DISTRIBUTION OF COLONIES AND PREY SPECIALIZATION IN THE PONERINE ANT GENUS LEPTOGENYS (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE)

The distribution of colonies of Leptogenys was studied in two humid ar eas, the coastal zone of Quintana Roo, Mexico and an Atlantic forest o f Cameroon, where eight species were recorded, three of which are new. Colonies of this genus, often considered as rare by myrmecologists, a re relatively common in particularly humid plots where isopods are abu ndant. An evaluation of their density in nature resulted in from 88 to 161 colonies per hectare, while in an anthropized plot, particularly rich in isopods, there were 414 colonies per hectare. A control of the diet of the colonies of the eight species recorded confirmed that the y are strict predators of isopods.