Check list of ground-dwelling ant diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Iguazú National Park with a comparison at regional scale

We describe the ant fauna of Iguazú National Park (INP), a region of high biodiversity andendemism in northeastern Argentina that includes the southernmost protected area ofthe Atlantic Forest (AF). Ants were sampled over seven periods from 1998 to 2011 usinga variety of techniques. We also surveyed museum collections and the scientific literatureto obtain additional records of ants from INP. In addition to providing a species list, wecompare ant composition of INP to other sites in the Upper Paraná, Serra do Mar CoastalForest and Araucaria ecoregion of AF. A total of 172 ant species belonging to 56 genera arereported; 56 species are new records for Misiones Province and 39 species are reportedfrom Argentina for the first time. Alto Paraná and Canindeyú departments in Paraguaypresent the most similar ant fauna to INP. Serra da Bodoquena in Brazil and Pilcomayoin Argentina showed higher similarity with the Upper Paraná AF ecoregion, despite thatSerra da Bodoquena is composed of a mix of ecoregions. Ant diversity was lower in UpperParaná than in Serra do Mar Coastal Forest ecoregion. This difference may result fromhigher primary productivity and a greater altitudinal variation in the coastal region.Fil: Hanisch, Priscila Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ; ArgentinaFil: Calcaterra, Luis Alberto. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Leponce, M.. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology unit; BélgicaFil: Achury, R.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Suarez, A. V.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Silva, R. R.. Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi; BrasilFil: Paris, Carolina Ivon. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Systematics and ecology of predatory ants (Formicidae: Ponerinae) of Argentina

Las hormigas son uno de los grupos de insectos más abundantes en los ecosistemas terrestres, siendo sus actividades, muy importantes para el ecosistema. En esta tesis se estudiaron de forma integral la sistemática y ecología de una subfamilia de hormigas, las ponerinas. Esta subfamilia predomina en regiones tropicales y neotropicales, estando presente en Argentina desde el norte hasta la provincia de Buenos Aires. Se utilizó un enfoque integrador, combinando análisis genéticos con morfológicos para estudiar su diversidad, en combinación con estudios ecológicos y comportamentales para estudiar la dominancia, estructura de la comunidad y posición trófica de las Ponerinas. Los resultados sugieren que la diversidad es más alta de lo que se creía, tanto por que se encontraron nuevos registros durante la colecta de nuevo material, como porque nuestros análisis sugieren la presencia de especies crípticas. Adicionalmente, demostramos que en el PN Iguazú, dos ponerinas: Dinoponera australis y Pachycondyla striata son componentes dominantes en la comunidad de hormigas. Análisis de isótopos estables revelaron que la mayoría de las Ponerinas ocupan niveles tróficos altos, con excepción de algunas especies arborícolas del género Neoponera que dependerían de néctar u otros recursos vegetales. Por otro lado, nuestros resultados sugieren que la especie arborícola Platythyrea pilosula es un depredador especializado y tiene uno de los mayores valores de δ15N de cualquier especie de hormiga en el PN Iguazú. Finalmente, comprobamos la fidelidad de forrajeo para D. australis, una estrategia que le ayudaría a maximizar la obtención de comida. En conclusión, esta tesis brinda una importante información sobre la diversidad, distribución y el papel ecológico de la subfamilia Ponerinae.Ants are one of the most abundant insect groups in terrestrial ecosystems, and their activities are very important for the ecosystem. In this thesis, we studied comprehensively, the systematics and ecology of one ant subfamily: Ponerinae. This subfamily predominates in tropical and Neotropical regions, being present in Argentina from the north to Buenos Aires province. We applied an integrative approach, combining genetic and morphological analyzes to study their diversity, in combination with ecologic and behavioral studies to study the dominance, community structure and trophic position of the ponerines. Our results suggest that diversity is higher than previously believed, both because new records were found during the collection of new material and because our analyses suggest the presence of cryptic species. Additionally, we showed that in the Iguazú national park, two ponerines: Dinoponera australis and Pachycondyla striata were dominant components in the ant community. Stable isotope analysis revealed that most Ponerinae species occupied high trophic levels (primary and secondary predators), but some species overlapped with known insect herbivores. These low trophic level species were primarily arboreal Neoponera, and may rely heavily on nectar or other plant based resources in their diet. In contrast, field observations and isotope analysis suggest that the arboreal Platythyrea pilosula is a specialized predator, and has one of the highest δ15N value of any ant at Iguazú National Park. Finally, we proved the use of the fidelity of foraging routes for D. australis, a strategy that would help her to maximize prey harvesting. In conclusion, this thesis provides important information on the diversity and distribution of the ponerines and the ecological role of this subfamily.Fil: Hanisch, Priscila Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

Fig. 3 in The Last Piece of the Puzzle? Phylogenetic Position and Natural History of the Monotypic Fungus-Farming Ant Genus Paramycetophylax (Formicidae: Attini)

Fig. 3. Habitat of Paramycetophylax bruchi. (A) El Borbollón, Mendoza, Argentina; (B) Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas, San Luis, Argentina; and (C) Reserva Biósfera Ñacuñan, Mendoza, Argentina. (D) A forager of P. bruchi carrying a Prosopis flexuosa leaflet. Red arrows indicate the location of the nest of Paramycetophylax bruchi.Published as part of <i>Hanisch, Priscila Elena, Sosa-Calvo, Jeffrey & Schultz, Ted R., 2022, The Last Piece of the Puzzle? Phylogenetic Position and Natural History of the Monotypic Fungus-Farming Ant Genus Paramycetophylax (Formicidae: Attini), pp. 1-17 in Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1)</i> on page 8, DOI: 10.1093/isd/ixab029, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10127783">http://zenodo.org/record/10127783</a&gt

Co-occurrence Patterns in a Subtropical Ant Community Revealed by Complementary Sampling Methodologies

Ants are abundant and ecologically dominant insects in most terrestrial communities. In subtropical ecosystems, there is a high turnover of species from the canopy to the top layers of the soil. Additionally, ant communities are often influenced by inter-specific competition. Collectively, these two processes (abiotic filtering and competition) make ants ideal for studies of community structure. We examined composition, co-occurrence, and species interactions in a sub-tropical forest ant community to examine how ground-foraging ant species partition microhabitats. We used four methods: Pitfall traps, litter samples, surface baits, and subterranean baits. Surface baiting was employed at three different time periods to examine how foraging activity and species interactions at baits varied with time of day and temperature. Each method sampled a particular assemblage of the 97 total ant species. Pitfall traps shared ~50% of species with surface baits and litter samples. Subterranean baits had the fewest total species but included some uncommonly sampled ants. The majority of interactions between species at baits were neutral, but a few agonistic interactions were also observed when bait occupancy was highest. Species co-occurrence patterns suggest that this ant community may not be heavily influenced by interspecific competition. Our results reinforce the advantages of applying complementary sampling techniques to examine ant community structure, and suggest that competition and dominance is best considered in the context of resource type, foraging strategy and time of sampling. Finally, we discuss the lack of two conspicuous Neotropical groups in our samples, leaf-cutting ant and army ants.Fil: Hanisch, Priscila Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; ArgentinaFil: Suarez, Andrew V.. University of Illinois. Urbana - Champaign; Estados UnidosFil: Tubaro, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; ArgentinaFil: Paris, Carolina Ivon. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentin