Arthropod pests of conservation significance in the Pacific: A preliminary assessment of selected groups

Abstract

Arthropod species are by far the most numerous invasive organisms on islands, but those of conservation significance in the Pacific, except for Hawaii and the Galapagos, are not well documented. Ants may pose the greatest arthropod threat to conservation in the Pacific, by predation, direct competition, and creating favourable conditions for other invasive biota. Information is given on some of the potentially most damaging: bigheaded ant Pheidole megacephala, long-legged or crazy ant Anoplolepis longipes, Argentine ant Linepithema humile, little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata, and others. Vespid wasps pose another critical threat; an outline is given of the yellowjacket wasp Vespula pensylvanica, recorded only from Hawaii in the Pacific, but with serious potential for invading other Pacific island groups. The other significant pests discussed here are the black twig borer beetle Xylosandrus compactus, the coconut rhinoceros beetle Oryctes rhinoceros, and the avian malaria mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus. A preliminary bibliography for ants in the Pacific is appended.