A. Dejean et al., CUBITERMES SUBARQUATUS TERMITARIES AS SHELTERS FOR SOIL FAUNA IN AFRICAN RAIN-FORESTS, Journal of Natural History, 31(8), 1997, pp. 1289-1302
Most soil fauna in tropical rainforests require a pre-existing shelter
for at least part of their life cycles. Among termites and ants, the
most frequently encountered taxa, the availability of appropriate nest
ing sites is a major factor controlling the multiplication of colonies
. Work carried out in five forests in southern Cameroon indicates that
termitaries of Cubitermes subarquatus, whether active or abandoned, p
rovide shelter for large numbers of invasive invertebrates, particular
ly ants and other termite species, and may be a determining factor in
the patchy distribution of many taxa. Dissections of 90 termitaries (6
5 active, 25 abandoned) produced a great diversity of invasive fauna,
including 354 ant colonies representing 75 species in 31 genera. Ants
occurred in all abandoned termitaries but 6.1% of active termitaries h
ad no ants present. Nevertheless, in total active termitaries sheltere
d more ant colonies (273) than did abandoned ones (81). Every termitar
y examined also sheltered founding pairs or incipient colonies of alie
n termites, but active C. subarquatus termitaries yielded fewer mature
colonies of alien termites (56.9%) than did abandoned ones (84%).