The south welcomes you! Southern new records of rare ant species

CAROLINA PARIS; NORMA GOROSITO; PRISCILA HANISCH; PAULA ARMANI; ANDRÉS SÁNCHEZ RESTREPO

Curitiba

Simposio; XXIII Simposio de mirmecología; 2017

Ant species distribution is the cornerstone for many studies concerning ant biogeography, the impact of land use and climate change on ant biodiversity, the spread of invasive ant species or for monitoring ant diversity in restoration programs. Even for classifying species into functional groups, it is desirable to previously know their distribution. Currently, we are compiling new records of rare ant species from different projects in Argentina and from museum collections. Our goal is to identify distantly situated localities of rare species to study their ecology in different environments. In Iguazú National Park we found with manual sampling Leptogenys iheringi and Cilindromyrmx brasiliensis. In the Natural Reserve of Osununu, litter sifting and extraction using mini-Winkler sacs (n= 60), let us find 5 individuals of Thaumatomyrmex mutilatus inside a dead twig. Another two individuals were found by manual collection. These protected areas belong to the southeast portion of Atlantic forest, a region where we have been recording ant diversity for the last 9 years. In the El Potrero private reserve, (Entre Ríos) located in the Pampas we found Myrmicocrypta squamatus by manual collection during autumn. The nest was located in a riparian forest area, close to the Uruguay River, designated for conservation and environmental education purposes, surrounded by and Eucalyptus spp and Pinus spp forestation. This natural area shares several plant and animal species with Paranaense ecoregion. The above records represent the southern distribution limits for these species. At an outdoor pig carcasses decomposition essay under natural conditions, during spring in Patagonian steppe (Chubut), seven apterous males of Kalatomyrmex emery were recorded by pitfall trapping (n = 6). Even though this species has been recorded previously in the province, the wingless condition makes this record particularly valuable for knowledge of its ecology. Finally, diurnal and nocturnal manual collection, Malaise traps, and examining museum collections added to our list twenty three new records from Buenos Aires, Chaco, Corrientes, Tucumán, and Santiago del Estero Provinces. These results highlight that several regions of Argentina remain sub-sampled. An enormous sampling effort to add new records is not necessary, but instead sharing data among colleagues, identifying material to species level and the study of museum specimens will enlarge this list of rarely collected ant species. Of course, during sampling luck also plays its role (CONICET, FUNDACIÓN TEMAIKÉN).