The Fire Ants (Solenopsis) Of Florida

Solenopsis is a worldwide genus of ants, perhaps most notorious for pugnacious members of the subgenus Solenopsis, or fire ants. This subgenus is restricted to the new world with 5 species occurring in the united states. Presently, only 2 species of the subgenus Solenopsis are known to occur in florida: Solenopsis invicta Buren, the red imported fire ant, and S. geminata (fabricius), the tropical or native fire ant. S. xyloni McCook, the southern fire ant, was reported only once from extreme northwest florida (Smith, 1933) before the invasion by S. invicta. the other U.S. members of the subgenus are S. richteri Forel, the black imported fire ant, known in the United States only from northern Alabama and northern Mississippi (Buren, 1972), and S. aurea Wheeler, known only from the southwestern states (Creighton, 1950). Two other subgenera of Solenopsis (Euophthalma, Diplorhoptrum) are present in the United States, but are smaller in size and relatively innocuous to man. The fire ants of Florida were treated by Denmark (1962) in Entomology Circular No. 3, but since that time some changes, especially in nomenclature, have been made. Because existing keys to the subgenus Solenopsis are often misleading and based on invalid characters, a new key to the Florida species is given.