L. Quirozrobledo et J. Valenzuelagonzalez, A COMPARISON OF GROUND ANT COMMUNITIES IN A TROPICAL RAIN-FOREST AND ADJACENT GRASSLAND IN LOS-TUXTLAS, VERACRUZ, MEXICO, The Southwestern entomologist, 20(2), 1995, pp. 203-213
Results of the collection of terrestrial ants by means of different sa
mpling techniques, both in a tropical rainforest and in an adjacent pa
sture in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, are reported. We found it was best to
use a combination of sampling methods, because each method allowed the
detection of species not recorded by other methods. A total of 103 sp
ecie belonging to 48 genera were collected. The genus Tranopelta is re
corded for the first time in Mexico, and a new species of Acanthostich
us also was collected. Forty-eight percent of the species detected wer
e found only in the rainforest, 16.5% in the pasture, and 34% in both.
Despite these two habitats being adjacent to each other, over 50% of
the rainforest species were not found in the pasture. These results sh
ow that a large proportion of the rainforest species are restricted to
that habitat. The importance of preserving the rainforest at Los Tuxt
las is underlined, ad it is the northernmost tropical rainforest in Me
xico.