DOCSLIB.ORG

Ants Oftonga1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ants Oftonga1 Ants ofTonga1 James K. Wetterer 2 Abstract: This paper presents combined published, unpublished, and new ant records from 17 islands ofTonga representing all four island groups: Tongatapu (Tongatapu, 'Eua, 'Onevai, Pangaimotu), Ha'apai (Lifuka, Kao, Tofua, 'Uonu­ kahahake, Nomuka, Nomuka-iki, Mango, Telekitonga), Vava'u (Vava'u, Nua­ papu, Kapa), and the Niuas (Niuatoputapu, Niuafo'ou). These records increase the list of ants known from Tonga to 53 species. Ten species, including six un­ described species, are local endemics found only in Tonga or only in Tonga and Samoa: Adelomyrmex sp., Camponotus conicus, Camponotus nig;rifrons, Hypoponera sp., Monomorium sp., Ochetellus sp., Pheidole sp., Pristomyrmex sp., Strumigenys zakharovi, and Vollenhovia samoensis. Another 21 species are broadly distributed Pacific natives: Anochetus g;raeffei, Camponotus chloroticus, Hypoponera confinis, Monomorium liliuokalanii, Monomorium talpa, Odontomachus simillimus, Oligo­ myrmex atomus, Pheidole oceanica, Pheidole sexspinosa, Pheidole umbonata, Ponera incerta, Ponera tenuis, Pyramica dubia, Rogeria stigmatica, Solenopsis papuana, Stru­ migenys godeffroyi, Tapinoma minutum, Technomyrmex albipes, Tetramorium in­ solens, Tetramorium pacificum, and Tetramorium tonganum. Finally, 22 species are not native to the Pacific region, but were brought to the region by human com­ merce: Anoplolepis g;racilipes, Cardiocondyla emeryi, Cardiocondyla nuda, Hypoponera opaciceps, Hypoponera punetatissima, Monomorium floricola, Monomorium pharaonis, Monomorium sechellense, Paratrechina bourbonica, Paratrechina longicornis, Paratre­ china vaga, Pheidole fervens, Pheidole megacephala, Plagiolepis alluaudi, Pyramica membranifera, Solenopsis geminata, Strumigenys emmae, Strumigenys rogeri, Tapi­ noma melanocephalum, Tetramorium bicarinatum, Tetramorium lanuginosum, and Tetramorium simillimum. The number of ant species now known from Tonga is much as would be expected based on the species-area relationship for the neighboring island groups of Fiji, Wallis and Futuna, and Samoa. Differences in ant species richness among these island groups is primarily due to a greater number of local endemics in the island groups with greater land area. THE KINGDOM OF TONGA consists of about 40 of the Tongan islands are inhabited year­ 170 islands with a total land area of '"700 round. km2 spread across 350,000 km2 of western Due to the difficulty and expense of travel Polynesia between 15-23° Sand 173-177° to distant and unpopulated islands, most W. Tonga is divided into four major island Tongan ant records come from the three groups (from south to north): Tongatapu, largest and most accessible islands: Tonga­ Ha'apai, Vava'u, and the Niuas. Only about tapu, 'Eua, and Vava'u. On these islands, hu­ man activity has heavily impacted most flatter areas (Drake et al. 1996, Steadman and Frei­ feld 1998, Franklin et al. 1999). Tongatapu, 1 Financial support was provided by Harvard Univer­ 2 sity, Florida Atlantic University, and Edward O. Wilson. by far the largest island of Tonga (259 km ), Manuscript accepted 10 July 200l. makes up 37% of the total land area of the 2 Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, 5353 kingdom. Tongatapu is very flat, tilting only Parkside Drive, Jupiter, Florida 33458. slightly up to 30-m cliffs along the southern shore (maximum elevation, 82 m). About Pacific Science (2002), vol. 56, no. 2:125-135 two-thirds ofTonga's 100,000 people live on © 2002 by University of Hawai'i Press. Tongatapu. 'Eua, also part of the Tongatapu All rights reserved group, is the third largest island (87 km2) and 125 126 PACIFIC SCIENCE . April 2002 2.0.