Myrmecology

As a result of recent collecting efforts and older unpublished data of one of us (AA), 32 ant species (including 2 morphospecies) new to the island of Sicily (Italy) were discovered. Seven of these taxa represent unequivocally exotic entities, whose discovery marks a decisive increase of this component in the local fauna. Among these, two forms of Nylanderia EMERY, 1906 are treated as morphospecies because of the problematic taxonomy of the genus. Six taxa among the discovered species are entirely new to the myrmecofauna of Italy. Finally, Tetramorium indocile SANTSCHI, 1927 is reported for the first time as a host for the social parasite Strongylognathus testaceus (SCHENCK, 1852). The state of the art of the Sicilian myrmecofauna, now counting about 150 species, is commented on.

We compared the ant assemblages from four very heterogeneous habitats over a short-distance elevational gradient of vegetation (due to the presence of an inselberg) at the Nouragues Research Station, French Guiana. We focused on litter-dwelling ants, combining the use of pitfall traps and the Winkler method according to the Ants of the Leaf Litter Protocol. This permitted us to note (1) a high leaf-litter ant diversity overall, (2) a decreasing diversity gradient from the lowland rainforest to the top of the inselberg, and (3) changes in species density, composition and functional structure. While the ant assemblages on the plateau and inselberg can be considered functionally similar and typical of an Amazonian rainforest, that of the transition forest, relatively homogenous, rather corresponded to an ant fauna typical of open areas. By contrast, the liana forest assemblage was unexpectedly rich and dense, sheltering a litter-dwelling ant fauna dominated by numerous and abundant cryptic species. These taxonomical and functional dissimilarities point out the great influence of the environmental heterogeneity, which, through variable abiotic conditions, contributes to maintaining an exceptionally rich ant biodiversity in these Neotropical habitats.

Rediscovery of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile in Algeria: a scourge that can threaten biodiversity

During a recent myrmecological investigation in the North of Algeria, we had the chance to collect by hand an exotic Ant species that is recognised as invasive in the world. It's the Argentine Ant: Linepithema humile Mayr, 1868. Species not found since 1923 with no information on the locality where it was found. Since the time, despite all the investigations carried out by myrmecologists in Algeria until 1973, the presence of this species in this country has remained enigmatic and could not be confirmed.
Key words: Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Rediscovery, Linepithema humile, Algeria, Biodiversity

Le présent travail consiste à l'étude de la diversité myrmécologique aux abords du Barrage El Ksob (M'sila, Algérie) qui s'est déroulée en avril 2015 et présente le premier inventaire de la faune de fourmis de ce milieu humide et artificiel. Deux mé-thodes d'échantillonnage (récolte manuelle et pots barber) ont été adoptées, et l'échantillonnage a mené à l'identification de 4483 individus de fourmis de 16 espèces et 3 sous–familles (Formicinae, Myrmicinae et Dolichoderinae). Les Myrmicinae dominent en nombre d'espèces, suivies par les Formicinae, alors que les Dolichoderinae présentent une faible abondance en termes d'effectifs. Les deux espèces Monomorium subopacum et Monomorium salomonis sont les plus fréquentes. Nous signalons ici la redécou-verte de la fourmi endémique Aphaenogaster rupestris. Diversidad y estructura de la mirmecofauna de la zona de la presa de El Ksob en Argelia: Nueva cita de Aphaenogaster ru-pestris Forel, 1909 (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) Resumen: Se presenta el primer estudio sobre la diversidad de hormigas de la zona de la presa de El Ksob (M'sila, Argelia), reali-zado en abril de 2015. Se aplicaron dos técnicas de muestreo (a mano y con trampas de caída), y el muestreo llevó a la identifica-ción de 4483 individuos de hormigas de 16 especies y 3 subfamilias (Formicinae, Myrmicinae y Dolichoderinae). Los Myrmicinae dominaban en número de especies, seguidos por los Formicinae, mientras que los Dolichoderinae tenían un nivel bajo de indivi-duos. Monomorium subopacum y Monomorium salamonis son las especies más frecuentes. Presentamos el redescubrimiento de la hormiga endémica Aphaenogaster rupestris. Diversity and structure of the ant fauna of the El Ksob dam area in Algeria: New record for Aphaenogaster rupestris Forel, 1909 (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) Abstract : A survey of the ant fauna found in the vicinity of the K'sob dam (M'sila, Algeria) was carried out in April 2015. Two sampling methods (by hand and with pitfall traps) were used, and the sampling led to the identification of 4483 ant specimens belonging to 16 species and 3 subfamilies (Formicinae, Myrmicinae and Dolichoderinae). The Myrmicinae dominated in number of species, followed by the Formicinae, while the Dolichoderinae only occurred in low numbers. Monomorium subopacum and Monomorium sa-lamonis were the most frequent species. Here, we report the rediscovery of the endemic ant Aphaenogaster rupestris.

