EFFECT OF THE MICROSPORIDIUM THELOHANIA-SOLENOPSAE (MICROSPORIDA, THELOHANIIDAE) ON THE LONGEVITY AND SURVIVAL OF SOLENOPSIS-RICHTERI (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE) IN THE LABORATORY
Ja. Briano et Df. Williams, EFFECT OF THE MICROSPORIDIUM THELOHANIA-SOLENOPSAE (MICROSPORIDA, THELOHANIIDAE) ON THE LONGEVITY AND SURVIVAL OF SOLENOPSIS-RICHTERI (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE) IN THE LABORATORY, The Florida entomologist, 80(3), 1997, pp. 366-376
The longevity of colonies of the black imported fire ant, Solenopsis r
ichteri Forel, and the survival of starved workers and sexual females
was compared between healthy colonies and colonies infected with the m
icrosporidium Thelohania solenopsae Knell, Alien, & Hazard. The coloni
es were collected in the field and reared for approximately four mo. I
ndividual workers and sexuals were held without food until death. The
body weight of infected and healthy workers was compared. After 3 mo o
f laboratory rearing, longevity of infected colonies was significantly
shorter than that of healthy ones mortality of infected colonies was
92% and mortality of healthy colonies was 49%. At 27 degrees C, mortal
ity rate of workers from infected colonies was higher than in healthy
workers. Workers from infected colonies lived between 8.8 and 29.2% le
ss than healthy workers. At 22 degrees C, no statistical significance
was observed. At 21 degrees C, only the initial mortality of sexual fe
males was higher in infected than in healthy individuals. The weight o
f infected workers was very similar to that of healthy workers. T. sol
enopsae should be considered for the biological control of the importe
d fire ants in the United States.