---------------~ eastern Polynesia (Niue, the Cook Islands, Fiji and French Polynesia combined) to the east (Taylor 1967, Wilson and Taylor 1967, --;; 1.8 Morrison 1996a,b, 1997). In this study, I in­ .~ ..'" crease the list of ants known from Tonga to Po. '" 53 species. 5 .....• 1.6 o MATERIALS AND METHODS ~ Wallis & Futuna eo In addition to published records of ants from oS 1.4 Tonga, I searched for ant specimens from Niue - Tonga in the collections of several museums: _ Tonga (from Wilson & Taylor 1967) the U.S. National Museum of Natural His­ 1.2+------,....------,....-------l tory (USNM) in Washington, D.C.; the Amer­ 2.0 3.0 4.0 ican Museum of Natural History (AMNH) log <total land area in sq km) in New York; the Museum of Comparative (MCZ) FIGURE 1. Number of known ant species from Tonga in Zoology in Cambridge, Massachusetts; relation to total land area, compared with values for and the New Zealand Arthropod Collection Tonga from Wilson and Taylor (1967), and for sur­ (NZAC) in Auckland. rounding island groups. Also, from 16 to 31 August 1995, I col­ lected ants on the three largest islands (Ton­ gatapu, 'Eua, and Vava'u), plus Lifuka and the southernmost inhabited island of Tonga. Kapa. Lifuka, the administrative center of the 2 'Eua rises gradually from west to east in a se­ Ha'apai island group, is small, flat (11 km ; ries of terraces up to a 250- to 300-m eastern maximum elevation, 14 m), and highly dis­ . ridge (maximum elevation, 328 m) and then turbed throughout. Kapa is a small island (6.4 2 drops steeply down to the east coast (Drake km ; maximum elevation, 96 m) in the Vava'u et al. 1996). All people on 'Eua live on the group. west side of the island, and the steep eastern I collected by visual search, turning over slope has much intact forest (Drake et aI. rocks and logs, stripping the bark off logs, and 1996). Vava'u, the second largest Tongan is­ breaking logs apart, piece by piece. Many 2 land (104 km ), is hilly. The highest points of areas throughout Tongatapu and western the island of Vava'u are Mount Mo'ungalafa 'Eua had the exotic big-headed ant, Pheidole (204 m) and Mount Talau (130 m). On megacephala (Fabr.), under almost every rock Vava'u there are many areas offorest at vari­ and log and virtually no other ants. In con­ ous stages of regeneration from agricultural trast, P. megacephala was much less common use (Steadman and Freifeld 1998, Franklin on Vava'u and Kapa, and rare on Lifuka. The et al. 1999). primary objective of my collection was to The ant fauna of Tonga is a mix of native document as fully as possible the diversity of Pacific species and exotic "tramp" species. ants in Tonga. I therefore usually skipped Wilson and Taylor's (1967) review ofthe ants over most areas with extremely high P. mega­ of Polynesia reported 21 ant species from cephala density. Instead, I concentrated my Tonga. This is a low value compared with collecting efforts in relatively undisturbed records from the immediately surrounding forests that had few or no P. megacephala island groups (Figure 1): 88 ant species from present. I am currently preparing a more de­ Fiji to the west (Wilson and Hunt 1967), 37 tailed, ecologically based account of these from Wallis and Futuna to the northwest collections, documenting the impact of P. (Wilson and Hunt 1967, Gutierrez 1981 in megacephala and other exotic ants in Tonga Jourdan 1997), 67 from Samoa to the north (unpubl. data). (Wilson and Hunt 1967, Wilson and Taylor I divided the Tongan ant species into three 1967; unpubl. data), and "" 50 from south- categories based on their distributions and Ants ofTonga . Wetterer 127 presumed origins, following Wilson and Mayr (1870, 1876) listed 17 ant