Comunidade de formigas epígeas (Hymenoptera: formicidae) da mata de cocais, cerrado senso stricto e pasto do município de Aldeias Altas, Maranhão, Brasil

Abstract

The world ant fauna is estimated at approximately 16 thousand species, and in the neotropical region comprises about 5 thousand species. In Brazil, more than 1600 species are recorded and for the state of Maranhão, mimstcofuna currently records the occurrence of 279 species. Ants are among the insects most used as bioindicators due to their high diversity and sensitivity to changes in the physical and biological environment, as they are used as model organisms to understand the influence of biotic and abiotic variables and anthropic activities on biodiversity. The objective of this work was to know the fauna of Spigean ants in different areas in the Municipality of Aldeias Altas in Maranhão, Brazil. The collections were developed in the village Olho D'água do Ventura, in the city of Aldeias Altas-MA. Ants were collected in three areas: i. Mata de cocais, jj, Cerrado sensu stricto and iii. Pasture. A total of 27,2016 specimens were recorded throughout the study, classified into 47 species, belonging to 22 genera and seven subfamilies. The Mazmusenas subfamily was the most diverse and most represented in this study, with 21 species identified. In the cocais forest area, the richness was 37 ant species, in pasture and cerrado sensu stricto, 29 and 27 species were collected, respectively. The cocais forest showed a greater diversity of ants, in relation to the cerrado sensu stricto and pasture