E. SUNAMURA et al. Technomyrmex were about T. albipes or T. difficilis, while reports on T. brunneus were scarce. Nevertheless, our observations on Hachijo Island and elsewhere suggest that T. brunneus can also be a significant household, agricultural and ecological pest in areas where it has been introduced. 3.2 Household Pest In residential areas of Hachijo Island, population densities of T. brunneus reach high levels and T. brunneus very frequently intrudes into houses seeking food and nesting sites (Fig. 1). Inside houses, T. brunneus easily forms satellite nests in hidden spaces, such as under ornaments, inside wardrobes or within gaps between walls and furniture, and they bring their brood into these nests. Along with this nesting habit, various problems occur, such as damage to food, breakage of electric devices, nuisance to humans, and costs incurred in controlling them. Some residents claim that they are on the verge of a mental breakdown due to the daily house intrusion by T. brunneus. Some residents use up one insecticidal spray bottle per day and it costs them several thousand to several ten thousand Japanese yen to purchase insecticides during summer. Additionally, T. brunneus enters and nests inside electronic equipment such as switchboards and circuit breakers. In Hachijo Island, breakage and malfunction of electronic devices have occurred in many homes and offices (Terayama et al., 2021a). Other than Hachijo Island, T. brunneus is also listed among the nuisance ant pests of the Ogasawara Islands, the African big-headed ant Pheidole together with longhorn crazy ant Paratrechina megacephala and longicornis (Terayama & Mori, 2014). Additionally, T. brunneus is also a significant nuisance pest in some parts The Japanese population of T. brunneus is most likely non-native (Putri et al., 2021; Putri & Cronin, 2023). All previous records of T. albipes can be assumed as T. brunneus (Terayama et al., 2014; Yamane et al., 2018). Specifically, T. brunneus occurs widely among southern Islands such as Okinawa, Yakushima and Daito. It also occurs in the subtropical islands of the Kanto Region such as the Izu, Ogasawara and Kazan islands (Terayama et al., 2021a). Additionally, its establishment has recently been recorded in Japan’s main islands: southern Shikoku, Wakayama southern Kyushu, Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture and the Tokyo Metropolis, Honshu (Harada, 1994; Terayama et al., 2021a; Terayama, 2023). Furthermore, it has been reported inside greenhouses and other buildings in the Tokyo Metropolis and in Kanagawa, Chiba and Shizuoka Prefectures (Terayama, 2023). Formerly, T. albipes was reported to be a significant household and agricultural pest. However, previous studies should be carefully re-examined, because they include reports of three different species. Terayama et al. that most reports on damage from (2021a) found Fig. 1 Technomyrmex brunneus on Hachijo Island. 1) An individual worker feeding from a hydrogel bait. 2) A satellite nest made between wood boards. 3) Numerous workers tending hemipteran insects on tree branches. 4) Workers visiting Hachijo Island’s specialty bird of paradise flower for nectar. the 134 T. albipes, because white-footed ants are pests. Bolton (2007), however, identified two species in T. albipes and divided it into T. albipes and T. brunneus. Additionally, T. albipes is morphologically very similar to T. difficilis, and Wetterer (2013) found two species have that frequently been misidentified. Accurately identified T. brunneus occurs in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, New Guinea, Taiwan, southeastern China and Japan (Bolton, 2007; Klimes et al., 2015). 3.1 Overview 3. Pest Status of T. brunneus
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