species Hunt (1967): (1) local endemics, found only from the "Tonga Islands" based on speci­ in Tonga or only in Tonga and Samoa, (2) mens at the Godeffroy Museum in Hamburg, broadly distributed Pacific natives, found Germany. Mayr (1870, 1876) gave no collec­ continuously from the Indo-Australian area tor information for any specimen, and listed into Polynesia, and (3) exotic "tramp" spe­ Tongatapu Island as the collection site for cies, distributed in the Pacific by recent hu­ two species. I have assumed, perhaps erro­ man commerce. neously, that all ofMayr's records came from Tongatapu (Tables 1-3). Wheeler (1935), in his review of the ants of Oceania, listed RESULTS 16 species from Tonga, identical to Mayr's I found published and unpublished records of (1876) list except for the unexplained omis­ ant species from numerous collections (Table sion of Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabr.). 1) conducted on 17 Tongan islands repre­ Wilson and Taylor (1967) reported rec­ senting all four island groups: Tongatapu ords of 21 ant species from Tonga, including (Tongatapu, 'Eua, 'Onevai, Pangaimotu), Mayr's (1876) records, plus new records from Ha'apai (Lifuka, Kao, Tofua, 'Uonukaha­ three collectors: W. Cottrell-Darmer, G. P. hake, Nomuka, Nomuka-iki, Mango, Tele­ Wilder, and N. L. H. Krauss (Tables 2 and kitonga), Vava'u (Vava'u, Nuapapu, Kapa), 3). Wilson and Taylor (1967) deleted one and the Niuas (Niuatoputapu, Niuafo'ou). species from Mayr's list: Camponotus rufifrons (Mayr). Although C. rufifrons is considered a Published Ant Records valid Melanesian species (Bolton 1995), Wil­ son and Taylor (1967) concluded that the I found reliable published records of a total record of C. rufifrons from Tonga was a mis­ of 49 ant species from Tonga (Tables 1-3; identification of C. conicus (Mayr). Mayr 1870, 1876,. Wheeler 1935, Wilson Dlussky (1994a) listed ants collected dur­ and Taylor 1967, Carver et al. 1993, Dlussky ing two visits to Tonga of the Soviet research 1994a,b, Swaney 1994, Zakharov 1994, Stech­ ship Kollisto (Tables 2 and 3). In 1976-1977, mann et al. 1996). Y. I. Chemov collected ants on Niuafo'ou in TABLE 1 Collection Dates and Locales for Ants from Tonga Collector (Source) Collection Date Island(s) a. Unlisted (Mayr 1870, 1876) <1870 T? b. Cottrell-Dormer (Wilson and Taylor 1967) <1914-<1935 T c. Wilder (Wilson and Taylor 1967) 1923-1925 T, V, "Ha'apai" d. Unknown (USNM) 1930 Niuafo'ou e. Krauss (Wilson and Taylor 1967) 1956 T,E,V f. Rogers & Rogers (NZAC) 1971 Niuatoputapu g.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ants in French Polynesia and the Pacific: Species Distributions and Conservation Concerns
    Ants in French Polynesia and the Pacific: species distributions and conservation concerns Paul Krushelnycky Dept of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii Hervé Jourdan Centre de Biologie et de Gestion des Populations, INRA/IRD, Nouméa, New Caledonia The importance of ants • In most ecosystems, form a substantial portion of a communities’ biomass (1/3 of animal biomass and ¾ of insect biomass in Amazon rainforest) Photos © Alex Wild The importance of ants • In most ecosystems, form a substantial portion of a communities’ biomass (1/3 of animal biomass and ¾ of insect biomass in Amazon rainforest) • Involved in many important ecosystem processes: predator/prey relationships herbivory seed dispersal soil turning mutualisms Photos © Alex Wild The importance of ants • Important in shaping evolution of biotic communities and ecosystems Photos © Alex Wild Ants in the Pacific • Pacific archipelagoes the most remote in the world • Implications for understanding ant biogeography (patterns of dispersal, species/area relationships, community assembly) • Evolution of faunas with depauperate ant communities • Consequent effects of ant introductions Hypoponera zwaluwenburgi Ants in the Amblyopone zwaluwenburgi Pacific – current picture Ponera bableti Indigenous ants in the Pacific? Approx. 30 - 37 species have been labeled “wide-ranging Pacific natives”: Adelomyrmex hirsutus Ponera incerta Anochetus graeffei Ponera loi Camponotus chloroticus Ponera swezeyi Camponotus navigator Ponera tenuis Camponotus rufifrons
