Presence of Red Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) in Broad-Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) nests

PARACHÚ MARCÓ, MARÍA VIRGINIA; PIÑA, CARLOS IGNACIO; LARRIERA, A.

JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY

SOC STUDY AMPHIBIANS REPTILES

Lugar: Claremont; Año: 2012 vol. 46 p. 228 - 232

0022-1511

Solenopsis invicta in Caiman latirostris nests is suspected to be a possible cause of death in caiman hatchlings, but this has not been documented within the native distribution of this ant. In crocodilian ranching programs, wild eggs are collected from the field, and delays between collection and transportation to incubators are usually minimized in the hope of maximizing embryo survival. We analyzed nests harvested during five consecutive nesting seasons of C. latirostris to determine the phenology of S. invicta colonization of caiman nests. The final percentages of colonized caiman nests for each season were calculated. Densities of S. invicta mounds built on bare ground were analyzed to establish if there was any relationship with the proportion of caiman nests colonized by the end of nesting season. We also evaluated whether S. invicta had preferences among habitats to establish their mounds. We found no relationship between S. invicta mounds densities and final percentage of C. latirostris nests with red fire ants. The presence of S. invicta mounds among years was similar between different nesting habitats at the beginning of each season. We found that S. invicta can colonize C. latirostris nests during the breeding period, and that colonization of nests is higher than 50% in seasons where rainfall was 200 mm at the beginning of the season (December and January). In contrast, during years in which rainfall was below 200 mm, caiman nest colonization was reduced.