Species list of ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Nhecolândia, Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

This study provides a list of the ground-dwelling ant species in Nhecolândia, Pantanal, Mato Grosso Sul, Brazil. The Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world and is currently under strong anthropic pressure. Ground-dwelling ants were collected in three sites: (1) a forest regeneration area; (2) a pasture area; and (3) an area of secondary native vegetation. In each site, 120 samples were collected using pitfall traps in the dry and rainy seasons of 2016. Additional samplings were performed with Winkler extractors (30 leaf-litter samples) and manually, also in dry and rainy seasons of 2016. In total, we collected 172 species, which, summed with the additional records from literature, raise the number of ant species recorded in Nhecolândia to 184 in 42 genera and nine subfamilies. Eleven species were recorded for the first time in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Also, the survey adds two new species records to Brazil. Besides contributing to the inventory of the ant species present in the Pantanal biome, the present study provides an important resource for future conservation plans for this threatened ecoregion.

Assessing forest restoration effectiveness in the Seasonal Semideciduous Forest in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion using epigaeic ant assemblages

“…Pitfall traps consisted of plastic recipients (8 cm diameter and 11 cm height) half filled with 300 ml of liquid solution of water, glycerol (5%), and salt (5%), which collected and killed the ants. Traps were buried so that they were flush with the soil and remained in the field for 48 h (Martins et al 2021, Schmidt et al 2013, Solar et al 2016). Along each transect, we installed five epigaeic pitfall traps spaced by 25 m. The first trap was placed 25 m away from the edge in each area.…”