Hélice volumen ii. nº 5 - diciembre 2015, http://www.revistahelice.com/revista/Helice_5_vol_II.pdf

Ants have been for centuries main characters in the Aesopian fable. With the progress of Myrmecology, the complexity of ant societies became increasingly known. These kinds of society, where each member seemed to have relinquished its whole individuality for the sake of the colony, could be understood as model for a truly collectivist order. With socialist and communist ideologies on the rise from the 19th century onwards, fiction increasingly presented views on ants not as disguised humans in a kind of scientifically-based modern allegory, but as alternate intelligent beings on Earth. Ant colonies were seen as alternate societies endowed with particular societal features: total surrender of personality, work efficiency, and full equality, but also militarism, reluctance to innovate, and complete absence of any meaningful sentiment among their members. Depending on the perspective, such fictional ant societies could be seen as a utopia and as its opposite. For communist writers, a speculative evolution of the ants from an individualistic species in the past to a communist one in the present was a welcome development, while others told a similar (hi)story taking a contrary view. Some authors confronted a reduced human being with the surrounding ants within an ant colony and developed their different worldviews, while others confronted both worlds on an equal footing in order to subvert them for adventure and/or for satirical purposes. While inheriting this long tradition of more or less ideologically charged fictional anthills, recent ant fictions, such as the films Antz and The Ant Bully, show that this confrontation is still humanely and politically relevant. Thus, ant colonies might be presented as utopias, or the very opposite.

In this article I discuss the political themes attached to the eusocial creatures, specifically ants and bees, in Old Norse sources. I consider the situation of Old Norse as a transnational literature, encompassing one country that lacked ants and bees (Iceland) and one that did not (Norway). Although the behavioural ecology of eusociality, or indeed the classification of ants and bees as taxonomically related, is a relatively recent development in human knowledge, I argue that the fundamental qualities of swarming and mutual aid were clearly recognisable long before modern science. The differing environments and differing political systems between Iceland and Norway are examined as factors shaping the depiction of eusocial insects. However, the Old Norse sources are also integrated into their European context in order to explore the abstract - even universal - ideological questions that are prompted when humans compare their own societies to those of ants and bees.

The successful life of insect societies has evolved from the division of labor among more or less specialized individuals, who carry out all necessary tasks for the maintenance and growth of the colony. The extreme division of labor has produced workers specialized in the removal of dead members of the colony, an evident and highly stereotyped behavior called undertaking which consists of the ability to recognize and dispose of the dead members of the colony using specific chemical cues. Although living in enclosed nests has contributed to the ecological success of social insects due to environmental control, it also poses disadvantages. Nests of social insects, containing dense groups of genetically close individuals with frequent physical contact, present ideal conditions for the incidence and dispersion of infectious diseases. To maintain strict microbiological control inside the nest, these insects have evolved hygienic behavioral strategies to avoid and control the proliferation of pathogens. Undertaking behavior is one of the fundamental strategies to exert microbiological control inside the nest by means of suitable management and removal of dead members of the colony, to prevent the emergence of epidemics that may lead the insect society to extinction. Therefore, undertaking behavior has been fundamental to the evolution of social insects. This stereotyped behavior constitutes an excellent model for the understanding of both social evolution and the neurobiological basis of social behavior. In this paper, we review the present knowledge on undertaking behavior, and outline some perspectives of the study of such far-reaching behavior of social organization.

