Eur. J. Entomol. 116: 461-467, 2019 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2019.047

Diversity of ant assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in an urban environment in Cameroon during and after colonization of the area by Wasmannia auropunctataOriginal article

Paul Serge MBENOUN MASSE1, Maurice TINDO2, Champlain DJIÉTO-LORDON1, Ruth MONY1, Martin KENNE2
1 Laboratoire de Zoologie, Département de Biologie et Physiologie Animales, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Yaoundé 1, BP 812, Yaoundé, Cameroun; e-mails: masseserge@yahoo.fr / smbenoun@uy1.uninet.cm, ruthmony@yahoo.fr, djieto_champlain@yahoo.ca
2 Département de Biologie des Organismes Animaux, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Douala, BP 24157, Douala, Cameroun; e-mails: tindodouala@yahoo.com, medoum68@yahoo.fr

Invasive species disrupt the organization and functioning of many ant communities. Little is known about ant assemblages formerly in areas invaded by the little fire ant. In this study, we surveyed the same areas and compared the ant communities there when an invasive species first colonized the areas and 10 years later, using the same methodology (quadrat and baiting). A total of 83,299 worker ants from 17 species or morphospecies, in 4 subfamilies and 10 genera were recorded in the two periods sampled. Seven ant species were found to co-occur with W. auropunctata while 12 species were collected in the same area 10 years later, with no W. auropunctata recorded in any of the traps. In the absence of W. auropunctata, the number and diversity of ant species increased and the ant communities were dominated by the African big-headed ant, Pheidole megacephala. Our findings indicate that the disappearance of W. auropunctata is probably related to population increases in P. megacephala associated with dramatic changes in landscape. Further studies at other invaded locations should be carried out in order to reveal the generality of these patterns throughout this country.

Keywords: Hymenoptera, Formicidae, ants, Wasmannia auropunctata, Pheidole megacephala, diversity, colonization, urban environment, Cameroon

Received: April 25, 2019; Accepted: November 20, 2019; Published online: December 6, 2019  Show citation

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MBENOUN MASSE, P.S., TINDO, M., DJIÉTO-LORDON, C., MONY, R., & KENNE, M. (2019). Diversity of ant assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in an urban environment in Cameroon during and after colonization of the area by Wasmannia auropunctata. EJE, 116, Article 461-467. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2019.047
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