Composição da fauna de formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de serapilheira em floresta semidecídua no Parque Estadual de Águas da Prata, São Paulo

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the composition of the leaf litter ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Águas da Prata State Park, a 48.4-hectare fragment of Semideciduous Forest within the Atlantic Forest biome, located in the municipality of Águas da Prata, SP. Collections were conducted in June 2016. A transect of 400 m in length was marked, located 100 m away from the fragment's edge to eliminate the edge effect. Twenty sampling points were defined, spaced 20 m apart. At each point, two samples were collected, one to the left and one to the right of the transect, 20 m apart, where a 1 m² plot of leaf litter was scraped, collected, sieved, and placed in properly identified fabric bags. The sieved material was introduced into mini-Winkler-type extractors for 48 hours. The collected material was properly identified into morphospecies and compared with specimens deposited in the regional ant collection of the Bacia Hidrográfica do Alto Tietê (UMC, Mogi das Cruzes, SP). A total of 7,389 ants were sampled, distributed in six subfamilies (Dolichoderinae, Ectatomminae, Heteroponerinae, Myrmicinae, Ponerinae, and Proceratiinae), 19 genera, and 26 species. Myrmicinae was the most species-rich subfamily (19), followed by Ponerinae (3). Dolichoderinae, Ectatomminae, Proceratiinae, and Heteroponerinae were represented by a single species each. The genera with the highest richness were Solenopsis, with four species, and Pheidole with three. The most abundant genera were Solenopsis (4,131) and Hypoponera (1,032), and the most abundant species were Solenopsis sp. 2 (3,486) and Hypoponera sp. 4 (1,032). The study provided a list of ant species occurring in the leaf litter in the Águas da Prata State Park, contributing to the understanding of the species in this fragment. It can be used to characterize the current conservation status of the forest fragment about its ant fauna and may serve as a reference for future biodiversity conservation actions.