An updated list of ant species (Formicidae) known from Oman is provided, including both published records and recently collected material, and bringing the total number to 123 species belonging to 24 genera and four subfamilies. In the present study thirty-four ant species were collected from Oman during expeditions in 2016 and 2017. Ten ant species are recorded for the first time in Oman : Cardiocondyla breviscapa Seifert, 2003, C. mauritanica Forel, 1890, C. yemeni Collingwood & Agosti, 1996, Erromyrma latinodis (Mayr, 1872), Hypoponera abeillei (André, 1881), Lepisiota opaciventris (Finzi, 1936), Monomorium dichroum Forel, 1902, Pheidole parva Mayr, 1865, Plagiolepis boltoni Sharaf, Aldawood & Taylor, 2011, and Tetramorium lanuginosum Mayr, 1870. The genus Aphaenogaster is recorded for the first time from Oman, and two new species of Aphaenogaster are described based on the worker caste: A. sarae sp. n. and A. asmaae sp. n. The first key to the Arabian Aphaenogaster is presented. The genus Erromyrma Bolton & Fisher, 2016 is recorded for the first time from Oman and the Arabian Peninsula by the sole species E. latinodis (Mayr, 1872). The queen caste of Pl. boltoni Sharaf, Aldawood & Taylor, 2011 is also described for the first time from Masfat Al-Ebreien, Oman. New distributional records are given with biological notes for species when available.

Resumen y abstract
Micrografías históricas sobre la sociabilidad de las hormigas. W.M. Wheeler y la profesionalización de la biología estadounidense (1900-1937)
Entre finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX, muchas áreas de la biología estadounidense pasaron por una serie de transformaciones en la organización académica y conceptual de las ciencias de la
vida en el camino por convertirse en una profesión. La mirmecología, el estudio de las hormigas, fue una de ellas, y alcanzó la profesionalización a través diversas estrategias y prácticas de legitimación. Esta investigación aborda simultáneamente la historia del científico y naturalista estadounidense William Morton Wheeler (1865-1937), la del problema de la sociabilidad de las hormigas y de la ciencia mirmecológica, para mostrar que, contrario a lo que historiadores como Garland Allen han señalado, algunas disciplinas ―particularmente las de tradición naturalista- alcanzaron la profesionalización de manera diferente que las ciencias que enfatizaron la experimentación. A través de una serie de cuatro
micrografías históricas, herramientas de análisis y estudio que permiten mostrar los resultados de una incursión histórica de amplio espectro de manera flexible y abierta, se tocan diversos aspectos de la
dinámica de la ciencia, entre ellos, se sugiere una historia alternativa de las entomologías; se da cuenta de las prácticas retóricas y materiales, y de la economía científica de la mirmecología; se cuestiona el rol de la distinción amateur-profesional en la profesionalización; y se explora el desarrollo
de la explicación de la sociabilidad para descubrir sus raíces psicológicas y entender sus conexiones
con la sociología humana. La investigación permite concluir que la sociabilidad de las hormigas fue una de las estrategias más importantes para que se diera la profesionalización de la mirmecología,
principalmente porque ayudó a justificar socialmente su quehacer y enfoque.
Historical Micrographies on the sociability of ants. The Professionalization of American Biology (1900-
1937)
At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, several fields of the American biological sciences experienced a series of transformations in its academic and conceptual organization, towards the professionalization of biology. Myrmecology, the study of ants, was one of those disciplines that reach the status of profession thru various strategies and practices of legitimization. This research deals simultaneously with the history of the American scientist and
naturalist William Morton Wheeler (1865-1937), of the problem of the sociability of ants and of the myrmecological science, to show that, contrary to what has been said by historians as Garland Allen, some disciplines ―particularly those with a naturalistic tradition- reach professionalization in a very different way than the experimental sciences did. By four historical micrographies, an analytic tool that allows to show openly and flexibly the results of a wide range historical study, many aspects of science dynamics are addressed: an alternative history of the entomologies; also the material and rhetorical practices, and the scientific economy of myrmecology; the distinction amateur-professional is
questioned in its role in professionalization; and also the development of the scientific explanation of the sociability phenomenon is explored to uncover its psychological roots and to understand its connections with human sociology. The inquiry allows us to conclude that the problem of sociability of ants was one of the most important strategies used by Wheeler to achieve the professionalization of myrmecology, mainly because it helped to socially justify its object of study and approach.

