strong in Pearl River County, Mississippi in a Lindgren funnel trap baited with Typosan and alpha-pinene that was run from 13 to 26 May 2005 by J. M. Strong in Pearl River County, Mississippi. To date, no colonies have been detected in Mississippi, and it is not known whether this species is established in the state. This is the first record of the genus Cardiocondyla for Mississippi and represents only the second state in the United States where this species has been reported. |
