The ants are one of the mega diverse insets found in all terrestrial environments, and occur in great diversity, richness and abundance, acting at all trophic levels. The present study was conducted to verify the knowledge of ant fauna at Caxiuanã National forest. All available ant literature and some collection in Caxiuanã were compiled and analyzed in EXCEL program. Caxiuanã is one Brazilian Amazonia forest that has good biological conservation. A total of 197 species belonging to 52 genera of the nine subfamilies are present in Caxiuanã. Many studies need to be done in this place to understand the ant community pattern to give base for other studies and proposal for use, management and conservation of this interesting Amazonia place.
Ants are one of the mega diverse insects that dwell at altitudes between 80˚N to 80˚S [
In view of the above, a number of studies (bio ecological, behavioral, molecular, systematic, biogeographic, etc.) conducted globally have shown the important contribution of these animals in the dynamics of natural processes and standards, which value and recognize them as important environmental indicators. This helps to develop proposals for ecological-economic planning and wildlife management and conservation [
Surveys of the ant fauna in the Brazilian Amazon, conducted primarily in biological reserves, the outskirts of large cities and in areas under environmental pressure, show that the taxonomic richness depends on the data collection methodology and habitat heterogeneity (
Among the 110 genera of ants that dwell in Brazilian territory, 77 (70%) are rare, 31 (28.2%) are frequent, and 2 (1.2%) are abundant and have high species richness. On the other hand, 104 (80%) of the 110 genera known to Brazil dwell in the Brazilian Amazon, where 30 of them are represented by only one species; 54 of them by five or less and only one genus with more than 100 species (
However, the 21 genera, containing over 20 species, represent 69.08% (965 species) of species occurrence in Brazil, and only 11 of these, corresponding to 53.38% (560) of the species present and species richness similar in the Brazilian Amazon (
Today, science knows 13.188 ant species that belong to 16 subfamilies, 39 tribes, and 328 extant genera [
Comparing the taxonomic richness of existing ants in the world, 27.64% (3646) of the species, 41.76% (137) of the genera and 81.25% (13) of the subfamilies dwell in the Neotropics; and, 10.59% (1397) of the species, 33.53% (110) of the genera and 81.25% (13) of the subfamilies are quoted in Brazilian territory [
Meanwhile, those results show that the large amount of ant fauna knowledge in Brazilian Amazonia came from biological stations. Then, the aim of this work is to see the “status of ant fauna at Caxiuanã National Forest (Ferreira Penna Scientific Station).
This work is a compilation of ant publications and some collection from Caxiuanã National Forest [
Although knowledge of the ant fauna in the Amazon has grown considerably in the last thirty years, little is known about their contribution to the bioecological process for balance and maintenance of the ecosystems in this biome.
It is known that, due to the large geographical area occupied by the Amazon, most research occurs in biological reserves, close to the major urban centers and areas designed for large environmental impacts, leaving many places with peculiar characteristics lacking information that would in some cases, direct proposals for the management and conservation of this biome (
In this context, “Flona de Caxiuanã”, with rich and complex, often peculiar characteristics, is studied since the 1990s in several areas of scientific, technological and social knowledge. It has shown a tremendous physical and biological potential to base further research to provide an understanding of the processes that maintains the natural tropical system [
Thus, the study of ants is being developed since the 1990s, approaching very interesting and important biological, ecological and taxonomic aspects to understand the patterns and processes that occur in these natural environments. Published and in development researches are detecting a great richness, diversity, and abundance in these communities composition, with the inclusion of several new species and over 30 new records at the genus level for this place, and others for the state of Pará and Brazil [
In this study, we are including a list of 196 species belonging to 52 genera of 9 subfamilies of ants known for “Flona Caxiuanã” (Appendix 1). This richness is 5.40% of the species and 40.30% of the genera of the Neotropical Region; 14.10% and 53.36% of the species of the genera dwelling in Brazil, and 18.7% and 56.73% of the species of the genera of Amazon (
Therefore, 21 of 52 genera are represented by three or more species, and concentrate 79.18% (156) of species (Appendix 1). However, 22 (37.29%) of the genera are represented by a single species. Otherwise, this richness is much lower than those quoted for the Ducke Reserve, in Manaus [
Harada & Ketelhult [
Moreover, Winkler collecting technique has a higher percentage of sampled specimens, including cryptic, rare, frequent and abundant species, even if it is timely and in a short time. It is believed that this happens because the sampled strata (leaflitter) are a complex mosaic and offer favorable resources (food and nesting) for the development of these insects. However, many species live in other strata (soil and vegetation) where they find all the necessities for their survival. In this context, as most collections made in Caxiuanã involved this substrate, it justify the fact that 153 (79.18%) of the 197 known species for the area have been collected using the Winkler technique, 66 (26%) of them using the pitfall methodology and 37 (18.78%) manually (Appendix 1).