"Brower explores the way philosophers were inspired by entomological social systems and communication to reflect on human psyche, social behavior, community organization, communication, and inter-individual relationships. His essay rehearses the swarms of insects embedded in contemporary philosophy and literary theory, not only showing how many of the major concepts (or philosophemes) in continental philosophy – sexuality, politics, thinking, time, interdependence, and language – draw lessons from the world of insects, but also illustrating again how the insect world spurred human reflection."

Aunque la construcción de nidos encerrados en cavidades contribuyó a la expansión geográfica de los insectos sociales, también implicó la necesidad de incrementar las conductas de limpieza, como la remoción de los cadáveres, con lo que disminuye la posibilidad del surgimiento de enfermedades. El comportamiento necroforético es uno de los patrones conductuales más evidentes y estereotipados que las hormigas presentan. De la misma manera en que las hormigas reconocen a los compañeros de nido o a ciertas castas, ellas son capaces de reconocer a los muertos a través de señales particulares que éstos presentan y que son subproductos de la descomposición bacteriana, las cuales son llamadas necromonas.

In our recent revision and reclassification of the ant subfamily Ectatomminae (Camacho et al. 2022), we proposed the new genus name Boltonia Camacho & Feitosa to accommodate a single species, B. microps Borgmeier 1957, transferred from the genus Heteroponera Mayr. At that time, we believed Boltonia to be an available name, but recent evidence led us to conclude that this is a preoccupied name and that our ant genus needs a replacement name.

Biodiversity decreases in response to either intensive management or land abandonment in permanent grasslands of Central Europe. Here, we evaluated the long-term impacts of different management regimes on ant richness, nest abundance, assemblage structure, and food resource use in three experimental grassland sites in Thuringia, Germany. Each experimental site comprised identical management regimes established in 2000 / 2001. Grassland sites differed with respect to plant community type and abiotic conditions. Ants were assessed in four treatments representing a gradient in management intensity: intensive mowing (four-five cuts per year), traditional mowing (two cuts per year), mulching (mulched once per year), and abandonment (no management). A total of fourteen species belonging to three genera were recorded. Overall, ant responses to management treatments were site dependent. Mean species richness did not vary across treatments but sites. Nest abundance was high in the intensive and traditional treatment but strikingly low in the mulching treatment. Assemblages were more diverse in the traditional and abandonment treatment in sites representing semi-dry conditions, while the intensive treatment enhanced ant diversity under mesic site conditions. Higher rates of food monopolization were detected in the intensive and traditional treatment in drier conditions. Our results show that long-term management affected ant assemblages in different ways, but these effects were strongly related to local climate and soil conditions. The responses of ants to grassland management, that is mowing, can be explained by how these management practices (or their absence) affect the microclimatic conditions under a local context. Hence, the interplay of these factors along with the species requirements is of key importance to determining the impact of the land management on ant assemblages in German and Central European grasslands.

Coleções biológicas desempenham um papel fundamental no estudo dos seres vivos. Quando bem organizados, os dados disponíveis em coleções fornecem informações essenciais para estudos em diversas áreas do conhecimento. Entre estas, incluem-se aquelas diretamente relacionadas ao bem-estar humano. Formigas urbanas são organismos de interesse prioritário no que diz respeito à sua importância econômica e sanitária. Neste sentido, coleções mirmecológicas representativas de faunas urbanas são uma ferramenta de grande importância para a compreensão dos fatores envolvidos na relação destes insetos com os seres humanos. Neste capítulo, abordaremos a importância da taxonomia e das coleções científicas, aliadas a boas práticas de curadoria, para o aumento da compreensão dos mecanismos de dispersão e estratégias reprodutivas de formigas urbanas.

