Below is a glossary of terms used in conjunction with fire ant biology and control.
Imported Fire Ants Glossary
- active ingredient
- the material in a pesticide formulation that actually destroys the target pest or performs the desired function; pesticide labels are required by law to show the active ingredient and its percentage; abbreviated as a.i.; for more information, see Finding Active Ingredients on a Pesticide Label
- alkaloid
- a chemical compound with a high pH; fire ant venom is composed of alkaloids and proteins; the primary alkaloid in fire ant venom is piperidine
- amphibian
- any of a class of cold-blooded animals (such as frogs and newts) with backbones (vertebrates) and having aquatic larvae and air-breathing adults
- antenna, antennae (pl.)
- one of the paired flexible, jointed parts on the head of an insect, used for detecting various environmental factors, such as food or pheromones
- anterior
- front; the front view of something; if you looked into a fire ant’s face (see photo), that would be the anterior view.
- arthropod
- any of a group of animals without backbones, such as insects and spiders, that have a segmented body, jointed limbs and an outer shell that is shed periodically (molted)
- ballast
- a device or material used on ships (usually ballast tanks) that controls buoyancy and stability
- beneficial
- producing or promoting a favorable result; advantageous; beneficial insects are insects that work in ways that are helpful to an ecosystem, like pollination or pest control
- camouflage
- behavior or device used to conceal or hide; a disguise; in biology, a coloration or pattern that blends in with a background and hides an organism, making it difficult to detect; slang=camo
- caste
- a form (such as worker ant) of a social insect (ant) that carries out a particular function in the colony or an ant’s rank in the colony according to its function
- compound eye
- an eye composed of many light-sensitive parts (ommatidia), each of which is represented externally by a facet, that focus light on the retina, which helps form an image; most insects have compound eyes
- dichotomous key
- a chart used to identify organisms that consists of characteristics that are arranged in twos; see Be An Ant Detective!
- dispersal (biological dispersal)
- In its simplest form, dispersal is the way species move from one place to another
- exoskeleton
- an ant’s outer covering; a protective covering, like armor; it is the exoskeleton that is molted
- fermentation products
- insecticide ingredients such as abamectin and spinosad produced by micro-organisms; microbes are cultured (grown in a prepared medium) and exude the active ingredients, which are then isolated for formulation as insecticide active ingredients
- fire ant
- a group of ants named Solenopsis. Two species, red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren; and black imported fire ants, Solenopsis richteri Forel; and their hybrid are invasive species of stinging insects that can cause serious medical, economic and ecologic problems. In the United States they are called are called imported fire ants because they are not native to the United States; see also Fire Ant Nomenclature and Terminology.
- food chain
- a series of organisms in community in which each organism uses the next, usually lower, member as a food source
- form (noun)
- shape and structure of something; stage of development, such as a winged form of a fire ant
- fungus, fungi (pl.)
- any of a major group of flowerless plants (such as molds, mildews and mushrooms) that do not have chlorophyll and are parasites or live on dead or decaying organic matter
- gaster
- the hindmost portion of an ant’s anatomy; the rounded part of the abdomen behind the petiole; in Greek, belly
- genus, genera (pl.)
- a group of plants or animals with similar characteristics. The animal kingdom, which includes insects, is taxonomically structured by kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species. Example: The imported fire ant is classified as Animal (kingdom), Arthropoda (phylum), Insecta or Hexapoda (class), Hymenoptera (order), Formicidae (family), Solenopsis (genus), invicta (species). The genus and species are always italicized.
- honeydew
- a sweet sticky substance excreted by various insects, especially aphids, on the leaves of plants
- IPM
- See integrated pest management
- import
- to bring or carry in from an outside source, especially to bring in (goods or materials) from a foreign country for trade or sale
- imported
- not native or natural to a region or country; moved from one country to another either by accident or by design; imported fire ants are not native to the United States
- insect
- an invertebrate animal in the phylum Arthropoda, Class Insecta; insects are arthropods classified by three characteristics: (1)segmented body (head, thorax, and abdomen); (2)only three pairs of legs; (3)one or two pairs of wings though some are wingless; imported fire ants are insects in the Order Hymenoptera along with bees and wasps.
