In 1999, Steve Shattuck and colleagues proposed conserving the name "S. invicta". Since the first description of "S. invicta", over 1,800 scientific papers using the name were published discussing a wide range of topics about its ecological behaviour, genetics, chemical communication, economic impacts, methods of control, population, and physiology. They state that the use of "S. wagneri" is a "threat" to nomenclatural stability towards scientists and non-scientists; taxonomists may have been able to adapt to such name change, but name confusion may arise if such case occurred. Due to this, Shattuck and his colleagues proposed the continued use of "S. invicta" and not "S. wagneri", as this name has been rarely used; between 1995 and 1998, over 100 papers were published using "S. invicta" and only three using "S. wagneri". They requested that the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) use plenary powers to suppress "S. wagneri" for the purpose of the Principle of Priority and not for the Principle of Homonymy. Furthermore, they requested that the name "S. invicta" be added to the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology and that "S. wagneri" be added to the Official Index of Rejected Invalid Specific Names in Zoology. Upon review, the proposal was voted on by the entomological community and was supported by all but one voter. They note that there is no justification in suppressing "S. wagneri"; instead, it would be better to give precedence to "S. invicta" over "S. wagneri" whenever an author treated them as conspecific. The ICZN would conserve "S. invicta" and suppress "S. wagneri" in a 2001 review. Under the present classification, the red imported fire ant is a member of the genus "Solenopsis" in the tribe Solenopsidini, subfamily Myrmicinae. It is a member of the family Formicidae, belonging to the order Hymenoptera, an order of insects containing ants, bees, and wasps.