Published in

MDPI, Insects, 12(14), p. 901, 2023

DOI: 10.3390/insects14120901

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of a Microsporidian Parasite in the Black Imported Fire Ant and Its Social Parasitic Ant (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Solenopsis) in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Published version: archiving allowed
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Microsporidia are natural pathogens of arthropods and have been used as biological control against insect pests. In the United States, efforts to control the invasive Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta, and Black Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis richteri, have included the use of the microsporidium, Kneallhazia solenopsae. However, there is limited information about the genetic differences among the microsporidian variants found in S. invicta and in S. richteri. In this study, we assessed the prevalence and genetic diversity of K. solenopsae in native populations of S. richteri in Argentina (South America). Additionally, we examined the social parasitic ant, Solenopsis daguerrei, which is found in some S. richteri nests, for the presence of this microsporidium. The survey of 219 S. richteri nests revealed K. solenopsae infections in all five sites analyzed, with 28 colonies (12.8%) positive for the microsporidium. Among the 180 S. daguerrei individuals collected, seven ants (3.9%) from three sites tested positive for K. solenopsae. Phylogenetic analyses of the microsporidian variants present in S. richteri and S. daguerrei based on partial small subunit ribosomal gene sequences (SSU rRNA) showed that both ant species shared the same variant, which is different from the ones found in S. invicta. Further studies are needed to determine the pathogenicity of genetically different K. solenopsae variants among Solenopsis species.