Researchers first spotted the insect, dubbed the “ManhattAnt,” while doing a survey on ants in New York City in 2011. By comparing the New York ants with the European ones, Seifert was able to confirm the ant’s identity. Because the nests work together instead of against one another, they can spread faster and easily dominate an area by outcompeting native species, he added. “One of the things we know about a lot of invasive ant species is they displace the native species, and the native species that they’re displacing usually have very specialized roles in the ecosystem, so you’re sort of disrupting that ecosystem when these species get introduced,” Moreau said. Time will tell whether the ant has become more than just a nuisance and is disrupting the ecosystem, Penick said.

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Persons: North America —, ”, Clint Penick, Samantha Kennett, Becca Senft, Penick, Corrie Moreau, Moreau, Bernhard Seifert, Seifert, Kennett, ” Moreau Organizations: CNN, New Yorkers, Auburn University, Apple, Cornell University, Clemson University Locations: North America, Manhattan, European, Europe, New York City, Alabama, Long, New Jersey, Maine, Georgia, New York, Germany, York, South Carolina