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Different acute toxicity of fipronil baits on invasive Linepithema humile supercolonies and some non-target ground arthropods

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Abstract

Fipronil is one of the most effective insecticides to control the invasive ant Linepithema humile, but its effectiveness has been assessed without considering the genetic differences among L. humile supercolonies. We hypothesized that the susceptibility of the ant to fipronil might differ among supercolonies. If so, dosage and concentration of fipronil may need to be adjusted for effective eradication of each supercolony. The relative sensitivities of four L. humile supercolonies established in Hyogo (Japan) to fipronil baits were examined based on their acute toxicity (48-h LC50). Toxicities of fipronil to seven ground arthropods, including four native ant species, one native isopoda, and two cockroaches were also determined and compared to that of L. humile supercolonies using species sensitivity distributions. Marked differences in susceptibility of fipronil were apparent among the supercolonies (P < 0.008), with the ‘Japanese main supercolony’ (271 μg L−1) being five to ten times more sensitive to fipronil than other colonies (1183–2782 μg L−1). Toxicities to non-target species (330–2327 μg L−1) were in the same range as that of L. humile, and SSDs between the two species groups were not significantly different (t = −1.389, P = 0.180), suggesting that fipronil’s insecticidal activity is practically the same for L. humile as for non-target arthropods. Therefore, if the invasive ant is to be controlled using fipronil, this would also affect the local arthropod biodiversity. Only the ‘Japanese main supercolony’ can be controlled with appropriate bait dosages of fipronil that would have little impact on the other species.

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Acknowledgments

Some specimens of the two cockroach species and of Pristomyrmex punctatus were provided by Earth Chemical Co., Ltd., Japan. We thank Kurumi Morishita for her kind assistance with the toxicity tests. The authors wish to thank Dr. Rafael Barbieri and Dr. Tomoyuki Yokoi for valuable technical advices. Our special thanks to Shinobu Ando of Ministry of the Environment, Japan for permission to raise the invasive Linepithema humile in our laboratory (permit number 13000057). This study was supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (ERTDF) (4-1401, Leader: Koichi Goka) of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, 2014. The paper benefited from the constructive comments of two anonymous reviewers as referees.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Agriculture, KINDAI University, 3327-204 Nakamachi, Nara, 631-8505, Japan

    Daisuke Hayasaka, Naoki Kuwayama, Azuma Takeo, Takanobu Ishida & Takuo Sawahata

  2. Water Environment Research Group, Public Works Research Institute (PWRI), 1-6 Minamihara, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8516, Japan

    Hiroyuki Mano

  3. Department of Applied Biological Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwaicho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan

    Maki N. Inoue

  4. Organochemicals Division, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences (NIAES), 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, Japan

    Takashi Nagai

  5. Faculty of Agriculture & Environment, The University of Sydney, 1 Central Avenue, C81-ATP, Eveleigh, NSW, 2015, Australia

    Francisco Sánchez-Bayo

  6. Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0053, Japan

    Koichi Goka

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  1. Daisuke Hayasaka
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Hayasaka, D., Kuwayama, N., Takeo, A. et al. Different acute toxicity of fipronil baits on invasive Linepithema humile supercolonies and some non-target ground arthropods. Ecotoxicology 24, 1221–1228 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-015-1483-z

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