INVADER: 3-D model of a red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), a species that has spread around the world from its native territory in South AmericaEVAN ECONOMO, OKINAWA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
In Hong Kong, some 1,300 skyscrapers butt up against rows of retail properties and restaurants. But because of conservation laws that mandate the preservation of 40 percent of the city’s land, lush parks break up the congested landscape. Someone or something seeking constant activity intermingled with green space would thrive here.
For the last 12 to 15 years, that perfect Hong Kong transplant has been the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), an invasive species native to South America.
“We’ve created the perfect environment for them,” says Benoit Guénard, an ecologist at Hong Kong University, who studies ant biodiversity.
The species invaded the United States in the late 1930s, but it didn’t make its way to Asia for another 60 or 70 years, courtesy of ...