    [Show full text]
  • University of Auckland Research Repository, Researchspace
    Libraries and Learning Services University of Auckland Research Repository, ResearchSpace Copyright Statement The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). This thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: • Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person. • Authors control the copyright of their thesis. You will recognize the author's right to be identified as the author of this thesis, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate. • You will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from their thesis. General copyright and disclaimer In addition to the above conditions, authors give their consent for the digital copy of their work to be used subject to the conditions specified on the Library Thesis Consent Form and Deposit Licence. Sauerkraut and Salt Water: The German-Tongan Diaspora Since 1932 Kasia Renae Cook A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in German, the University of Auckland, 2017. Abstract This is a study of individuals of German-Tongan descent living around the world. Taking as its starting point the period where Germans in Tonga (2014) left off, it examines the family histories, self-conceptions of identity, and connectedness to Germany of twenty-seven individuals living in New Zealand, the United States, Europe, and Tonga, who all have German- Tongan ancestry.
    [Show full text]
  • Sacred Kingship: Cases from Polynesia
    Sacred Kingship: Cases from Polynesia Henri J. M. Claessen Leiden University ABSTRACT This article aims at a description and analysis of sacred kingship in Poly- nesia. To this aim two cases – or rather island cultures – are compared. The first one is the island of Tahiti, where several complex polities were found. The most important of which were Papara, Te Porionuu, and Tautira. Their type of rulership was identical, so they will be discussed as one. In these kingdoms a great role was played by the god Oro, whose image and the belonging feather girdles were competed fiercely. The oth- er case is found on the Tonga Islands, far to the west. Here the sacred Tui Tonga ruled, who was allegedly a son of the god Tangaloa and a woman from Tonga. Because of this descent he was highly sacred. In the course of time a new powerful line, the Tui Haa Takalaua developed, and the Tui Tonga lost his political power. In his turn the Takalaua family was over- ruled by the Tui Kanokupolu. The tensions between the three lines led to a fierce civil war, in which the Kanokupolu line was victorious. The king from this line was, however, not sacred, being a Christian. 1. INTRODUCTION Polynesia comprises the islands situated in the Pacific Ocean within the triangle formed by the Hawaiian Islands, Easter Island and New Zealand. The islanders share a common Polynesian culture. This cultural unity was established already in the eighteenth century, by James Cook, who ob- served during his visit of Easter Island in 1774: In Colour, Features, and Languages they [the Easter Islanders] bear such an affinity to the People of the more Western isles that no one will doubt that they have the same Origin (Cook 1969 [1775]: 279, 354–355).