Ant–plant symbioses involve over 110 ant species in five subfamilies that are facultative or
obligate occupants of stem, leaf or root domatia formed by hundreds of ant-plant species.
The phylogenetic distribution and geological ages of these associations, and the frequency of
gains or losses of domatium, are largely unknown.

We compiled an up-to-date list of ant domatium-bearing plants, estimated their probable
true number from model-based statistical inference, generated dated phylogenies that include
c. 50% of ant-plant lineages, and traced the occurrence of domatia and extrafloral nectaries
on a 1181-species tree, using likelihood and Bayesian methods.

We found 681 vascular plants with domatia (159 genera in 50 families) resulting from minimally
158 inferred domatium origins and 43 secondary losses over the last 19 Myr. The oldest
African ant–plant symbioses are younger than those in Australasia and the Neotropics. The
best statistical model suggests that the true number of myrmecophytes may approach 1140
species.

The phylogenetic distribution of ant-plants shows that domatia evolved from a range of
pre-adapted morphological structures and have been lost frequently, suggesting that domatia
have no generalizable effect on diversification. The Miocene origin of ant–plant symbioses is
consistent with inferred changes in diet and behaviour during ant evolution.

In May 2016, we collected ants at 16 sites in the city of Tangier, Morocco, primarily in urban gardens
and parks. We found a total of 38 ant species, including eight non-native tramp species, Cardiocondyla
emeryi, Linepithema humile, Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi, Paratrechina longicornis, Pheidole megacephala,
Strumigenys membranifera, Tetramorium bicarinatum, and Tetramorium caldarium. These eight plus
Monomorium pharaonis represent all non-native ant species known from Morocco. Two of these species are
not been previously known from Morocco: N. jaegerskioeldi and P. megacephala. We found N. jaegerskioeldi
at five sites, suggesting that this previously unreported species may have an expanding population in Morocco.
We found P. megacephala in a single park in Tangier. Competition with native Pheidole species may limit the
spread of P. megacephala in Morocco. The only tramp species from the New World known from Morocco is
the Argentine ant, L. humile, which we collected at 7 sites. This species, originally from South America, is an
important ecological and agricultural pest in areas with Mediterranean-like climates, including not only the
Mediterranean region, but also southern California, southern Africa, and southern Australia.

The extensive occupation of canopy trees by ants can be attributed to many factors, such as the presence of structures that provide food and shelter. Structures induced by other insects in host plants, like senescent galls, can provide shelter and a nesting place for many species of ants. The main objectives of this work were: (1) to describe the ant communities found in canopies of candeia trees (Eremanthus erythropappus), including the species which use galls as nesting sites; (2) verify the role of galls in determining the structure and composition of the ant communities and (3) to evaluate whether the size and shape of galls are important to the choice of nesting sites by ants. Specifically, the following questions were investigated: 1 – Are larger galls more frequently occupied by ants than smaller galls? 2 – Does gall shape (globular and fusiform) influence occupation? 3 – Which species of ants are present in the canopies of candeias and which are occupying galls? Senescent galls were collected in locations in the southern portion of the Espinhaço Mountain Range, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. In total, 3,195 galls were collected and 19 ant species were recorded. Only 176 galls (5.5%) had been occupied by ants, and these were represented by 11 species. The most frequent species found occupying galls were Myrmelachista nodigera, with 48 colonies; Nesomyrmex spininodis, with 37 colonies; and Crematogaster complex crinosa sp. 1, with 29 colonies. The ants occupied galls with greater volume and diameter. Even considering the low occupation frequency, senescent galls in E. erythropappus are used by ants, either as outstations or satellite nests of polydomic colonies, and may be important in determining ant species composition in canopy trees.

