Five novel RNA viruses of the invasive big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala).

The African big-headed ant, Pheidole megacephala, is one of the most destructive invasive ant species, posing a significant threat to native biodiversity and ecosystem function, particularly in island ecosystems. Despite recent efforts to characterize pathogens in other major invasive ants, P. megacephala has received comparatively little attention.

Microbial, genetic, and urban drivers of ant invasions.

Invasive ants are among the most destructive invaders worldwide, causing ecological disruption, economic losses, and public health risks. While classic traits such as polygyny, colony budding, and supercoloniality are well-known contributors to their success, emerging research reveals a broader suite of mechanisms driving their invasiveness. This review synthesizes recent findings on the microbial, genetic, and behavioral factors that facilitate ant invasions.

Fire ants exhibit self-medication but lack preventive behavioral immunity against a viral pathogen.

Behavioral immunity in ants encompasses collective behaviors that help defend against pathogens and parasites by reducing infection risks and limiting disease spread. However, much of the research has focused on fungal pathogens, leaving the behavioral immunity responses to viral pathogens largely unexplored. This study represents the first attempt to characterize behavioral immunity in ants against viral pathogens using the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta and one of its common viruses, Solenopsis invicta virus 3 (SINV-3), as the model system.

What you eat is what we need: using ants to detect spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) DNA.

Background: Early detection of invasive species such as the spotted lanternfly (SLF, Lycorma delicatula) is critical for effective management including eradication efforts and limiting further spread. SLF excretes honeydew containing detectable DNA, providing a unique opportunity to leverage environmental DNA (eDNA) for its detection. This study introduces the ant-derived DNA (antDNA) approach, utilizing ants as 'honeydew samplers' to detect SLF DNA.

Development of alginate hydrogel baits for the management of longlegged ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

The longlegged ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes, is a globally destructive invasive species owning to its devastating impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions in the regions where it has been introduced. In Taiwan, invasion of A. gracilipes has been associated with the declining of land crab populations in several hotspots.

Anthropogenic Influence on the Distribution of the Longlegged Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

The longlegged ant Anoplolepis gracilipes (Smith) is a highly invasive tramp ant species known for its deleterious effects on native ecosystems. While tramp ants are associated with human activity, information on how different intensities of human activity affect their distribution is limited. This study investigated how anthropogenic activities affected the distribution of A.

Population genetic structure of the globally introduced big-headed ant in Taiwan.

Global commerce and transportation facilitate the spread of invasive species. The African big-headed ant, (Fabricius), has achieved worldwide distribution through globalization. Since the late 19th century, Taiwan has served as a major seaport because of its strategic location.

Genetic analysis reveals the putative native range and widespread double-clonal reproduction in the invasive longhorn crazy ant.

Clonal reproduction can provide an advantage for invasive species to establish as it can circumvent inbreeding depression which often plagues introduced populations. The world's most widespread invasive ant, Paratrechina longicornis, was previously found to display a double-clonal reproduction system, whereby both males and queens are produced clonally, resulting in separate male and queen lineages, while workers are produced sexually. Under this unusual reproduction mode, inbreeding is avoided in workers as they carry hybrid interlineage genomes.

First Polycipivirus and Unmapped RNA Virus Diversity in the Yellow Crazy Ant, .

The yellow crazy ant, is a widespread invasive ant that poses significant threats to local biodiversity. Yet, compared to other global invasive ant species such as the red imported fire ant () or the Argentine ant (), little is known about the diversity of RNA viruses in the yellow crazy ant. In the current study, we generated a transcriptomic database for .

Laboratory and Field Evaluations of Two Bait Formulations Against the Invasive Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, was first discovered in Japan in 2017. As this ant remains at the early invasion stage, efforts in establishing a rapid-response framework, such as evaluating available control methods, are urgently needed. Despite the presence of numerous household insecticides against invasive/household pest ants in Japan, the effects of these products on fire ants remain poorly understood.

Sacbrood viruses cross-infection between Apis cerana and Apis mellifera: Rapid detection, viral dynamics, evolution and spillover risk assessment.

Recent outbreaks of sacbrood virus (SBV) have caused serious epizootic disease in Apis cerana populations across Asia including Taiwan. Earlier phylogenetic analyses showed that cross-infection of AcSBV and AmSBV in both A. cerana and A.

Biology, Ecology, and Management of the Invasive Longlegged Ant, .

The longlegged ant () is one of the most damaging invasive tramp ants globally. It is generally found between latitudes 27°N and 27°S in Asia, although it has been introduced to other continents. Its native range remains debatable, but it is believed to be in Southeast Asia.

Improving invasive species management using predictive phenology models: an example from brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) in Japan.

