The family Formicidae is composed of ants that organize themselves into castes in which every individual has a joint organizational function. Solenopsis Westwood, 1840 is an ant genus with opportunistic and aggressive characteristics, known for being invasive species and stings that cause burning in humans. This genus is particularly difficult to classify and identify since its morphology provides few indications for species differentiation. For this, a tool that has been useful for evolutionary and taxonomic studies is cytogenetics. Here, we cytogenetically studied Solenopsis saevissima Smith, 1855 from Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We evaluated the occurrence of polyploid cells in individuals and colonies by conventional cytogenetics. A total of 450 metaphases were analyzed and counted. Chromosome counts of individuals and colonies showed varied numbers of ploidies, from n = 16 to 8n = 128. The karyomorphometrical approach allowed determination of the following karyotypes: n = 10 m + 4 sm + 2 st, 2n = 20 m + 8 sm + 4 st, and 4n = 40 m + 16 sm + 8 st. Polyploidy can be found naturally in individuals and colonies and may represent an adaptative trait related to widespread distribution and invasion ability of new habitats.

中文翻译：

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评估火蚁 Solenopsis saevissima Smith 的倍性水平和核型结构，1855 年（膜翅目、蚁科、蚁科）

 蚁科由蚂蚁组成，这些蚂蚁将自己组织成种姓，其中每个个体都有共同的组织功能。Solenopsis Westwood, 1840 是一种具有机会主义和攻击性特征的蚂蚁属，以入侵物种和导致人类灼伤的蜇伤而闻名。该属特别难以分类和鉴定，因为它的形态几乎没有提供物种分化的迹象。为此，对进化和分类学研究有用的工具是细胞遗传学。在这里，我们通过细胞遗传学研究了 1855 年生于巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州欧鲁普雷图的 Solenopsis saevissima Smith。我们通过常规细胞遗传学评估了个体和菌落中多倍体细胞的出现。总共分析和计数了 450 个中期细胞。个体和菌落的染色体计数显示出不同数量的倍性，从 n = 16 到 8n = 128。核形态学方法可以确定以下核型：n = 10 m + 4 sm + 2 st，2n = 20 m + 8 sm + 4 st，4n = 40 m + 16 sm + 8 st。多倍体自然存在于个体和群体中，可能代表与新栖息地的广泛分布和入侵能力相关的适应性特征。