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to the Ants of Sabangau
    A Guide to the Ants of Sabangau The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project November 2014 A Guide to the Ants of Sabangau All original text, layout and illustrations are by Stijn Schreven (e-mail: [email protected]), supple- mented by quotations (with permission) from taxonomic revisions or monographs by Donat Agosti, Barry Bolton, Wolfgang Dorow, Katsuyuki Eguchi, Shingo Hosoishi, John LaPolla, Bernhard Seifert and Philip Ward. The guide was edited by Mark Harrison and Nicholas Marchant. All microscopic photography is from Antbase.net and AntWeb.org, with additional images from Andrew Walmsley Photography, Erik Frank, Stijn Schreven and Thea Powell. The project was devised by Mark Harrison and Eric Perlett, developed by Eric Perlett, and coordinated in the field by Nicholas Marchant. Sample identification, taxonomic research and fieldwork was by Stijn Schreven, Eric Perlett, Benjamin Jarrett, Fransiskus Agus Harsanto, Ari Purwanto and Abdul Azis. Front cover photo: Workers of Polyrhachis (Myrma) sp., photographer: Erik Frank/ OuTrop. Back cover photo: Sabangau forest, photographer: Stijn Schreven/ OuTrop. © 2014, The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project. All rights reserved. Email [email protected] Website www.outrop.com Citation: Schreven SJJ, Perlett E, Jarrett BJM, Harsanto FA, Purwanto A, Azis A, Marchant NC, Harrison ME (2014). A Guide to the Ants of Sabangau. The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project, Palangka Raya, Indonesia. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of OuTrop’s partners or sponsors. The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by the Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No.
    [Show full text]
  • Taxonomic Studies on Ant Genus Hypoponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) from India
    ASIAN MYRMECOLOGY Volume 7, 37 – 51, 2015 ISSN 1985-1944 © HIMENDER BHARTI, SHAHID ALI AKBAR, AIJAZ AHMAD WACHKOO AND JOGINDER SINGH Taxonomic studies on ant genus Hypoponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) from India HIMENDER BHARTI*, SHAHID ALI AKBAR, AIJAZ AHMAD WACHKOO AND JOGINDER SINGH Department of Zoology and Environmental Sciences, Punjabi University, Patiala – 147002, India *Corresponding author's e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. The Indian species of the ant genus Hypoponera Santschi, 1938 are treated herewith. Eight species are recognized of which three are described as new and two infraspecific taxa are raised to species level. The eight Indian species are: H. aitkenii (Forel, 1900) stat. nov., H. assmuthi (Forel, 1905), H. confinis (Roger, 1860), H. kashmirensis sp. nov., H. shattucki sp. nov., H. ragusai (Emery, 1894), H. schmidti sp. nov. and H. wroughtonii (Forel, 1900) stat. nov. An identification key based on the worker caste of Indian species is provided. Keywords: New species, ants, Formicidae, Ponerinae, Hypoponera, India. INTRODUCTION genus with use of new taxonomic characters facilitating prompt identification. The taxonomy of Hypoponera has been in a From India, three species and two state of confusion and uncertainty for some infraspecific taxa ofHypoponera have been reported time. The small size of the ants, coupled with the to date (Bharti, 2011): Hypoponera assmuthi morphological monotony has led to the neglect (Forel, 1905), Hypoponera confinis (Roger, of this genus. The only noteworthy revisionary 1860), Hypoponera confinis aitkenii (Forel, 1900), work is that of Bolton and Fisher (2011) for Hypoponera confinis wroughtonii (Forel, 1900) and the Afrotropical and West Palearctic regions. Hypoponera ragusai (Emery, 1894).