- instar
- a stage of an insect’s or other arthropod’s life between molts
- integrated pest management (IPM)
- IPM is the abbreviation for Integrated Pest Management. IPM is a strategy used to manage insect pests in the landscape by using economically and environmentally sustainable practices. The concept of chemical treatment as a singular means to control plant pests is no longer viable or acceptable. The goal of IPM is not necessarily to to eradicate or eliminate pests, but to strengthen and stabilize the landscape (ecosystem) so that conditions are favorable for plants but not favorable for pests. This is achieved by employing certain practices to prevent or avoid anticipated pest problems rather than treating them once they occur.
- invasive species
- a species that is foreign to an ecosystem and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic, medical or environmental harm; invasive species can be plants, animals, and other organisms (e.g., microbes); human actions are the primary means of invasive species introductions. Source: Online at http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/whatis.shtml, National Invasive Species Information Center, USDA National Agricultural Library
- larva
- a young, wingless, often worm-like form (such as a grub or caterpillar) that hatches from the egg of many insects
- mammal
- any of a class of warm-blooded vertebrates that include human beings and all other animals that feed their young with milk produced by mammary glands and have the skin usually more or less covered with hair
- mandible
- jaw; an insect has two mandibles which work together with other structures to form the insect’s mouthparts
- mesopleuron
- the lateral sclerite of the mesothorax; the upper part of the episternum of the mesothorax (meso=middle)
- mesothorax
- the middle part of the insect’s thorax
- metapleuron
- the lateral sclerite of the metathorax (meta=after, beyond)
- metathorax
- the hindmost segment of the insect’s thorax
- molt
- shed an outer covering or skin (cuticle); in insects, usually occurs during the nymphal or larval stage
- morphology
- the size, shape and color of an organism; the outward appearance; often the way one species is differentiated from another
- mound
- the above ground portion of the fire ant nest, part of the area where fire ants have excavated tunnels in the soil where they live
- ovipositor
- the egg-laying structure on a reproductive fire ant; functions as a stinger on non-reproductives (worker ants)
- pedicel
- the second segment of the antenna; the stem of the abdomen between the thorax and the gaster (ants)
- pheromone
- a chemical signal that triggers a natural behavioral response in another member of the same species
- pilosity
- refers to the longer hairs on a fire ant’s body, generally used for tactile perception; however, they also play a role in development in aiding the removal of the pupal or larval skin
- piperidine
- a chemical compound; piperidine is the alkaloid component in fire ant venom; fire ant venom is composed of alkaloids and proteins; piperidine is a relative of piperine, the main chemical ingredient in black pepper
- polymorphic
- occurring in more than one form (morph); colonies with different sizes of ants are polymorphic
- pretarsus
- the terminal segment of the leg, typically consisting of a pair of claws and one or more padlike structures
- pupa
- an insect in the seemingly inactive stage of development (not feeding), the intermediate development stage between larva and adult; pupae=plural; pupate=verb
- reproductives
- males and female ants with wings; reproductives fly from the colony into which they were born to mate and start their own colonies
- reptile
- any of a group of cold-blooded, air-breathing vertebrates, such as snakes, lizards, turtles and alligators, that usually lay eggs and have skin covered with scales or bony plates
- social insects
- groups of insects living in more or less organized communities with each group having a function
- Solenopsis invicta
- the scientific name of the red imported fire ant , a species of fire ant that was brought to the United States from South America; Solenopsis is the genus, invicta is the species; genus and species are always italicized; read more about writing scientific names.
- Solenopsis richteri
- the scientific name of the black imported fire ant, a species of fire ant that was brought to the United States from South America; Solenopsis is the genus, richteri is the species; genus and species are always italicized; read more about writing scientific names.
- stinger
- a sharp, pointed organ, attached to a venom gland, often filled with venom, capable of inflicting painful injury
- tarsus
- the leg segment immediately beyond the tibia, sometimes consisting of one or more segments or subdivisions
- trophallaxis
- the mouth-to-mouth exchange of food between adults and larvae of some insects. Watch this video.
- tunnels
- underground “roads” dug by the fire ants for they can move from place to placeWatch this video.