ManhattAnt, Lasius emarginatus als invasive Pest-Ant in New York!Biol Invasions 2014
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-024-03344-z The ManhattAnt: identification, distribution, and colony structure of a new pest in New York City, Lasius emarginatus.Samantha M. Kennett · Bernard Seifert · Robert R. Dunn ·
Todd W. Pierson · Clint A. Penick
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Abstract: An unidentifed ant species was discov-ered in the heart of New York City in 2011, which garnered national headlines and created the memorable nickname “ManhattAnt.” New York City is one of the oldest and largest cities in North America and has been the site of introduction for some of North America’s most damaging invasive pests. Nevertheless, there has been little follow up research on the ManhattAnt since its discovery, and it has yet to be formally identifed. Here we use genetic and morphological approaches to confirm the identity of the ManhattAnt and characterize its introduced range and colony structure. Results from genetic analyses placed the ManhattAnt within the
Lasius emarginatus species complex, and morphological comparisons ruled out closely related species to identify the ManhattAnt as the European ant
L. emarginatus with 93–99% certainty depending on the nest sample. Since its initial discovery in the region, the ManhattAnt has become
one of the most common ants in New York City and has spread at a rate of 2 km/yr into New Jersey and onto Long Island. Based on the climate it inhabits within its native range, L. emarginatus could expand to cover much of the eastern United states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Although many successful invasive ants display supercoloniality with little aggression between neighboring nests, we found no evidence that L. emarginatus colonies in New York City are supercolonial. Continued monitoring of L. emarginatus is warranted, as it has been increasingly reported as an indoor pest and is known to form mutualisms with honeydew producing pests of street trees.
Keywords: Invasive species · Lasius · Urban ecology · Community science · New York City · Ants · DNA barcoding · Numeric morphology-based alpha-taxonomy
Kommentar: Diese bei uns verbreitete Ameise tritt zwar gelegentlich in Häusern und Wohnungen auf, ist aber aber nicht ungewöhnlich auffällig als lästige oder gar schädliche Art. Es gibt zu denken, dass
Lasius emarginatus nach Einschleppung in die USA sich dort
seit 2011 offenbar zu einer wirklichen Pest Ant und Hausameise entwickelt. In der Untersuchung wird mit vielen Daten belegt, dass es sich tatsächlich um die europäische
L. emarginatus handelt. Noch ist sie auf New York City, New Jersey und Long Island begrenzt, doch hat sie wohl das Potenzial, in weiten Teilen der östlichen USA invasiv zu werden.
MfG,
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