CICYTTP   12500
CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION CIENTIFICA Y DE TRANSFERENCIA TECNOLOGICA A LA PRODUCCION
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Presence of Red Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) in Broad-Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) nests
Autor/es:
PARACHÚ MARCÓ, M.V.; PIÑA, C.I.; LARRIERA, A.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY
Editorial:
SOC STUDY AMPHIBIANS REPTILES
Referencias:
Lugar: Claremont; Año: 2012 vol. 46 p. 228 - 232
ISSN:
0022-1511
Resumen:
st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } The reproduction period for Solenopsis invicta occurs during the warm months, coinciding with the reproductive cycle of reptiles. Their mounds are generally constructed in open sunny areas and habitats that have been recently modified. In North America, this ant also uses alligator nests to establish new colonies; and in our region, the species uses Caiman latirostris nests. Sustainability of crocodilian ranching programs in Argentina is justified by the high losses of eggs and hatchlings in the wild. S. invicta infestations in caiman nests were related to a possible cause of hatchlings death before they could leave the nest, but this aspect has not been studied in the native distribution of this ant. Our work analyzes all the nests harvested during five nesting seasons of C. latirostris, to determine if there was a specific time frame for ant colonization. The final percentage of colonization for each season was calculated. Densities of S. invicta mounds in three different nesting habitats, and C. latirostris nests colonized with ants in natural conditions were analyzed to establish if there was any relationship between the number of colonized caiman nests and number of red fire ant mounds. The data revealed that S. invicta can colonize C. latirostris nests at any time during the breeding season, and that colonization of nests could were more than 50% during some seasons. The presence of S. invicta mounds was similar between different nesting habitats at the beginning of each season. At the end of the reproductive period, only one season showed differences in the number of mounds, relative to other nesting seasons. Rainfall totals above 200 mm at the beginning of the reproductive season (December) were found to generate a high fire ant colonization of caiman nests. In contrast, during years in which rainfall was below 200 mm, caiman nest colonization fell to zero. These findings generate information for percentage of colonized nests in the wild, allowing for the estimatation of the potential losses of caiman hatchlings at hatching time, caused by S. invicta.