Fire ants have been spotted in Sicily, according to a study published Monday, September 11, in the journal Current Biology. It is one of the most invasive species in the world and its presence in Europe could cause certain regions to become “inaccessible”.
A catastrophe for the environment. Despite being one of the most invasive species in the world, the Solenopsis invicta, also known as the fire ant, has been observed in recent weeks for the first time in Europe and more specifically in Sicily (Italy), according to this study. This represents a real scourge for biodiversity, as it makes the habitats in which it occurs “inaccessible”, including to humans.
88 nests identified
The fire ant, native to South America, gets its name from the painful stings it causes, which can lead to anaphylactic shock. Although already found in Australia, China, the Caribbean, Mexico and the United States, this is the first time such a species has been observed in Europe. A total of 88 nests were identified in Sicily, spread over an area of 4.7 hectares, the study shows. Scientists have “feared its arrival for decades” and fear it will “spread at an alarming rate.”
According to the study’s findings, these ants that came to Europe came particularly from the USA, China and Taiwan. Although the researchers could not say with certainty how they got to the ancient continent, they still put forward the hypothesis of sea transport, which seems most likely.
A threat to biodiversity
This species is a “catastrophe on the scale of the entire planet,” explained the deputy director of the CNRS Institute of Ecology and Environment, Philippe Grandcolas, on TF1. “It literally scares away vertebrates in the environments where it occurs, making those environments almost inaccessible, including to humans. “They are known to have one of the most irritating venoms in the world,” he said.
According to the authors of this study, only 7% of the continent is now suitable for this species. However, climate change could promote its spread. “50% of European urban areas, including Paris, London, Barcelona, Amsterdam and even Rome, are at risk,” they warn. Scientists’ plan to contain this species is to eradicate the nests and monitor the sites where it has settled. In doing so, they are guided by the measures taken by New Zealand, the only country so far that has managed to get rid of the species.
Rapid growth of invasive alien species
This study comes just days after the publication of a report by IPBES, the IPCC for Biodiversity, warning of the meteoric growth of invasive exotic species. The latter are involved in 60% of global plant and animal deaths. The increase in international trade, the degradation of ecosystems and climate change are major contributors to this phenomenon.
Solenopsis invicta is the fifth largest invasive species in terms of economic damage caused worldwide, according to a Nature study. According to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine, between 1994 and 2004, four elderly people in American nursing homes died as a result of a bite from this ant.