Abstract
Ants have historically not been recorded on the Faroe Islands. We report ants on the
Faroe Islands for the first time, with all detections assumed to be recent accidental
arrivals with human commerce. We detail thirteen detections of six ant species. The
black garden ant Lasius niger has been found seven times since 1996, five times as
established colonies. The red wood ant Formica rufa, Camponotus fallax and two
detections of black garden ant Lasius niger were discovered in low numbers (1–4
individuals), and independent of any source of origin. No colonies of these species
were ever found and the incursions are presumed to have died naturally. Pharaoh
ant Monomorium pharaonis was discovered on a seafaring vessel and once in a
private home. The incursion in the private home was eradicated but it is unknown
what action was taken on the ship. Ghost ant Tapinoma melanocephalum was
discovered on a fishing vessel and eradicated. Tapinoma ibericum was found in a
pack of purchased fruits. We anticipate that ant incursions to the Faroe Islands will
increase with increasing human commerce, and that the ability for some species to
establish viable colonies will also increase.
Faroe Islands for the first time, with all detections assumed to be recent accidental
arrivals with human commerce. We detail thirteen detections of six ant species. The
black garden ant Lasius niger has been found seven times since 1996, five times as
established colonies. The red wood ant Formica rufa, Camponotus fallax and two
detections of black garden ant Lasius niger were discovered in low numbers (1–4
individuals), and independent of any source of origin. No colonies of these species
were ever found and the incursions are presumed to have died naturally. Pharaoh
ant Monomorium pharaonis was discovered on a seafaring vessel and once in a
private home. The incursion in the private home was eradicated but it is unknown
what action was taken on the ship. Ghost ant Tapinoma melanocephalum was
discovered on a fishing vessel and eradicated. Tapinoma ibericum was found in a
pack of purchased fruits. We anticipate that ant incursions to the Faroe Islands will
increase with increasing human commerce, and that the ability for some species to
establish viable colonies will also increase.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 28-32 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | BioInvasions Records. International journal of Field Research on Biological Invasions |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Keywords
- anthropogenic introduction
- transport
- Formica
- Camponotus
- Lasius
- Monomorium
- Tapinoma