We provide here a checklist of the ants of French Guiana, an overseas department of France situated in northern South America, with a very low human population density and predominantly covered by old-growth tropical rainforests. Based on 165 scientific papers, specimens deposited in collections, and unpublished surveys, a total of 659 valid species and subspecies from 84 genera and 12 subfamilies is presented. Although far from complete, these numbers represent approximately 10% of the ant diversity known to occur in the Neotropical realm. Additionally, three ant genera and 119 species are reported for the first time for French Guiana. Finally, five species are recognized as erroneous records for the department in the literature. This checklist significantly expands the basic knowledge of the ants in the Guiana Shield, one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots.

RESUMEN Las hormigas son consideradas como uno de los grupos zoológicos más importantes de las zonas áridas y semiáridas, con un papel clave en la caracterización de las comunidades vegetales presentes en esos ecosistemas. No obstante, aún es poco lo que se conoce sobre la composición y estructura de las comunidades de hormigas asociadas a los ambientes áridos y semiáridos en el norte de América del Sur y en particular en Venezuela. A pesar de representar una escasa extensión del territorio venezolano (<5%), este tipo de ambientes puede albergar una riqueza de hormigas considerable, con especies potencialmente únicas para la región. En este estudio, que abarca tres localidades continentales del complejo semiárido Falcón-Lara en la región noroccidental de Venezuela, se emplearon las trampas de caída como medio de recolecta durante las estaciones de lluvia y sequía. Los resultados obtenidos incluyen un total de cinco subfamilias, 18 géneros y 33 especies, que representan los primeros registros para la región, específicamente, para las localidades de Aregue (Edo. Lara), Parque Nacional Cerro Saroche (Edo. Lara) y Agua Larga (Edo. Falcón). En su conjunto, los resultados observados para las localidades venezolanas dan cuenta de una mirmecofauna con una riqueza relativamente alta en comparación con localidades áridas de latitudes templadas y subtempladas en el continente americano, pero baja para ambientes semiáridos del norte de América del Sur. ABSTRACT Ants are considered one of the most important zoological groups in arid and semi-arid zones of the world, where they play a key role in the characterization of the plant communities represented there; however, little is known about the abundance and diversity of the myrmecofauna associated with arid and semiarid environments of Venezuela. Despite representing a small extent of the Venezuelan territory (<5%), this type of environment can house a considerable amount of ants, with species potentially unique to the region. In this study, which examines three continental localities of the Falcón-Lara semiarid complex, in northwestern Venezuela, we used pitfall traps to sample the ant fauna in two contrasting seasons: rainy and dry. The results obtained include five subfamilies, 18 genera and 33 species, which represent the first records for the region, specifically, for localities Aregue (Lara State), Parque Nacional Cerro Saroche (Lara State) and Agua Larga (Falcón State). Taken together, the results observed for the Venezuelan localities account for a myrmecofauna with relatively high species richness compared to temperate and sub-temperate arid localities in the American continent, but low species richness compared to semiarid localities of northern South America.

From: Записки Восточного Отделения Российского Археологического Общества, Н. С. Вып. III, СПб, 2015 [2017] С. 359 - 360.
Ants of Sogdiana and Chorasmia
The author proposes to etymologize  the words zmwrc, zmwryk etc "ant" in Sogdian and Chorasmian as Old Iranian compound *zam-mouri- "earth - ant". Such denomination mirrors the ecology of Central Asian ants who do not build visible ant-houses and live under surface, unlike those of moderate zone.

A protocol for rapid access to the relative and absolute configurations of the solenopsins, the venom alkaloids of fire ants (Solenopsis spp.), was developed based on chiral capillary gas chromatography. The synthesis of racemic mixtures of 2-methyl-6-alkylpiperidines and the isolation of natural (2R,6R)- and (2R,6S)-2-methyl-6-undecylpiperidines allowed for the standardization of the chromatographic method. Application of this protocol revealed the previously unknown natural occurrence of four stereoisomers of 2-methyl-6-undecylpiperidine in venom samples from workers and gynes of Solenopsis saevissima.