    [Show full text]
  • Christianity and Taufa'āhau in Tonga
    Melanesian Journal of Theology 23-1 (2007) CHRISTIANITY AND TAUFA‘ĀHAU IN TONGA: 1800-1850 Finau Pila ‘Ahio Revd Dr Finau Pila ‘Ahio serves as Principal of the Sia‘atoutai Theological College in Tonga. INTRODUCTION Near the centre of the Pacific Ocean lies the only island kingdom in the region, and the smallest in the world, Tonga. It is a group of small islands, numbering about 150, with only 36 of them inhabited, and which are scattered between 15º and 23º south latitude, and between 173º and 177º west longitude. The kingdom is divided into three main island groups: Tongatapu, situated to the south, Ha‘apai, an extensive archipelago of small islands in the centre, and Vava‘u, in the north. Tonga lies 1,100 miles northeast of New Zealand, and 420 miles southeast of Fiji. With a total area of 269 square miles, the population is more than 100,000, most of whom are native Polynesians. Tonga is an agricultural country, and most of the inhabited islands are fertile. The climate, however, is semi-tropical, with heavy rainfall and high humidity. Tonga, along with the rest of the Pacific, was completely unknown to Europe until the exploration of the area by the Spaniards and Portuguese during the 16th century. These explorers were seeking land to establish colonies, and to convert the inhabitants to Christianity. By the second decade of the 17th century, more explorers from other parts of Europe came into the area, to discover an unknown southern continent called “Terra Australis Incognita”, between South America and Africa. Among these, the Dutch were the first Europeans to discover Tonga.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity and Organization of the Ground Foraging Ant Faunas of Forest, Grassland and Tree Crops in Papua New Guinea
    - - -- Aust. J. Zool., 1975, 23, 71-89 Diversity and Organization of the Ground Foraging Ant Faunas of Forest, Grassland and Tree Crops in Papua New Guinea P. M. Room Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries, Papua New Guinea; present address: Cotton Research Unit, CSIRO, P.M.B. Myallvale Mail Run, Narrabri, N.S.W. 2390. Abstract Thirty samples of ants were taken in each of seven habitats: primary forest, rubber plantation, coffee plantation, oilpalm plantation, kunai grassland, eucalypt savannah and urban grassland. Sixty samples were taken in cocoa plantations. A total of 156 species was taken, and the frequency of occurrence of each in each habitat is given. Eight stenoecious species are suggested as habitat indicators. Habitats fell into a series according to the similarity of their ant faunas: forest, rubber and coffee, cocoa and oilpalm, kunai and savannah, urban. This series represents an artificial, discontinuous succession from a complex stable ecosystem to a simple unstable one. Availability of species suitably preadapted to occupy habitats did not appear to limit species richness. Habitat heterogeneity and stability as affected by human interference did seem to account for inter-habitat variability in species richness. Species diversity was compared between habitats using four indices: Fisher et al.; Margalef; Shannon; Brillouin. Correlation of diversity index with habitat hetero- geneity plus stability was good for the first two, moderate for Shannon, and poor for Brillouin. Greatest diversity was found in rubber, the penultimate in the series of habitats according to hetero- geneity plus stability ('maturity'). Equitability exceeded the presumed maximum in rubber, and was close to the maximum in all habitats.
    [Show full text]
  • Том 16. Вып. 2 Vol. 16. No. 2
    РОССИЙСКАЯ АКАДЕМИЯ НАУК Южный научный центр RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Southern Scientific Centre CAUCASIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL BULLETIN Том 16. Вып. 2 Vol. 16. No. 2 Ростов-на-Дону 2020 Кавказский энтомологический бюллетень 16(2): 381–389 © Caucasian Entomological Bulletin 2020 Contribution of wet zone coconut plantations and non-agricultural lands to the conservation of ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka © R.K.S. Dias, W.P.S.P. Premadasa Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya 11600 Sri Lanka. