Imported Fire Ants Glossary

abdomen

the posterior (hindmost) of the three body regions on a fire ant (head, thorax, abdomen)

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

aerate

supply with air or expose to air circulation

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

alates

winged, reproductive forms of some insects

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, or in front of

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)

attractant

a substance used to attract an organism, e.g pheromones, bait, sugar

bait

food or other attractant used to attract an animal

ballast

a device or material used on ships (usually ballast tanks) that controls buoyancy and stability

basal

of, at, or forming the base of something

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

brood

the young of certain animals; in fire ants, the eggs, larvae and pupae make up the brood

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; an ant's rank in the colony according to its function

centimeter

1 cm = 0.39 inches.

To convert cm to inches = cm x 0.39

To convert in to cm = in x 2.54

coloration

the color pattern of an organism; an arrangement of colors

competitor

something that competes with another, as in sports or business or nature; a rival

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

conical

of, relating to, or shaped like a cone

coxa

the basal segment of the leg

cranium

the part of the body that encloses the brain

cultured

material or substances artificially grown, usually in a prepared medium

dichotomous key

a chart used to identify organisms that consists of characteristics that are arranged in twos; see Be An Ant Detective!

episternum

an area in the side of the thorax

eradication

in biology, the complete elimination of a species from a geographical area

eusocialistic

reproductive specialization; breeding for specialized jobs within the ant colony

excavate

to remove by digging or scooping out

exoskeleton

an ant's outer shell; a protective covering, like armor; it is the exoskeleton that is molted

femur

the third leg segment, located between the trochanter and the tibia

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

red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren; an invasive species of stinging insect that can cause serious medical, economic and ecologic problems; called imported fire ants because they are not native to the United States; see also Fire Ant Nomenclature and Terminology.

flourish

to grow well or luxuriantly; thrive

food chain

a series of organisms in community in which each organism uses the next, usually lower, member as a food source

food web

all the food chains in an area

foraging, forage

looking for food

foreleg

one of the front legs

form

noun; shape and structure of something; stage of development, such as a winged form of a fire ant

fungus

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

head

the anterior body region that bears the eyes, antennae and mouthparts

hold

the lower interior part of a ship or airplane where cargo is stored

honeydew

a sweet sticky substance excreted by various insects, especially aphids, on the leaves of plants

identity

the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known

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

infestation

a group of organisms in numbers large enough to be harmful, threatening or obnoxious

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

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

invertebrate

lacking a spinal column or backbone; insects are invertebrates

larva

a young, wingless, often worm-like form (such as a grub or caterpillar) that hatches from the egg of many insects

lateral

of, at, from or to the side

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

mate

(verb) to pair (animals) for breeding

membranous

having a membrane; somewhat transparent

mesopleuron

the lateral sclerite of the mesothorax; the upper part of the episternum of the mesothorax (meso=middle)

metamorphosis

change in developmental stages (Example: larva to pupa to adult)

metapleuron

the lateral sclerite of the metathorax (meta=after, beyond)

middle leg

center legs

minims

very small fire ant workers

molt

shed an outer covering or skin (cuticle); in insects, usually occurs during the pupal stage

monogyne monogynous (adj.)

social insect colonies with one queen; polygyne colonies have more than one queen

morphology

the size, shape and color of an organism; the outward appearance; often the way one species is differentiated from another

native

originating, growing, produced or occurring naturally in a certain place or region

nuptial

occurring in the breeding season, as in a nuptial flight when fire ants mate

omnivorous

eating both animal and vegetable foods

oviposit

to lay eggs

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)

petiole

a slender, stalk-like body part that connects the thorax and abdomen in certain insects

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

pleuron

the lateral area of a thoracic segment; (thorax=chest area)

polygyne polygynous (adj.)

social insect colonies with more than one queen

polymorphic

occurring in more than one form (morph); colonies with different sizes of ants are polymorphic

posterior

hindmost or rear

potential

the ability of something to develop or become actual

pretarsus

the terminal segment of the leg, typically consisting of a pair of claws and one or more padlike structures

propleuron

the lateral portion or pleuron of the prothorax

protein

a complex group of organic molecules that are the basic components of all living cells

prothorax

the anterior of three thoracic segments

pubescence

covered with fine, soft short hairs; covering of short hairs on an ant's body

pupa (n.)

an insect in the inactive stage of development (not feeding), the intermediate development stage between larva and adult; pupae=plural; pupate=verb

radiate

to extend like rays in straight lines from a center

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

scape

the basal segment of the antennae

sclerite

a hardened body wall plate bounded by sutures or membranous areas

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.

species

a category of living things that can produce fertile offspring

spiracles

breathing holes located on on the ant's thorax; part of the integument

stinger

a sharp, pointed organ, often filled with venom, capable of inflicting painful injury

suture

the line of junction adjoining two body structures, much like a seam

tarsus

the leg segment immediately beyond the tibia, sometimes consisting of one or more segments or subdivisions

taxonomy

the science of classifying and naming things

thorax

the body region behind the head, which bears the legs and wings

tibia

the fourth segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus

trochanter

the second segment of the leg, between the coxa and the femur

trophallaxis

the mouth-to-mouth exchange of food between adults and larvae of some insects

water table

the level below which the ground is completely soaked with water

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Related:

• Fire Ant Nomenclature and Terminology