Richness of Termites and Ants in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil

Previous studies on the effects of environmental factors, such as altitude, latitude, temperature, deforestation, forest fragmentation, fire, and flood on the community structure of termites and ants were conducted in various regions of Brazil; few of them were carried out in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Here we describe termites and ants diversity at different sites along the four geomorphologic units of this state. We recorded 16 taxa of termites, of which three are new state records, increasing to 19 the number of termite species known to occur in the state. Accordingly, we also found 73 species and 115 morphospecies of ants, of which only one was a new record, raising to 265 taxa the number of ant species known to occur in the state. As expected, we found a higher species richness of ants than termites. The low richness of both groups relative to other Brazilian regions could be a consequence of the subtropical to temperate climate in the state, since most portions of the state are below 30o latitude, the study areas be above 500 m altitude, and other environmental characteristics of each site. We suggest a positive relationship between species richness of termites and altitude, while ant richness indicated an inverse relationship. However, our data are not conclusive, due to the low number of replications in each altitude, particularly for termites. This study is unique in presenting an updated checklist of termites and ants in the state of Rio Grande do Sul

Table S-1

Previous studies on the effects of environmental factors, such as altitude, latitude, temperature, deforestation, forest fragmentation, fire, and flood on the community structure of termites and ants were conducted in various regions of Brazil; few of them were carried out in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Here we describe termites and ants diversity at different sites along the four geomorphologic units of this state. We recorded 16 taxa of termites, of which three are new state records, increasing to 19 the number of termite species known to occur in the state. Accordingly, we also found 73 species and 115 morphospecies of ants, of which only one was a new record, raising to 265 taxa the number of ant species known to occur in the state. As expected, we found a higher species richness of ants than termites. The low richness of both groups relative to other Brazilian regions could be a consequence of the subtropical to temperate climate in the state, since most portions of the state are below 30o latitude, the study areas be above 500 m altitude, and other environmental characteristics of each site. We suggest a positive relationship between species richness of termites and altitude, while ant richness indicated an inverse relationship. However, our data are not conclusive, due to the low number of replications in each altitude, particularly for termites. This study is unique in presenting an updated checklist of termites and ants in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.</p

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

A taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis of the Rimosus species group of the ant genus Cyphomyrmex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Attini)

