Red fire ants, one of the most invasive species in the world, were first found in Europe.
This ant – whose scientific name is Solenopsis invicta – is native to South America but in the last century it has spread to the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, China and Australia. Now 88 anthills of this species have been found on five hectares near Syracuse, Sicily, Italy.
Red fire ants are known for the aggressiveness with which they attack potential threats and have a painful sting that can irritate the skin and cause allergic reactions. They can also pose a threat to local cultures and ecosystems.
Researchers fear that Solenopsis invicta will spread rapidly, as 7% of the European continent has a climate conducive to the spread of the species, including cities such as Barcelona, Paris, London, Lisbon and Porto.
“Solenopsis invicta is one of the most invasive species. It can spread with alarming speed,” says researcher Mattia Menchetti, author of the study published Monday in the scientific journal Current biology.
“Finding this species in Italy was a surprise, but we knew that day would come,” he says, quoted by CNN.
Researchers don’t know how red fire ants got to the Italian island. Isolated ants had already been found in imported products in Spain, Finland and the Netherlands, but never in entire colonies.
Source: TSF
