Altitudinal gradients of ant species diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Mount Talang, West Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

The present study adds a novel perspective on Sumatran ant fauna by providing the information on its diversity across an altitudinal gradient in Mount Talang, a mountain in West Sumatra Province. A standardized sampling method of Quadra Protocol was applied at three altitudes (1,500, 2,000 and 2,500 m elevation). A total of 408 ant individuals collected in the study were identified to belong to 27 species in 19 genera of nine tribes and five subfamilies. Myrmicinae was the subfamily with the largest number of species collected (14 species), followed by Formicinae (six species), Dolichoderinae, and Ponerinae (three species in each), and a single species of an army ant from subfamily Dorylinae. The number of ant species decreases with altitude inclination; 19 species were recorded at 1,500 m elevation, ten at 2,000 m, and only three at 2,500 m.

Ground-dwelling ants species diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at conservation forest and oil-palm plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia

“…Total subfamilies observed among sites in conservation forest ranged from five to six, while in oil-palm plantation only with four subfamilies. The dominancy trend for subfamily Myrmicinae, Formicinae, and Ponerinae was similar to previous studies given these subfamilies known to well adept with various types of environment, especially on Myrmicinae (Herwina and Nakamura, 2007;Herwina et al, 2013;Putri et al, 2015).…”

“…obs.). Pheideole was a genus with the highest species number at the Educational and Biological Research Forest of Universitas Andalas (Herwina et al, 2018). Tetramorium, together with Technomyrmex were dominant genera recorded at the banana plantation indicated with BBTV symptoms (Herwina et al, 2013).…”

Invasive ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Paratrechina longicornis along elevational gradients on Mount Marapi, West Sumatera

“…In fact, the current survey recorded many other invasive ants, including Pheidole sp., Monomorium floricola, Tapinoma melanocephalum, Cardiocondyla sp., Lophomyrmex bedoti, Solenopsis geminata, Nylanderia sp 2 of HH and Odontoponera denticulata. Tapinoma and Mononomorium are the two indicator genera for ongoing disturbances in the habitats [27,28,29].…”