Biological aspects of the ant fauna in Caxiuanã-considering the different sampling effort employed in collection techniques used in Caxiuanã no comparison was made in this regard. Species richness and some biological aspects of ant fauna in Caxiuanã are presented in Appendix 1. The subfamilies with larger numbers of genera and species were Myrmicinae (25 genera and 85 species), Ponerinae (12, 45), Formicinae (7, 12), Dolichoderinae (5, 09), Dorylinae (4, 13) and Ectatomminae (3, 25) (Appendix 1).
The predominance of species of the genus Crematogaster Lund, 1831 (12), Gnamptogenys Roger, 1863 (19), Neoponera Emery, 1901 (10) and Strumigenys Smith, 1860 (24) is due to ecological and taxonomic studies in the area involving these groups and the availability of taxonomic review in the literature. In this context, subfamily Ectatomminae (Ectatomma Smith, 1858, Gnamptogenys Roger, 1863 and Typhlomyrmex Mayr, 1862) was studied by Siqueira & Harada [
The ant fauna studied involves ants that live in leaf litter, soil and vegetation. Among the Ponerinae stands the Neoponera Emery, 1901 genus, which is distributed across the world. Most species are predators and build relatively simple nests in soil or litter, although some may nest in epiphytes and branches of plants in tropical areas. For example, Neoponera commutata (Roger, 1860), which is about 1.5 cm long, nests in soil, forages in small trails on the floor of primary forest, and, without showing great aggression, is predatory on termites (Syntermes modestus). Other species, such as Mayaponera (Mayr, 1884) and Pachycondyla harpax (Fabricius, 1804),
Locality Brazil | Sampling Area | Method | Strata | Genus/Species | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AC, Senador Guiomard/Catuaba | 9120 m2 | Pitfall | Litter | 57/276 | Oliveira et al., 2009b |
AC, Xapuri (PAE-CM) | 10,440 m2 | Pitfall, Winkler | Litter | 52/268 | Miranda et al., 2012. |
AC, Xapuri (PAE-CM)/Senador Guiomard (Catuaba) | 3000 m2 | Pitfall, Winkler | Litter | 33/88 | Miranda et al., 2013. |
AM, Manaus; Roraima, Maraca e Viruá | 75 km2 | Bait | Litter/Veg. | /69 | Bacarro & Souza, 2007 |
AM, Iranduba/Ilha Marchantaria | Berlese, Pitfall, Kempson | Litter/Soil | Ketelhut, 2004 | ||
AM, Manaus/Reserve Ducke | 1 tree | Fogging | Canopy | 30/100 | Harada & Adis, 1997 |
AM, Manaus/Reserve Ducke | 2.000 m2 | Fogging | Canopy | 27/65 | Harada & Adis, 1998 |
AM, Manaus/Reserve Ducke | 2000 m2 | Manual | Litter | 41/47 | Fagundes, 2003 |
AM, Manaus/Reserve Ducke | Collections | Various | All | 40/247 | Harada & Ketelhut, 2009 |
AM, Manaus/Reserve Ducke | 25 km2 | Bait, Pitfall, Winkler | Litter | 54/152 | Oliveira et al., 2009a |
AM, Manaus/Reserve Ducke | 25 km2 | Bait | Litter | 19/68 | Bacarro et al., 2011 |
AM, Manaus/Reserve Ducke/WWF | 3000 m | Bait | Litter | ?/112 | Bacarro et al., 2010 |
AM, Manaus/Reserve Ducke/WWF | ?? | Manual | sub canopy | 7/10 | Marini-Filho, O. J., 1999 |
AM, Manaus/WWF | 10.800 m2 | Baits, Manual | Soil/Veg. | 49/307 | Benson & Harada, 1988 |
