Hicks, B.J.

How does Myrmica rubra (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) disperse in its invasive range? Record of male-only swarming flights from Newfoundland

The Eurasian ant Myrmica rubra (Linnaeus, 1758) invaded North America more than 100 years ago. Here, we report the first records of M. rubra from Newfoundland, as well as the first North American record of male dispersal swarms. These records, from Carbonear, Corner Brook, and St. John's, are the northernmost (48° 56' N) reliable records of M. rubra in North America. Like with other polygynous invasive ants where queen dispersal seems to be limited, we discuss a potential role of male dispersal in maintaining gene flow among colonies in light of observations of male-only swarming in Newfoundland.

Open access, licensed under CC BY 4.0. © 2012 The Author(s).

Myrmica rubra, dispersal, swarms, Formicidae, invasive ant.