Background: In order to better understand the population dynamics of invasive species in their native range, we developed two predictive phenological models using the ubiquitous invasive insect pest, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), as the model organism. Our work establishes a zero-inflated negative binomial regression (ZINB) model, and a general additive mixed model (GAMM) based on 11 years of black light trap monitoring of H. halys at three locations in Japan.

Comparison of Artificial Diets and Natural Prey for Mass Rearing of Orius strigicollis (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) Using Demographic Characteristics to Optimize Cost-Efficiency.

Orius strigicollis (Poppius) has been commonly released to control minute pests due to its remarkable foraging and predation ability. Despite decades long history of mass-rearing using eggs of Cadra cautella Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) as food, the cost of this food impeded the predator's marketing potential. Finding cost-effective artificial diets for mass rearing programs is, therefore, the key to promote the use of this generalist predator in practice.

Deformed Wing Virus in Two Widespread Invasive Ants: Geographical Distribution, Prevalence, and Phylogeny.

Spillover of honey bee viruses have posed a significant threat to pollination services, triggering substantial effort in determining the host range of the viruses as an attempt to understand the transmission dynamics. Previous studies have reported infection of honey bee viruses in ants, raising the concern of ants serving as a reservoir host. Most of these studies, however, are restricted to a single, local ant population.

Ongoing Coevolution of and a Widespread Invasive Ant, .

While are commonly found among arthropods, intraspecific infection rates can vary substantially across the geographic populations. Here we report nearly 100% prevalence of in the global populations of the yellow crazy ant, . To understand coevolutionary history between and , we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in from the ant across 12 geographical regions and compared the phylogeny of SNP-based to patterns of the ant's mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation.

Population Monitoring, Egg Parasitoids, and Genetic Structure of the Invasive Litchi Stink Bug, in Taiwan.

Here we assessed population dynamics, natural enemy fauna (with emphasis on egg parasitoid), and population genetic structure (based on mitochondrial DNA) of the invasive litchi stink bug (LSB), in Taiwan. Our major findings include: (1) fluctuations of LSB in numbers of adults, mating pairs, and egg masses over a 2-year period in Taiwan generally resemble those in the native populations; (2) and are among the most dominant LSB egg parasitoids, with the former consistently outnumbering the latter throughout Taiwan; (3) the presence of two genetically distinct clades suggests LSB in Taiwan most likely derived from multiple invasions. All these data practically improve our understanding of this invasive insect pest, particularly its ecological and genetic characteristics in the introduced area, which represents critical baseline information for the design of future integrated pest management strategies.

Correction to: Complete genome sequences of two novel dicistroviruses detected in yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes).

Authors would like to correct the error in Fig. 1 which was incorrectly updated in the original publication.

Complete genome sequences of two novel dicistroviruses detected in yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes).

We report two novel RNA viruses from yellow crazy ants, (Anoplolepis gracilipes) detected using next-generation sequencing. The complete genome sequences of the two viruses were 10,662 and 8,238 nucleotides in length, respectively, with both possessing two open reading frames with three conserved protein domains. The genome organization is characteristic of members of the genus Triatovirus in the family Dicistroviridae.

Analysis of Recent Interception Records Reveals Frequent Transport of Arboreal Ants and Potential Predictors for Ant Invasion in Taiwan.

We uncovered taxonomic diversity, country of origin and commodity type of intercepted ants at Taiwanese borders based on an 8 year database of 439 interception records. We found intercepted ants arrived predominantly via timber, a pattern likely reflecting the high domestic demand for foreign timber in Taiwan. The most frequently intercepted species were either arboreal or wood-dwelling ants, raising a concern of these ants constituting a next wave of ant invasion in Taiwan.

Evidence for Common Horizontal Transmission of among Ants and Ant Crickets: Kleptoparasitism Added to the List.

While , an intracellular bacterial symbiont, is primarily transmitted maternally in arthropods, horizontal transmission between species has been commonly documented. We examined kleptoparasitism as a potential mechanism for horizontal transmission, using ant crickets and their host ants as the model system. We compared prevalence and diversity of across multiple ant cricket species with different degrees of host specificity/integration level.

The Association between Virus Prevalence and Intercolonial Aggression Levels in the Yellow Crazy Ant, (Jerdon).

The recent discovery of multiple viruses in ants, along with the widespread infection of their hosts across geographic ranges, provides an excellent opportunity to test whether viral prevalence in the field is associated with the complexity of social interactions in the ant population. In this study, we examined whether the association exists between the field prevalence of a virus and the intercolonial aggression of its ant host, using the yellow crazy ant () and its natural viral pathogen (TR44839 virus) as a model system. We delimitated the colony boundary and composition of .