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(Reference retrieved automatically from SciELO through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Diurnal flight periodicity of a Neotropical ant assemblage (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Atlantic Forest

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Author(s):
Rodrigo M. Feitosa [1] ; Rogério R. da Silva [2] ; Alexandre P. Aguiar [3]
Total Authors: 3
Affiliation:
[1] Universidade Federal do Paraná. Departamento de Zoologia - Brasil
[2] Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. Coordenação de Ciências da Terra e Ecologia - Brasil
[3] Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas - Brasil
Total Affiliations: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: Revista Brasileira de Entomologia; v. 60, n. 3, p. 241-247, 2016-09-00.
Abstract

ABSTRACT In this study we document for the first time flight patterns along a 24 h time range for an ant assemblage in one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Malaise traps were used to analyze the diurnal nuptial flights of a Neotropical ant assemblage during five days. Traps captured 802 individuals, revealing a remarkably high diversity (42 ant species), with samples strongly male biased (1:22). Contrariwise to similar studies, we found only a small proportion of species engaged in nocturnal nuptial flights, with diurnal flights accounting for an impressive 95% of all ant flight activity recorded. For the 18 most common species, three ant groups could be identified regarding flight period: sunrise, sunset, and continuous flight activity. Similarity analyses, however, suggest that closely related time ranges of flight activity may actually not be continuous. Further, three species showed pulsed flight activity, at varied hours of the day. Two species of Hypoponera showed flight activity at different periods of the day, suggesting congeneric staggered nuptial flights. Our results match long-term studies of ant assemblages showing high diversity of flight phenologies in hyperdiverse tropical ant assemblages and provide the first data on the reproductive phenology for several Neotropical ant species. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 10/20570-8 - Functional diversity and phylogenetic structure of ant assemblages in tropical and temperate forests
Grantee:Rogério Rosa da Silva
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Young Researchers