AM, Manaus/WWF | 50 m2 | Manual | Litter | 30/60 | Carvalho, 1999 |
AM, Manaus/WWF | 90 m2 | Various(3) | Soil/Litter | 60/227 | Vasconcelos & Delabie, 2000 |
AM, Manaus/WWF | 2880 m2 | Manual | Litter | 18/70 | Carvalho & Vasconcelos, 2002 |
AM, Manaus/WWF | 6.8 km | Bait, Pitfall, Winkler | Litter | 28/117 | Vasconcelos et al., 2003 |
AM, Manaus/WWF | 5.200 m | Bait | Litter/Veg. | /202 | Bacarro, 2005 |
AM, Manaus/WWF | 8 km2 | Bait, Pitfall | Litter | 45/184 | Vaconcelos, 1999 |
AM, PA, AP, Amazonas/Solimões valley | 2000 km | Bait, Beating umbrella, Winkler | Litter/Veg. | 42/166 | Vasconcelos et al., 2010. |
AM, PA, AP, Amazonas/Solimões valley | 61.2 km2 | Bait, Beating u mbrella, Winkler | Litter/Veg. | 58/268 | Vasconcelos et al., 2006a. |
PA, Belem/Mocambo | ? | Manual | Soil/Veg. | 37/102 | Kempf, 1970 |
PA, Belem/Mocambo | ? | Bait | Soil/Veg. | 14/22 | Andrade Neto, 1987 |
PA, Melgaço/Caxiuanã | 2400 m | Winkler, Pitfall | Litter/Veg. | 2/29 | Moura, 2006 |
PA, Melgaço/Caxiuanã | 2400 m | Winkler, Pitfall | Litter/Veg. | 1/7 | Souza, 2006 |
PA, Melgaço/Caxiuanã | 2400 m | Winkler, Pitfall | Litter | 3/36 | Souza et al., 2007 |
PA, Melgaço/Caxiuanã | 7200m | Winkler | Litter | 8/60 | Bastos, 2009 |
PA, Melgaço/Caxiuanã | 5 Km | Manual | Litter | 4/11 | Araújo & Overal, 2009 |
PA, Melgaço/Caxiuanã | 100 m2 | Pitfall | Litter | 9/27 | Sanhudo et al., 2009 |
PA, Melgaço/Caxiuanã | 1200 m2 | Winkler | Litter | 1/10 | Bastos & Harada, 2009 |
PA, Melgaço/Caxiuanã | 480m | Pitfall, Winkler | Litter | 8/53 | Bastos & Harada, 2011 |
PA, Melgaço/Caxiuanã | ? | Varias | Soil/Veg. | 38/119 | Overal et al., 1997 |
PA, Oriximina/Taquera | 205 ha | Winkler, Bait | Litter/ Veg. | 21/85 | Santos et al., 2008 |
PA, Oriximina/Porto Trombetas | 4000 m2 | Various(5) | Soil/Veg. | 49/156 | Majer & Delabie, 1994 |
PA, Paragominas/Agrosete Farm | 18 tr. 200 m | Pitfall | Solo | 42/134 | Ketelhut, 1999 |
PA, Paragominas/Cauaxi Farm | 5 m2 | Winkler | Litter | 30/74 | Kalif, 2001 |
PA, Santarem/Alter do Chao | 3.75 ha | Manual, Bait | Litter/Veg. | /76 | Leite, 2000 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PA, Santarem/Alter do Chao | 3.75 ha | Bait | Litter/Veg. | 14/28 | Vasconcelos & Vilhena, 2006 |
PA, Santarem/Taperinha | ? | Bait | Subcanopy/Litter | 21/77 | Jeanne, 1979 |
PA, Oriximina/Porto Trombetas | 2100 m2 | Bait, Pitfall | Litter | 20/43 | Oliveira & Della Lucia, 1992 |
RR (Maraca/Virua), AM, Manaus (Reserve Ducke) | 75 km2 | Bait, Pitfall, Winkler | Litter | 57/343 | Souza et al., 2012 |
RR, Boa Vista/Cata/Mucajai | 500 m2 | Bait, Pitfall | Litter | 24/77 | Peixoto et al., 2010 |
RR, Maraca | 25 km2 | Bait | Litter | 19/59 | Bacarro et al. 2011 |
RR, Virua | 25 km2 | Bait | Litter | 24/58 | Bacarro et al. 2011 |
PA, Melgaço, Caxiuanã | 330 km2 | Various(3) | Litter/Veg. | 57/209 | This study |
OBS: Bait (sardine, atum, honey); PAE-CM= Project of “Agroestrativista Chico Mendes”; R, Ducke= Reserve Ducke; PDBF = Program of Biological Dynamic in Forest Fragments, INPA/Smithsonian Institution, Veg.: vegetation.
