Researchers have documented the first confirmed presence of Wasmannia auropunctata in the Canary Islands, after the invasive ant was detected in August 2023 on Tenerife. The little fire ant, also known as the electric ant, was found inside a golf course and in the surrounding gardens.
The finding matters now because it places one of the world’s most disruptive ants into an island system with high levels of endemic life. The Canary Islands have 61 ant species and subspecies, 19 of them endemic, while the wider archipelago also carries 40.3% endemic fauna and 22.4% endemic flora, making any new invasive arrival a serious concern.
Identification was confirmed with morphological work and molecular barcoding, leaving little doubt about the record. That confirmation is important because Wasmannia auropunctata is already established far beyond its native range in South and Central America, with spread to at least 31 countries and islands and a reported global economic cost of US$ 7.35 billion, making it one of the costliest ant invasions known.
The Tenerife record does not stand alone. The study found significant genetic divergence between that population and other established populations, including those in Málaga, and concluded that the western Palearctic has been colonized through at least two independent invasion events. In plain terms, this was not a single spillover from one place to another; it was a broader pattern of separate arrivals that now includes the Canary Islands.
How the ant reached Tenerife is not spelled out in the findings, but the location offers a strong clue: a golf course and nearby gardens are landscapes shaped by constant movement of soil, plants and equipment, which can help small stowaway insects move unnoticed. That is why an early record in a limited area is being treated as a possible opening for eradication before the species spreads farther across Tenerife and beyond the site where it was first found.
The unresolved question is whether that window remains open. The discovery gives the Canary Islands a chance to act while the infestation is still localized, but the species’ record elsewhere shows how quickly a small foothold can become a long-term presence. For now, the warning is direct: a new invasive ant has arrived, and the island’s biodiversity may have only a narrow margin to keep it from taking hold.
