Comunidades de formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de serapilheira em áreas de cerrado “stricto sensu” em Minas Gerais

Abstract

The ant communities in both a native cerrado remnant in good preservation conditions and an anthropized area have been studied at Bom Despacho, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Winkler technique was used to extract the litter ants, taking out 50 one-square meter litter samples in each area. Sixty-seven species were collected in the well-preserved cerrado area, and 45 in the anthropized one. Important differences were observed between the cerrado remnant and the degraded area, mainly regarding the generic and specific richness. Species richness (Chao2 index) in the native area proved to be higher, while the dominance, evaluated by the Berger-Parker index, was 0.11 (for Solenopsis sp.1) in this area, and 0.13 (for Pheidole fallax) in the degraded one. The dispersion index (P05) showed that the native community is more homogenous that of the degraded cerrado. The Myrmicinae were most frequently found (49 species), followed by the Formicinae (17 species). Camponotus and Pheidole had the largest species numbers (10 for each) among all genera.
 
 Keywords: Savanna, Neotropical Region, Insecta, diversity, degradation, Winkler trap, litter.

Diversity of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Captured by Myrmeleon (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) Larvae in a Ecosystem of the Brazilian Cerrado Biome

“…The abundance of the ant species is reduced in areas with wide distribution of larvae pits. The P. fallax group represents cosmopolitan ants with populous nests, which explains the high number of individuals sampled in the present study [37][38][39]. Thus, we highlight that Camponotus and Pheidole are important genera in the diet of Myrmeleon larvae in the Brazilian Cerrado.…”

Distribution patterns of orchid bees in xeric and mesic habitats on a tropical mountaintop

“…Studies have shown that arthropods, including free-feeding herbivorous and galling insects, respond to these characteristics differently between xeric and mesic habitats along the elevation gradient in the Serra do Cip o region, located in the southern portion of the Serra do Espinhaço (e.g. Araújo & Fernandes, 2003;Carneiro et al, 1995;Lara et al, 2002;Ribeiro et al, 1998). However, such studies have not yet been carried out for guilds of insects that exploit floral resources, such as bees.…”