| Summary: | Microsporidia are natural pathogens of arthropods and have been used as biological control against insect pests. In the United States, efforts to control the invasive Red Imported Fire Ant, <i>Solenopsis invicta</i>, and Black Imported Fire Ant, <i>Solenopsis richteri</i>, have included the use of the microsporidium, <i>Kneallhazia solenopsae</i>. However, there is limited information about the genetic differences among the microsporidian variants found in <i>S. invicta</i> and in <i>S. richteri</i>. In this study, we assessed the prevalence and genetic diversity of <i>K. solenopsae</i> in native populations of <i>S. richteri</i> in Argentina (South America). Additionally, we examined the social parasitic ant, <i>Solenopsis daguerrei</i>, which is found in some <i>S. richteri</i> nests, for the presence of this microsporidium. The survey of 219 <i>S. richteri</i> nests revealed <i>K. solenopsae</i> infections in all five sites analyzed, with 28 colonies (12.8%) positive for the microsporidium. Among the 180 <i>S. daguerrei</i> individuals collected, seven ants (3.9%) from three sites tested positive for <i>K. solenopsae</i>. Phylogenetic analyses of the microsporidian variants present in <i>S. richteri</i> and <i>S. daguerrei</i> based on partial small subunit ribosomal gene sequences (SSU rRNA) showed that both ant species shared the same variant, which is different from the ones found in <i>S. invicta</i>. Further studies are needed to determine the pathogenicity of genetically different <i>K. solenopsae</i> variants among <i>Solenopsis</i> species.
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