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected] Abstract. Agricultural practices are blamed for the reduction of ant diversity on earth. Contribution of four coconut plantations (CP) and four non-agricultural lands (NL) for sustaining diversity and relative abundance of ground-dwelling and ground-foraging ants was investigated by surveying them from May to October, 2018, in a CP and a NL in Minuwangoda, Mirigama, Katana and Veyangoda in Gampaha District that lies in the wet zone, Sri Lanka. Worker ants were surveyed by honey baiting and soil sifting along two transects at three, 50 m2 plots in each type of land. Workers were identified using standard methods and frequency of each ant species observed by each method was recorded. Percentage frequency of occurrence observed by each method, mean percentage frequency of occurrence of each ant species and proportional abundance of each species in each ant community were calculated. Species richness recorded by both methods at each CP was 14–19 whereas that recorded at each NL was 17–23. Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index values (Hʹ, CP: 2.06–2.36; NL: 2.11–2.56) and Shannon- Wiener Equitability Index values (Jʹ, CP: 0.73–0.87; NL: 0.7–0.88) showed a considerable diversity and evenness of ant communities at both types of lands.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecological Partitioning and Invasive Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Tropical Rain Forest Ant Community from Fiji1
    Ecological Partitioning and Invasive Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Tropical Rain Forest Ant Community from Fiji1 Darren Ward2 Abstract: Determining composition and structure of ant communities may help understand how niche opportunities become available for invasive ant species and ultimately how communities are invaded. This study examined composition and structure of an ant community from a tropical rain forest in Fiji, specifically looking at spatial partitioning and presence of invasive ant species. A total of 27 species was collected, including five invasive species. Spatial partitioning be- tween arboreal (foliage beating) and litter (quadrat) samples was evident with a relatively low species overlap and a different composition of ant genera. Com- position and abundance of ants was also significantly different between litter and arboreal microhabitats at baits, but not at different bait types (oil, sugar, tuna). In terms of invasive ant species, there was no difference in number of invasive species between canopy and litter. However, the most common species, Paratre- china vaga, was significantly less abundant and less frequently collected in the canopy. In arboreal samples, invasive species were significantly smaller than en- demic species, which may have provided an opportunity for invasive species to become established. However, taxonomic disharmony (missing elements in the fauna) could also play an important role in success of invasive ant species across the Pacific region. Invasive ants represent a serious threat to biodiversity in Fiji and on many other Pacific islands. A greater understanding of habitat suscepti- bility and mechanisms for invasion may help mitigate their impacts. Explaining and predicting the success of 1999, Holway et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Ants (Hymenoptera: Fonnicidae) of Samoa!
    Ants (Hymenoptera: Fonnicidae) of Samoa! James K Wetterer 2 and Donald L. Vargo 3 Abstract: The ants of Samoa have been well studied compared with those of other Pacific island groups. Using Wilson and Taylor's (1967) specimen records and taxonomic analyses and Wilson and Hunt's (1967) list of 61 ant species with reliable records from Samoa as a starting point, we added published, unpublished, and new records ofants collected in Samoa and updated taxonomy. We increased the list of ants from Samoa to 68 species. Of these 68 ant species, 12 species are known only from Samoa or from Samoa and one neighboring island group, 30 species appear to be broader-ranged Pacific natives, and 26 appear to be exotic to the Pacific region. The seven-species increase in the Samoan ant list resulted from the split of Pacific Tetramorium guineense into the exotic T. bicarinatum and the native T. insolens, new records of four exotic species (Cardiocondyla obscurior, Hypoponera opaciceps, Solenopsis geminata, and Tetramorium lanuginosum), and new records of two species of uncertain status (Tetramorium cf. grassii, tentatively considered a native Pacific species, and Monomorium sp., tentatively considered an endemic Samoan form). SAMOA IS AN ISLAND CHAIN in western island groups, prompting Wilson and Taylor Polynesia with nine inhabited islands and (1967 :4) to feel "confident that a nearly numerous smaller, uninhabited islands. The complete faunal list could be made for the western four inhabited islands, Savai'i, Apo­ Samoan Islands." Samoa is of particular in­ lima, Manono, and 'Upolu, are part of the terest because it is one of the easternmost independent country of Samoa (formerly Pacific island groups with a substantial en­ Western Samoa).
