Outdoor Occurrence of the Introduced Yellow-footed Ant Nylanderia flavipes in Switzerland (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

We report the first European outdoor record for the exotic ant Nylanderia flavipes (Smith, 1874), discovered in Switzerland. A worker was collected by hand and another in a pitfall trap outdoors during an inventory of the botanical garden on the larger Brissago Island (Isola di San Pancrazio) in 2023. The morphological identification was confirmed by DNA barcoding. Nylanderia flavipes is native to China, Japan, and Korea and is known to be introduced in North America. The species was most likely introduced with exotic plant imports. DNA-barcoding suggests a close relationship to N. flavipes sequences from China (Fujian and Shaanxi provinces). We recommend monitoring the potential impact and spread of this species in Switzerland and neighboring Italy.