Formigas taocas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ecitoninae) e suas preferências por habitats florestados em áreas alteradas no Estado do Pará

Abstract

Anthropic action can endanger the lives of many animals, among which are the predatory-carnivorous ants commonly called taocas, which belong to the subfamily Ecitoninae, with a wide neotropical distribution and an important biological role in the population control of small arthropods. The objective of this study was to show which species of fire ants are found in primary and secondary forests, and also to verify their ability to maintain themselves in altered vegetation habitats in the State of Pará. Collections were carried out in the Mocambo reserve (only three hectares of dry land), which was isolated from other forested areas by extensive strips of pasture, and in other locations (Utinga and Acará) for comparison purposes because Mocambo is less preserved. The material was collected with tweezers and preserved in alcohol, and later identified to the morphospecies level. Only a single species of this subfamily was found at Mocambo (Eciton bamatum Fabricius, 1782), and its population density was relatively low compared to the other locations. Based on previous studies that indicated the presence of at least four species at Mocambo: E. burchelli Westwood,1842; E. rapax Smith, F.1855; Labidus praedator Smith, F.1858 and Neivamyrmex spp, it is evident that environmental changes have generated an impacting effect of extinction on these species and the reduced number of E. hamatum show us a previously unknown fragility in Amazonian habitats of altered vegetation.