Pheidole parva Mayr (1865) is a small ubiquitous ant native to the Indomalayan region where it is considered a pest in healthcare facilities. This tramp ant was first reported outside its native range more than 100 years ago in the Seychelles Islands. Since then, it has been found in other areas of the Old World, where it was likely accidentally introduced via trading ships. In the 2000s, this ant was detected in Japan (2001),...

Parasites and other symbionts are crucial components of ecosystems, regulating host populations and supporting food webs. However, most symbiont systems, especially those involving commensals and mutualists, are relatively poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated the nature of the symbiotic relationship between birds and their most abundant and diverse ectosymbionts: the vane‐dwelling feather mites. For this purp...

We characterized patterns of genetic variation in populations of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta in China using mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear microsatellite loci to test predictions as to how propagule pressure and subsequent dispersal following establishment jointly shape the invasion success of this ant in this recently invaded area. Fire ants in Wuchuan (Guangdong Province) are genetically differentiated from thos...

In this study we evaluated the performance of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COII) mitochondrial gene as a tool for inferring phylogenetic relationships among platyrrhines. Twenty‐nine COII sequences were examined in seven platyrrhine genera ( Alouatta , Ateles , Lagothrix , Brachyteles , Cebus , Saimiri , and Aotus ) employing parsimony and distance methods. Phylogenetic signal (g 1 ) was present in all codon positions,...