As formigas da tribo Attini destacam-se por serem cultivadoras de fungos. Esta tribo é composta por 16 gêneros viventes e um icnofóssil. O gênero Cyphomyrmex é formado por formigas pequenas, com tegumento opaco, que habitam a serapilheira e constroem ninhos no solo, entre pequenas raízes, ocos de árvores ou em troncos em decomposição. Ocorrem na região Neotropical e Neártica. O gênero Cyphomyrmex foi descrito por Mayr em 1862 com base em uma única espécie Cyphomyrmex minutus, sendo mais tarde dividido por Kempf em dois grupos de espécies: Strigatus e Rimosus. O presente estudo apresenta uma revisão das espécies do grupo Rimosus de Cyphomyrmex e a primeira tentativa de se analisar as relações filogenéticas internas das espécies deste grupo com base em caracteres de morfologia externa das operárias. O estudo comparativo da morfologia externa dos 43 terminais utilizados na análise filogenética resultou em uma matriz com 56 caracteres, das quais resultaram 38 hipóteses igualmente parcimoniosas, com 281 passos cada. Análises utilizando-se pesagem implícita também foram realizadas com diferentes valores de concavidade. Nesta última opção apenas uma árvore foi gerada utilizando-se valor de concavidade (K=3) com ajuste total (fit) igual a 20,90; nos demais valores de concavidade empregados (K=5; K =7 e K =10) foram geradas três árvores com ajuste total (fit) de 18,86; 15,66 e 12,54 respectivamente. A análise filogenética demonstra a monofilia do grupo Rimosus, excluindo algumas espécies de Cyphomyrmex (C. costatus, C. longiscapus, C. muelleri e C. wheeleri). Por não estar clara a relação destas quatro espécies excluídas do grupo Rimosus com o grupo Strigatus e os demais gêneros de Attini optou-se por considerá-las como incertae sedis no gênero para que futuras análises detalhem seu posicionamento, e assim embasar uma decisão taxonômica. O grupo Rimosus é sustentado por cinco sinapomorfias: 1) cultivo de fungo em forma de levedura, 2) carena vertexal divergente em direção à carena frontal; 3) carena pré-ocular curvada medianamente abaixo do olho; 4) escrobo antenal incompleto e 5) forte estreitamento da carena frontal. Dois complexos de espécies são reconhecidos no grupo Rimosus: complexo minutus e complexo rimosus. Ambos necessitam de mais estudo antes de se tomar decisões taxonômicas devido à ampla distribuição destas espécies, amplitude das variações intraespecíficas e problemas nomenclaturais. Doze novas espécies do grupo Rimosus são descritas, destas, seis com gines associadas e uma com macho. Também são descritos pela primeira vez o macho de C. cornutus e a gine de C. laevigatus elevando para 31 o número de espécies e dois fósseis válidos para o grupo Rimosus de Cyphomyrmex.The tribe Attini are remarkable fungus-growing ants, composed by 16 extant genera and one ichnofossil. The attine genus Cyphomyrmex consists of small-sized monomorphic ants, with opaque integument, inhabiting the leaf-litter and nesting in the soil, between small roots, in hollow trees or in decomposing twigs. The species are distributed in Neotropical and Nearctic regions. The genus Cyphomyrmex was described by Mayr in 1862 based on a single species, Cyphomyrmex minutus. The genus was after that, divided by Kempf in two species group: \"Strigatus group\" and \"Rimosus group\". I present here a revision of the Rimosus species group of the ant genus Cyphomyrmex and this study represents the first attempt to analyze the internal phylogenetic relationships of the species in the Rimosus group based on the external morphology of workers. The comparative study of external morphology of the 43 terminals results in a matrix with 56 characters, of which 38 hypotheses equally parsimonious were found (281 steps in each hypothesis). The analysis with implied weighting were also performed with several values of the concavity constant k. In this case, using the concavity value K=3, only one tree was generated (Fit= 20.90); for others concavity values (K=5, K=7 and K= 10) were found three trees (Fit= 18.86, 15.66 and 12.54, respectively). The phylogenetic analysis demonstrates the monophyly of the Rimosus group, excluding some species of Cyphomyrmex (C. costatus, C. longiscapus, C. muelleri and C. wheeleri). Because the relationships between this four species excluded from Rimosus group with Strigatus group and other genera of attine were not clear, we chose to regard them as incertae sedis in Cyphomyrmex and I suggest that additional analysis are necessary to make a taxonomic decision. The monophyly of the Cyphomyrmex Rimosus group is supported by at least five synapomorphies: (1) yeast-growing ants; (2) vertexal carinae divergent to the frontal carinae; (3) preocular carinae medially below of the eyes; (4) incomplete antennal scrobe; (5) strong narrowing of the frontal carinae. I recognize two species complexes in the Rimosus group: the minutus and rimosus complex. However, considering the wide geographic distribution, range of intraspecific variability and nomenclatural problems, I suggest that both complexes need additional studies before make certain changes in the nomenclature. Twelve new species are recognized in the genus Cyphomyrmex, six of which were associated with gynes and one with the male. Further, for the first time the male of C. cornutus is described and the gyne of C. laevigatus, increasing to thirty-one species and two fossils valid in the Cyphomyrmex Rimosus group

Análise faunística das formigas epígeas (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) em campo nativo no Planalto das Araucárias, Rio Grande do Sul Faunal analysis of epigaeic ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in native fields of the Planalto das Araucárias, State of Rio Grande do Sul

