Diversity and ecology of arboricolous ant communities of Camponotus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a New Guinea rainforest with descriptions of four new species

0440042 - BC 2015 RIV AT eng J - Journal Article
Klimeš, Petr - McArthur, C.
Diversity and ecology of arboricolous ant communities of Camponotus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a New Guinea rainforest with descriptions of four new species.
Myrmecological News. Roč. 20, Sep 8 (2014), s. 141-158. ISSN 1994-4136
R&D Projects: GA ČR GPP505/12/P875; GA MŠMT(CZ) LH11008
Grant - others:European Social Fund(CZ) CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0064
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : Formicinae * arboreal insects * Coccoidea
Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour
Impact factor: 2.898, year: 2014

This is the first study of arboricolous ant communities of the genus Camponotus MAYR, 1861 from a lowland rainforest in New Guinea. We censused Camponotus nests in trees from two 0.32 ha forest plots in primary forest (389 trees) and secondary forest (296 trees) and explored their species diversity and nesting preferences. In total, 293 nests of 19 species were found. In 16 of the 19 species, major workers exhibited a set of morphological traits associated with phragmosis, an adaptation for arboricolous nesting. In primary forest, we detected 15 species versus only eight species in secondary forest. Only four species were shared between the two forest plots. Camponotus species differed significantly in their preferences for nesting microhabitats in both forest plots, ranging from opportunistic to those that specialized and nested only in living tree branches high in the canopy where they tended myrmecophilous scale insects. Of the 19 species collected, 13 are newly reported for New Guinea, including four that are described here as new species.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0243188