Distributional expansion of exotic ants and its effects on native ant communities in northern Kyushu ―Northern Kyushu Exotic Ants Research Group―

HOSOISHI Shingo, MURAKAMI Takahiro, OGATA Kazuo, KITAJIMA Hisako

doi:10.32215/pronatura.31.0_30

<p>Due to the development of logistics in recent years, there has been a problem of exotic species moving beyond their original distribution areas. Among them, there have been many cases of attempted invasions of exotic species that seem to have come through ships, and in northern Kyushu, fire ants, a specified alien species, have been confirmed at Hakata Port. Hakata Port serves as a departure and arrival point for the surrounding islands, and people and goods are frequently transported via ferry to Iki, Tsushima, and Goto Islands. In this study, we investigated the distribution of exotic ants inland and their effects on native ant communities. Ants were surveyed at various locations from port areas to inland areas in 10 major ports in northern Kyushu, and only in port areas in 6 smaller ports. Bait traps using tuna and honey were used to identify the dominant ant species at each site. So far, 66,865 ants of 27 species have been identified by the bait trap survey. The exotic ant, Pheidole indica, the third most common ant in terms of frequency of occurrence and the second most common in terms of number of individuals, suggests that it is the dominant ant around the port area. In inland areas, however, the number of non-native ants tended to decrease in areas surrounded by rice fields and forests, while the number and frequency of native ants tended to increase.</p>

Distributional expansion of exotic ants and its effects on native ant communities in northern Kyushu ―Northern Kyushu Exotic Ants Research Group―

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