Este estudo descreve a riqueza, a composição e o padrão de ocorrência de formigas epígeas em ambiente de campo nativo. As coletas foram realizadas em oito parcelas de campo, nas quais foram traçados dois transectos de 100 m, espaçados entre si cerca de 50 m. Ao longo dos transectos, a cada dez metros, foram instaladas armadilhas de solo e iscas de sardinha, a intervalos de dois metros, totalizando 20 iscas e 20 armadilhas por parcela. Coletas adicionais foram realizadas por captura manual das formigas encontradas no solo. No total foram coletadas 32 espécies de formigas epígeas, distribuídas em 16 gêneros, 12 tribos e cinco subfamílias. Comparando-se as riquezas observadas com os valores da riqueza estimada, tanto para as armadilhas como para as iscas, os números de espécies coletadas representaram, respectivamente, 79,4% e 69,4% da comunidade total estimada. Uma espécie da subfamília Formicinae, Acropyga goeldii foi registrada pela primeira vez para o Rio Grande do Sul.<br>This paper describes the richness, composition and occurrence patterns of the epigaeic ants in native field areas. Eight field plots were sampled, in which two 100 m transects, distanced 50 m from each other, were traced. Along those transects, at every 10 m, pitfalls and sardine baits at intervals of two meters, were installed totalizing 20 pitfalls and 20 baits per plot. Additional collecting was performed by manual ant capture on the ground. In total 32 species of epigaeic ants were collected, distributed in 16 genera, 12 tribes and five subfamilies. By comparing the observed richness with the estimated richness for pitfalls as well as for baits, the numbers of collected species represented, respectively, 79.4% and 69.4% of the total estimated community. One species of the Formicinae subfamily, Acropyga goeldii, has been recorded for the first time in Rio Grande do Sul

Riqueza de formigas de solo na praia da Pedreira, Parque Estadual de Itapuã, Viamão, RS, Brasil

Neste trabalho são listadas as espécies de formigas de solo encontradas em três ambientes (mata nativa, barreira pedregosa e areias da orla) na praia da Pedreira, localizada na Zona de Uso Intensivo do Parque Estadual de Itapuã, município de Viamão, RS. No total, foram identificadas 60 espécies representantes de 24 gêneros, 18 tribos e oito subfamílias (Dolichoderinae, Ecitoninae, Ectatomminae, Formicinae, Heteroponerinae, Myrmicinae, Ponerinae e Pseudomyrmecinae). Dos três ambientes amostrados, de acordo com o estimador de riqueza jackknife de primeira ordem, a mata nativa apresentou a maior riqueza (Sest= 37,5), seguindo-se a barreira pedregosa (Sest= 8,9) e as areias da orla (Sest= 5,9). Apenas Acromyrmex laticeps, Crematogaster sp. e Solenopsis invicta foram comuns aos três ambientes. Neste trabalho é feito o primeiro registro de ocorrência de Pachycondyla crenata e Pachycondyla laevigata (Ponerinae) para o Rio Grande do Sul