    [Show full text]
  • Of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean): Identification and Distribution
    DOI: 10.18195/issn.0312-3162.25(1).2008.045-085 Records of the Western Australian Museum 25: 45-85 (2008). Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean): identification and distribution Volker w. Framenau1,2 andMelissa 1. Thomas2,3,* 1 Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, Western Australia 6986, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] 2 School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia. 3 Parks Australia North, PO Box 867, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean 6798, Australia. Abstract - The composition of the Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) ant fauna is reviewed, leading to the recognition of 52 species in 24 genera and 7 subfamilies. This account amalgamates previously published records and recent extensive surveys of Christmas Island's ant fauna. Eight species represent new records for Christmas Island: Technomyrmex vitiensis, Camponotus sp. (novaehollandiae group), Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi, Monomorium orientale, M. cf. subcoecum, Tetramorium cf. simillimum, T. smithi and T. walshi. Although some of these new species records represent recent taxonomic advances rather than new introductions, we consider four species to be true new records to Christmas Island. These include Camponotus sp. (novaehollandiae group), M. orientale, T. smithi and T. walshi. None of the 52 species reported here are considered endemic. In general, the Christmas Island ant fauna is composed of species that are regarded as worldwide tramps, or that are widespread in the Indo-Australian region. However, Christmas Island may fall within the native range of some of these species. We provide a key to the ant species of Christmas Island (based on the worker caste), supplemented by comprehensive distribution maps of these ants on Christmas Island and a short synopsis of each species in relation to their ecology and world-wide distribution.
    [Show full text]
  • Actes Des Colloques Insectes Sociaux
    U 2 I 0 E 0 I 2 S ACTES DES COLLOQUES INSECTES SOCIAUX Edité par l'Union Internationale pour l’Etude des Insectes Sociaux - Section française (sous la direction de François-Xavier DECHAUME MONCHARMONT et Minh-Hà PHAM-DELEGUE) VOL. 15 (2002) – COMPTE RENDU DU COLLOQUE ANNUEL 50e anniversaire - Versailles - 16-18 septembre 2002 ACTES DES COLLOQUES INSECTES SOCIAUX Edité par l'Union Internationale pour l’Etude des Insectes Sociaux - Section française (sous la direction de François-Xavier DECHAUME MONCHARMONT et Minh-Hà PHAM-DELEGUE) VOL. 15 (2002) – COMPTE RENDU DU COLLOQUE ANNUEL 50e anniversaire - Versailles - 16-18 septembre 2002 ISSN n° 0265-0076 ISBN n° 2-905272-14-7 Composé au Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Comparée des Invertébrés (INRA, Bures-sur-Yvette) Publié on-line sur le site des Insectes Sociaux : : http://www.univ-tours.fr/desco/UIEIS/UIEIS.htm Comité Scientifique : Martin GIURFA Université Toulouse Alain LENOIR Université Tours Christian PEETERS CNRS Paris 6 Minh-Hà PHAM-DELEGUE INRA Bures Comité d'Organisation : Evelyne GENECQUE F.X. DECHAUME MONCHARMONT Et toute l’équipe du LNCI (INRA Bures) Nous remercions sincèrement l’INRA et l’établissement THOMAS qui ont soutenu financièrement cette manifestation. Crédits Photographiques Couverture : 1. Abeille : Serge CARRE (INRA) 2. Fourmis : Photothèque CNRS 3. Termite : Alain ROBERT (Université de Bourgogne, Dijon) UIEIS Versailles Page 1 Programme UNION INTERNATIONALE POUR L’ETUDE DES INSECTES SOCIAUX UIEIS Section Française - 50ème Anniversaire Versailles 16-18 Septembre 2002 PROGRAMME Lundi 16 septembre 9 h ACCUEIL DES PARTICIPANTS - CAFE 10 h Présentation du Centre INRA de Versailles – Président du Centre Session Plasticité et Socialité- Modérateur Martin Giurfa 10 h 15 - Conférence Watching the bee brain when it learns – Randolf Menzel (Université Libre de Berlin) 11 h 15 Calcium responses to queen pheromones, social pheromones and plant odours in the antennal lobe of the honey bee drone Apis mellifera L.
    [Show full text]