Locality | Brazil | Amazonia | Para |
---|---|---|---|
Abundance | |||
Abundant | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Frequent | 31 | 23 | 17 |
Rare | 77 | 80 | 71 |
Genera Richness | |||
Lower | 77 | 80 | 71 |
Higer | 33 | 24 | 18 |
OBS: rare < 10, Frequent = 10 to 100, Abundant > 100; lower richness < 10, high richness > 10; number of genera in parenthesis [
Genera | Brazil | Amazonia | Para state |
---|---|---|---|
Pheidole | 163 | 122 | 62 |
Camponotus | 120 | 67 | 34 |
Pseudomyrmex | 72 | 58 | 43 |
Strumigenys | 64 | 55 | 33 |
Cephalotes | 60 | 47 | 33 |
Azteca | 43 | 37 | 22 |
Crematogaster | 55 | 42 | 31 |
Neivamyrmex | 47 | 26 | 13 |
Gnamptogenys | 43 | 35 | 30 |
Solenopsis | 43 | 12 | 12 |
Dolichoderus | 40 | 37 | 29 |
Acromyrmex | 24 | 13 | 7 |
Procryptocerus | 26 | 19 | 8 |
Neoponera | 35 | 34 | 25 |
Leptogenys | 22 | 18 | 14 |
Brachymyrmex | 23 | 7 | 1 |
Hypoponera | 22 | 4 | 2 |
Trachymyrmex | 21 | 14 | 10 |
Megalomyrmex | 21 | 20 | 13 |
Cyphomyrmex | 21 | 15 | 10 |
Sum | 965 | 682 | 432 |
Area | Subfamily | Tribe | Genus | Species |
---|---|---|---|---|
World | 16 | 39 | 328 | 13,188 |
Neotropical region | 13 | 25 | 137 | 3646 |
Brazil | 13 | 24 | 110 | 1397 |
Amazonia | 13 | 23 | 104 | 1049 |
Para | 12 | 22 | 94 | 818 |
Caxiuanã | 9 | 12 | 59 | 197 |
Subfamily | Genera | Number of species |
---|---|---|
Dolichoderinae | Dolichoderus | 4 |
Dorylinae | Labidus | 3 |
Eciton | 7 | |
Ectatomminae | Ectatomma | 4 |
Gnamptogenys | 19 | |
Formicinae | Camponotus | 5 |
Myrmicinae | Acromyrmex | 3 |
Atta | 3 | |
Cyphomyrmex | 3 | |
Pheidole | 3 | |
Lachnomyrmex | 3 | |
Rogeria | 4 | |
Trachymyrmex | 7 | |
Crematogaster | 11 | |
Strumigenys | 24 | |
Ponerinae | Pachycondyla | 5 |
Anochetus | 6 | |
Leptogenys | 8 | |
Odontomachus | 9 | |
Neoponera | 11 | |
Pseudomyrmecinae | Pseudomyrmex | 7 |
are commonly found without much aggression, foraging in the leaf litter of the forest in the pristine Brazilian Amazon [
Ants of Ectatomminae subfamily can be found in wet and dry, pristine and/or disturbed forest, showing great flexibility of habits and habitats [
The Dorylinae of the genera Eciton Latreille, 1804, Labidus Jurine, 1807, Neivamyrmex Borgmeier, 1940 and Nomamyrmex Borgmeier1936 that occur in the Neotropical region have nomadic and epigaeic habits, have fast movements and trail under or over leaf litter in forests, disturbed or not [
Several species of the Myrmicinae subfamily are epigaeic, live in leaf litter of primary and secondary forest, and present omnivorous habits. From the 12 species of the genus Crematogaqster Lund, 1831, the most abundant species are Crematogaster brasiliensis Mayr 1878 Crematogaster carinata Mayr 1862, Crematogaster limata Fr. Smith 1858 and Crematogaster tenuicula Forel 1904, which present omnivorous habits, and forage in leaf litter. However, they can nest in trees, building carton and/or garden nests, except C. brasiliensis Mayr, 1878, which nests in hollow branches or decaying wood on the litter from tropical rainforests [
Blepharidatta brasiliensis (Wheeler, 1915) are ancestors of attini, live in tropical rainforests where they nest among leaves litter or under wood fallen on the forest floor with populations between 20 to 200 individuals [
Strumigenys perparva (Brown, 1958) and Strumigenys elongata (Roger, 1863) are very common and abundant in leaf litter of primary forest in Caxiuanã; they are voracious predators, have long jaws, jump to catch the prey, and, like most species of this genus, feed on small invertebrates; they dwell in South America, and S elongata (Roger, 1863) also occurs in Central America [