Cephalotes adolphi

Cephalotes adolphi (Emery, 1906) *. Almeirim [DZUP]. Cephalotes atratus (Linnaeus, 1758). Municipality unavailable [Kempf, 1972c; de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999]; Abaetetuba [MPEG]; Acará [MPEG]; Alenquer [MZSP]; Almeirim [MPEG]; Altamira [MZSP]; Anajás [MPEG]; Bannach [MPEG]; Barcarena [MPEG]; Belém [INPA; MPEG; MZSP; Kempf, 1951; Kempf, 1970; de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999]; Benevides [MPEG]; Bragança [MPEG]; Breves [MPEG]; Bujaru [MPEG]; Castanhal [INPA]; Conceição do Araguaia [INPA; MPEG]; Cumaru do Norte [MPEG; MZSP]; Curionópolis [MPEG]; Goianésia do Pará [CPDC; MPEG]; Itaituba [INPA; MPEG]; Jacareacanga [MZSP]; Limoeiro do Ajuru [MPEG]; Marabá [MPEG]; Marapanim [MZSP]; Marituba [ANTWEB; CPDC; MPEG]; Melgaço [INPA; MPEG; Andrade-Silva & Almeida, 2020]; Mojuí dos Campos [MZSP; de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999]; Novo Repartimento [MPEG]; Óbidos [MZSP; Kempf, 1951]; Oriximiná [CPDC; INPA; MZSP]; Ourém [MPEG]; Ourilândia do Norte [MPEG]; Paragominas [CPDC; MPEG; MZSP; Solar et al., 2016b]; Parauapebas [MPEG; MZSP]; Peixe-Boi [MPEG]; Portel [Overal et al., 1997; Harada, 2016]; Primavera [MPEG]; Santa Bárbara do Pará [MPEG]; Santarém [MZSP; Kempf, 1951; Jeanne, 1979; Majer & Delabie, 1994; de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999; Vasconcelos et al., 2006]; São Caetano de Odivelas [MPEG]; São Félix do Xingu [MPEG]; São Francisco do Pará [MPEG]; São João de Pirabas [MPEG]; São Miguel do Guamá [MPEG]; São Sebastião da Boa Vista [MPEG]; Senador José Porfírio [MPEG]; Soure [MPEG]; Terra Santa [Santos et al., 2008]; Tucumã [MPEG]; Tucuruí [INPA; MPEG]; Viseu [MPEG]. Cephalotes clypeatus (Fabricius, 1804). Municipality unavailable [Kempf, 1972c; de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999]; Belém [MPEG]; Cumaru do Norte [MZSP]; Mojuí dos Campos [MZSP]; Oriximiná [CPDC; MZSP]; Santarém [Mann, 1916; Kempf, 1951; Vasconcelos et al., 2006]; Senador José Porfírio [MPEG]; Tucuruí [MPEG]. Cephalotes complanatus (Guérin-Méneville, 1844). Municipality unavailable [de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999]. Cephalotes cordatus (Smith, 1853). Municipality unavailable [Emery, 1894b; Brandão, 1991; de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999]; Bannach [MPEG]; Belém [Kempf, 1951]; Benevides [MPEG]; Chaves [MPEG]; Conceição do Araguaia [MPEG]; Paragominas [Solar et al., 2016b]; Primavera [MPEG]; Santarém [ANTWEB; Emery, 1894b; Kempf, 1951; Kempf, 1972c]; Santarém Novo [MPEG]; São João de Pirabas [MPEG]. Cephalotes depressus (Klug, 1824). Municipality unavailable [Kempf, 1972c; Brandão, 1991; de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999];Altamira [MZSP]; Conceição do Araguaia [INPA; MPEG; MZSP]; Curionópolis [MPEG]; Mojuí dos Campos [MZSP; de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999]; Monte Alegre [MZSP]; Óbidos [MZSP; Kempf, 1951]; Oriximiná [MZSP]; Portel [Overal et al., 1997; Harada, 2016]; Santarém Novo [MPEG]. Cephalotes duckei (Forel, 1906). Municipality unavailable [de Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999]; Bannach [MPEG]; Óbidos [MZSP].Published as part of DE ALBUQUERQUE, EMÍLIA ZOPPAS, PRADO, LÍVIA PIRES DO, ANDRADE-SILVA, JOUDELLYS, DE SIQUEIRA, EMELY LAIARA SILVA, DA SILVA SAMPAIO, KELLY LIANE, ALVES, DIEGO, BRANDÃO, CARLOS ROBERTO FERREIRA, ANDRADE, PALOMA L., FEITOSA, RODRIGO MACHADO, DE AZEVEDO KOCH, ELMO BORGES, DELABIE, JACQUES HUBERT CHARLES, FERNANDES, ITANNA, BACCARO, FABRÍCIO BEGGIATO, SOUZA, JORGE LUIZ PEREIRA, ALMEIDA, RONY PETERSON SANTOS & SILVA, ROGÉRIO R., 2021, Ants of the State of Pará, Brazil: a historical and comprehensive dataset of a key biodiversity hotspot in the Amazon Basin, pp. 1-83 in Zootaxa 5001 (1) on pages 39-40, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5001.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/512252