Observations of Acrobat Ants (Crematogaster sp.) Preying on the Eggs of the Invasive Giant Applesnail (Pomacea maculata)

Jacoby Carter^1,*, Jennifer Wilson², and Susan Mopper³

¹US Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 700 Cajundome Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70506. ²US Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 2547 CR 316, Brazoria, TX 77422. ³Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist,Volume 20, Issue 1 (2021): N15–N18

Abstract
Herein we provide direct evidence for the consumption of Pomacea maculata (Giant Applesnail) eggs by ants in the genus Crematogaster. The observations were made during removal of snail egg masses at the Hudson Woods Unit of the Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge, TX. We observed acrobat ants (Crematogaster sp.) removing snail eggs from an egg mass and carrying eggs back to their nest. While predation on Pomacea applesnail eggs has been reported elsewhere, to our knowledge this is the first time that it has been observed in North America.

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