Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x24gv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-16T14:07:47.528Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pest status of the crazy ant, Anoplolepis longipes (Jerdon) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in the Seychelles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

I. H. Haines  and
J. B. Haines
I. H. Haines
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Mahé, Seychelles
J. B. Haines
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Mahé, Seychelles
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

On Mahé in the Seychelles, Anoplolepis longipes (Jerd.) is a pest, mainly because of the nuisance it causes to man and domestic animals but also because it increases the numbers of sap-feeding insects and the occurrence of sooty mould on plants. The most important sap insect associated with sooty mould on citrus and cinnamon was Ceroplastes rubens Mask., the numbers of which sometimes increased a hundredfold in the presence of A. longipes, and up to 90% of leaves were infected with sooty mould. The rapid population expansion of the ant on Mahé prior to 1973 has since slowed down, and infestations in some areas have diminished, possibly because of a decreasing source of protein. Movement of ant-infested material has initiated secondary infestations, which are difficult to eradicate once established. The ant is not considered a threat to conservation as differences between the fauna in infested and uninfested areas tend to be quantitative rather than qualitative. Attempts to eradicate the ant on Mahé would be costly and inappropriate. The use of toxic baits and sprays is recommended only where ants become a domestic nuisance, threaten productivity or reach Other islands in the Seychelles group.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 68 , Issue 4 , December 1978 , pp. 627 - 638
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brown, E. S. (1959). Immature nutfall of coconuts in the Solomon Islands. I. Distribution of nutfall in relation to that of Amblypelta and of certain species of ants.—Bull. ent. Res. 50, 97–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Entwistle, P. F. (1972). Pests of cocoa.—779 pp. London, Longmans.Google Scholar
Government of Seychelles (1976). A review of the economy.—70 pp. Government Press, Seychelles.Google Scholar
Graham, K. M. (1971). Plant diseases of Fiji.—O.D.M., Res. Pub. no. 17.—251 pp. London, H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Haines, I. H. & Haines, J. B. (in press a). Toxic bait for the control of Anoplolepis longipes (Jerd.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Seychelles. I. The basic attractant carrier, its production and weathering properties.—Bull. ent. Res.Google Scholar
Haines, I. H. & Haines, J. B. (in press b). Toxic bait for the control of Anoplolepis longipes (Jerd.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Seychelles. II. Effectiveness, specificity and cost of baiting in field applications.—Bull. ent. Res.Google Scholar
Haines, I. H. & Haines, J. B. (in press c). Toxic bait for the control of Anoplolepis longipes (Jerd.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Seychelles. III. Selection of toxicants.—Bull. ent. Res.Google Scholar
Haines, I. H. & Haines, J. B. (in press d). Residual sprays for the control of Anoplolepis longipes (Jerd.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Seychelles.—Pestic. Sci.Google Scholar
Hodgson, C. J. (1970). Pests of citrus and their control.—PANS 16, 647–666.Google Scholar
Hosny, M. M., Amin, A. H. & El-Saadany, G. B. (1972). The damage threshold of the red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) infesting mandarin trees in Egypt.—Z. angew. Ent. 71, 286–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keuchenius, P. E. (1915). Researches and considerations on some coccids injurious to coffee cultivation in Java.—Meded. besoek. Proefst. 16, p. 63.Google Scholar
Knorr, L. C. (1973). Citrus diseases and disorders. An alphabetized compendium with particular reference to Florida.—163 pp. Gainesville, University Press of Florida.Google Scholar
Lee, H. S. (1974). Control of ants in pineapple field by mirex bait [in Chinese with English summary].—J. Taiwan agric. Res. 23, 307–310.Google Scholar
Le Pelley, R. H. (1968). Pests of coffee.—590 pp. London, Longmans.Google Scholar
Leston, D. (1973). The ant mosaic—tropical tree crops and the limiting of pests and diseases.—PANS 19, 311–341.Google Scholar
Lewis, T., Cherrett, J. M., Haines, I., Haines, J. B. & Mathias, P. L. (1976). The crazy ant (Anoplolepis longipes (Jerd.) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)) in Seychelles, and its chemical control.—Bull. ent. Res. 66, 97–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Purseglove, J. W. (1968). Tropical crops. Dicotyledons, Vols. 1 & 2.—719 pp. London, Longmans.Google Scholar
Room, P. M. & Smith, E. S. C. (1975). Relative abundance and distribution of insect pests, ants and other components of the cocoa ecosystem in Papua, New Guinea.—J. appl. Ecol. 12, 31–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skidmore, C. L. (1974). Annotated bibliography of scientific and technical information compiled from the work and records of the Department of Agriculture, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles to August 1972.—104 pp. London, Eyre & Spottiswoode.Google Scholar
Soans, A. B. & Soans, J. S. (1971). A case of intergeneric competition and replacement in the ants Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius and Anoplolepis longipes Jerdon (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).—J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 68, 289–290.Google Scholar
Way, M. J. (1953). The relationship between certain ant species with particular reference to biological control of the coreid, Theraptus sp.—Bull. ent. Res. 44, 669–691.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, J. R. (1957). Annual report of the Entomological Division.—Rep. Dep. Agric. Mauritius 1955.Google Scholar
Wilson, K. & Goldsmid, J. M. (1962). Rhodesian citrus pests and their control.—Rhodesia agric. J. 59, 41–61.Google Scholar