This study aims to contribute to the neglected topic of larval biology in ants. The number of larval instars for three different species of trap-jaw ants, Odontomachus meinerti FOREL, 1905, Odontomachus bauri EMERY, 1892, and Odontomachus brunneus (PATTON, 1894) was estimated to three based on the maximum width frequency distributions of head capsules from worker and male larvae. The obtained number of larval instars was smaller than from a previous report with another species in the genus, indicating possible interspecific variation. Larvae of different sexes and instars among the three different species were generally identical, differing merely by relative dimensions and patterns of hair distribution. Dorsal doorknob protuberances were recorded for the first time in the genus, and observed being used to fix larvae onto nest walls. From observing several individuals we suggest the ornamentation of spiracle peritremes and the types of body protuberances are useful characters for larval taxonomy within this group. Moreover, a few individuals were found possessing anomalous structures which are reminiscent of characters from related taxa. Finally, some brief observations are made on an unidentified parasite found inside some mature larvae of O. bauri. Introduction Excluding the poles and a few Pacific islands, ants can be found across all terrestrial habitats wherein they typically play central ecological roles at multiple trophic levels (HÖLLDOBLER & WILSON 1990). In the context of their nutritional adaptations and social plasticity, ant larvae usually play a key role inside the colony as "social stomachs" as they store, interconnect, and passively distribute nutrients to nestmates (HÖLLDOBLER & WILSON 1990). Whilst the outstanding diversity and ecological dominance of ants has attracted a great deal of attention from scientists and the general public, the larval phases of ants are typically unknown and unstudied; this is illustrated by the tiny fraction (0.4%, ca. 64) of total ant species which have had their larval stages described in any detail (see a tentative list in SOLIS & al. 2010a; estimated total number of ant species based on ANTWEB 2016).

Algunas especies de hormigas han desarrollado sorprendentes mecanismos que dependen de la acción de las mandíbulas y de las antenas. Tales mecanismos, llamados mandíbulas de trampa, evolucionaron primero como un sistema de caza y secundariamente como defensa. Estas hormigas, como las del género Odontomachus, poseen largas mandíbulas dentadas en la punta, semejantes a pinzas, que pueden cerrarse con extraordinaria rapidez para herir y atrapar a la presa instantáneamente.

A new myrmecophilous silverfish (Zygentoma: Nicoletiidae: Subnicoletiinae) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, found living in fire ant (Solenopsis saevissima, Formicidae: Myrmicinae) nests is described: Allotrichotriura saevissima gen. nov. sp. nov. is compared with the other genera and subgenera known in the subfamily. The main diagnostic features would include the combination of body shape, body and head setation, morphology of praetarsus, and number of abdominal stylets and vesicles. Although further quests were attempted at the type-locality, only the original described material, exclusively composed of females, remains known.

Brazil is one of the leading producers of soybeans and other annual crops, and in several regions landowners are required by law to maintain 20 % of their lands with natural vegetation (i.e. as “legal reserves”). However, there is a growing concern that some of these reserves will be subject to increased levels of disturbance or even be lost as a result of the ongoing legislation reforms. In this sense, studies that evaluate the conservation potential of retaining natural habitats within agricultural areas are of great importance. We assessed the efficiency with which remnants of natural vegetation conserve the native ant fauna in a context of intensive agriculture. We compared the structure of ground-dwelling ant assemblages between crop fields and reserves located in different farms. Ant species richness was much higher in the reserves than in the crops, and this pattern was consistent in spite of variations in the type of crop planted in each field, and in the size (39–149 ha) and vegetation (open or closed savanna) of the reserves. From 41.4 to 76.4 % of all species recorded within each farm were exclusively found in the reserves. Differences in species composition were strong not only because the reserves had much more species, but also because the species that were present in both habitats showed contrasting patterns of abundance in each habitat. Overall, our results highlight that even small remnants of natural vegetation can have a significant potential to maintain a higher diversity of ants within an agriculturally dominated landscape.