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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #265103
Title: Pseudacteon decapitating fly parasitism rates in fire ant colonies around Gainesville, Florida

Author
item Porter, Sanford

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/22/2011
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Abstract only

Technical Abstract: In order to assess the impacts of phorid flies on fire ants in the Gainesville area, we collected 3 g of worker ants from 36 colonies. A total of 672 parasitized workers were recovered from the 36 colony samples. Confirmed parasitism rates ranged from 0-5% with an average of about 0.5%. Including chewed out heads and accounting for truncated pupation patterns doubles or triples overall estimates of parasitism rates. Pseudacteon curvatus accounted for 98.2% of the flies which emerged. Pseudacteon obtusus and Pseudacteon tricuspis accounted for 1.6% and 0.2% respectively.