The Hawaiian Islands represent the most isolated land mass in the world, with no native ant species. To study invasive biology within two ant communities on Oahu, Hawaii we conducted laboratory bioassays to assess agonistic interactions among five introduced ant species: Leptogenys falcigera (Roger,), Camponotus variegatus (F. Smith), Anoplolepis gracilipes (F. Smith), Ochetellus glaber (Mayr),...

The association between ants and mealybugs can result in damage to agriculture, including vineyards. In southern Brazil, the ant Linepithema micans F. contributes to the dispersal of Eurhizococcus brasiliensis (Wille) (ground pearl), a root mealybug that can lead to economic losses. In this study, the ant communities in vineyards that were infested or uninfested with ground pearls were evaluate...

A recent study by Fournier et al. (2003) provides important new information on sex allocation in the ant Pheidole pallidula, and proposes a new scenario for sex-ratio evolution in P. pallidula and similar species. However, Helms proposed to the authors that two important conclusions of the study were questionable because of potential problems with the analyses. Here we provide new data and a re...