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Fatty Amines from Little Black Ants, Monomorium minimum, and Their Biological Activities Against Red Imported Fire Ants, Solenopsis invicta

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Abstract

Red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, are significant invasive pests. Certain native ant species can compete with S. invicta, such as the little black ant, Monomorium minimum. Defensive secretions may contribute to the competition capacity of native ants. The chemistry of ant defensive secretions in the genus Monomorium has been subjected to extensive research. The insecticidal alkaloids, 2,5-dialkyl-pyrrolidines and 2,5-dialkyl-pyrrolines have been reported to dominate the venom of M. minimum. In this study, analysis of defensive secretions of workers and queens of M. minimum revealed two primary amines, decylamine and dodecylamine. Neither amine has been reported previously from natural sources. Toxicity and digging suppression by these two amines against S. invicta were examined. Decylamine had higher toxicity to S. invicta workers than dodecylamine, a quicker knockdown effect, and suppressed the digging behavior of S. invicta workers at lower concentration. However, the amount of fatty amines in an individual ant was not enough to knockdown a fire ant or suppress its digging behavior. These amines most likely work in concert with other components in the chemical defense of M. minimum.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Tahir Rashid, Alcorn State University, Extension/Research Demonstration Farm & Technology Transfer Center, Mound Bayou, MS and Dr. Bal K. Gautam, Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA for critical reviews of the manuscript. We thank Mr. Leon Hicks for technical assistance. We declare that no conflicts of interests exist. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. This project is supported by the Hesheng Zhujiang Education Foundation from South China Agricultural University and Chinese and State Scholarship Fund from China Scholarship Council.

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  1. College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, People’s Republic of China

    Lei Wang

  2. National Biological Control Laboratory, Biological Control of Pests Research Unit, USDA-ARS, 59 Lee Road, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA

    Jian Chen

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  1. Lei Wang
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Correspondence to Jian Chen.

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Wang, L., Chen, J. Fatty Amines from Little Black Ants, Monomorium minimum, and Their Biological Activities Against Red Imported Fire Ants, Solenopsis invicta . J Chem Ecol 41, 708–715 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-015-0609-3

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