MOSAIC ANT TERRITORIES IN AN AFRICAN SECONDARY RAIN-FOREST (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE)

A comparison was made of the distribution of ant species in two manmad e formations: an old secondary forest and the forest edge. This forest was composed of two kinds of trees: trees belonging to the mature for est prior to clearing and trees of the secondary forest which grew aft er clearing. The former were occupied by Crematogaster depressa, a for est dwelling species which tolerated numerous nondominant ants in its territories. The others were occupied by the same species and Atopomyr mex mocquerisi, C. clariventris, Pheidole sp. (megacephala group), Tet ramorium aculeatum and Oecophylla longinoda. One tree was occupied by a society of Tetraponera anthracina, another by Polyrhachis militaris, two species not previously known as dominant, and corresponding here to the subdominant status. These species occupied non-overlapping terr itories distributed in a mosaic as known in African tree plantations. The forest edge was composed of plants at the pioneer stage. Dominant ant territories are not adjacent and numerous dominant species tolerat ed nondominant ants in their territories. This situation favored a hig h diversity of nondominant ants. As a result, large societies of T. an thracina, Cataulachus guineensis, Camponotus brutus and Polyrhachis la boriosa were able to demonstrate dominant-like behavior so that the sp ecies can be classified as having subdominant status.