•  
  •  
 

Midsouth Entomologist

Abstract

The two-spined trap-jaw ant, Odontomachus haematodus (Linnaeus), is native to South America and was introduced to the United States via Mobile, Alabama in the mid-twentieth century. Misidentification as a native congener for several decades has inhibited the study of the ecology of O. haematodus in its introduced range within the Gulf Coastal Plain. We conducted a multimethod survey to: 1) assess the abundance of O. haematodus across urban parks in Hattiesburg, MS, the northernmost published record in this species’ exotic range, 2) establish which sampling methodologies are most effective for conducting urban surveys of O. haematodus, and 3) study the nesting preference of O. haematodus in urban parks. We observed O. haematodus in 6 out of 10 urban parks in Hattiesburg, MS. Of the six methodologies we compared, the most effective techniques for detecting O. haematodus were opportunistic collections, pitfall traps, and surveying the bases of trees for active nests. We found nests most often along the bases of trees in urban parks, without apparent nest-choice preferences for specific types or sizes of trees. These results are consistent with the assessment that O. haematodus is well established in this region and can nest in a wide range of microhabitats.

Download

Share

COinS