Interactions of the Invasive Lasius neglectus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with aphids (Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae)

Since the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrásfalvy, Citation1990 was first detected in 1998 in Seva (Barcelona), and despite the number of amateurs and professionals dedicated to the study of ants in Spain, this species had only been located outside Catalonia in Tener...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Casiraghi, Alice, Pérez Hidalgo, Nicolás, Espadaler, Xavier
Format: article
Publication Date:2022
Country:España
Institution:Ajuntament de Barcelona
Repository:BCNROC. Repositori Obert de Coneixement de l'Ajuntament de Barcelona
OAI Identifier:oai:bcnroc.ajuntament.barcelona.cat:11703/142842
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2072/482455
https://doi.org/10.1080/00379271.2022.2120536
http://hdl.handle.net/11703/142842
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Formigues
Afídids
Himenòpters
Ciència i tecnologia
articles
Description
Summary:Since the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrásfalvy, Citation1990 was first detected in 1998 in Seva (Barcelona), and despite the number of amateurs and professionals dedicated to the study of ants in Spain, this species had only been located outside Catalonia in Tenerife, Vizcaya and Valencia. Here we present a detailed study of its presence in the city of León (north-western Spain) and its trophic relationships with aphids. In the city we found two clearly separated supercolonies of L. neglectus attending 32 species of aphids living on 31 plant taxa. Lasius neglectus seems to avoid landscaped areas with high humidity and mainly attends aphids that live on shrubs and trees. The study is complemented with all the aphid–ant interactions known for this species.