Pheidole susannae Forel 1886 is very common and abundant in leaf litter of primary forest in Caxiuanã and in many places in South America, but little is known about its bioecology. Pheidole is one of the genera with worldwide distribution and one of the richest in number of species, with a wide range of habits and habitats [
Some species are associated with myrmecophyte plants, like Pheidole minutula Mayr, 1878 which live in domatias of Maieta guianensis Aubl. in Central Amazonia and cultivate mealybugs [
The Formicinae dwells from the tree canopy to the soil, nesting on the ground, in hollow stems and decomposing branches on the soil surface, in myrmecophyte plants domatias, plant hollows, building “ ant gardens”, “silk and carton nests” in forests and urban areas [
Most species of the Dolichoderinae subfamily live associated to plants, but are found in great abundance foraging in leaf litter and on the surface of soil in the Brazilian Amazon. Species of the genus Azteca Forel, 1878, occur in Neotropical region and some are distributed from southern Mexico to Argentina; they can nest in plants (myrmecophytes), or build “carton nests” or “ant gardens” in trunks or branches of trees and shrubs [
Most species of the Pseudomyrmecinae subfamily have arboreal habits, nesting in domatias, trunks and hollow branches, fallen or not. Usually, they are predators, have an elongated body and move with great speed. Of the seven species recorded for “Flona Caxiuanã”, Pseudomyrmex tenuis (Fabricius, 1804) is very common in leaf litter and leaves of trees and shrubs, in shaded or sunny areas in the Brazilian Amazon; however, little is known about its biology. Also, Pseudomyrmex viduus (Smith, 1858), as all species that colonize domatias of plants of the genera Tachigali Juss. (Caesalpinaceae) Loelfling and Triplaris. ex L. (Polygonaceae) keep mealybugs (Coccodea) in the wall of domatias, releasing a sugary substance (“honeydew”), which is used by the ants as food. These ants are more aggressive than other species of the genus [
Although the study of the ant fauna of “Flona Caxiuanã” has been going for about 20 years, current knowledge is very incipient, considering the richness and diversity of habits and habitats found there.
The general aspects of the richness, diversity and abundance of the ant community know are based in some collection methods on the leaf litter layer, where, it is believed that occur higher richness and abundance of these animals. More detailed studies of this fauna are in development and will significantly improve the current status. However, much needs to be done to stabilize the community structure of this important group of insects in order to increase the knowledge to better understand their contribution on the dynamics of physical and biological processes that maintain this natural system.
Likewise, the capacity of the human resources at various academic levels is an important means to accelerate the production of the knowledge, and thus meet this demand.
The high ant species richness and diversity of ant fauna from Caxiuanã National forest is because of its high habitats heterogeneous and conservation forests.
Many studies need to be done in this place to understand the ant community pattern to give base for other studies and proposal for use, management and conservation of this interesting Amazonia place.
I am grateful to Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Initiative Program for financial and logistic support.
Ana Yoshi Harada, (2016) State of Art of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at Caxiuanã, Melgaco, Pará, Brazil. Advances in Entomology,04,115-132. doi: 10.4236/ae.2016.43013