Mesic-habitat-specialist

Guides

• Solenopsis geminata

  tropical fire ant, Geminata-group fire ant

  Solenopsis geminata, the tropical fire ant, is a native New World species with a broad distribution spanning the southern United States through Central and South America, and introduced populations across Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Africa. The species exhibits a foraging strategy tradeoff between discovery efficiency and competitive territorial dominance compared to its congener S. xyloni, with S. geminata being less efficient at resource discovery but superior in competitive encounters. Invasive populations demonstrate adaptive strategies to overcome inbreeding costs, including pleometrosis (cooperative colony founding by multiple queens) and execution of diploid male larvae. The species serves as host to Pseudacteon phorid fly parasitoids.

  fire-antinvasive-speciesagricultural-pestbiological-control-hosthybridizationpleometrosisdiploid-male-productionphorid-fly-hostmesic-habitat-specialistNew-World-nativePacific-invasiveAsian-invasivecompetitive-dominanceforaging-strategy-tradeoff