Ants (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) associated with caves in Mexico: distribution and checklist
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32870/dugesiana.v32i2.7376Keywords:
Biospeleology, Biogeography, guano, troglophilousAbstract
Formicids have a relevant ecological role within cave ecosystems, harboring a great diversity that has not been fully recorded and represented. Therefore, presenting an annotated list of the formicidae associated with caves in Mexico is an important contribution to the understanding of their relationship with cave environments. The present list comprises a total of 562 individuals belong to 32 genera from 9 subfamilies were recorded, with 60 species and 20 morphospecies. The species recorded are distributed among 23 caves in 9 states of the country. New records are also presented in the distribution of species in some states of the country and 48 of the 60 mentionen species are new records for caves.There are two new records to Mexico: Hylomyrma dentiloba (Santschi, 1931) and Carebara ca. pilosa. This is the most comprehensive effort at the date in order to synthesize knowledge of ants in cave environments in Mexico.References
AntWeb. Version 8.108. California Academy of Science, online at https://www.antweb.org. Accessed 1 July 2024.
AntWeb. Version 8.113. California Academy of Science, online at https://www.antweb.org. Accessed 8 February 2025.
Barba, R., A. Alegre, L.F. de Armas, A.R. Longueira y T.M. Rodríguez-Cabrera. 2017. Invertebrados cavernícolas. (pp. 284-305). In: Mancina, C. A. y D. D. Cruz (eds.): Diversidad biológica de Cuba: Métodos de inventario, monitoreo y colecciones biológicas. AMA, La Habana.
Borowiec, M.L., C.S. Moreau and C. Rabeling. 2020. Ants:phylogeny and classification. (pp. 1–18). In: Starr C.K. (Ed.). Encyclopedia of social insects. Springer. Vienna.
Brown, W.L. 1979. A remarkable new species of Proceratium, with dietary and other notes on the genus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche, 86 (4): 337–346.
Castaño-Meneses, G. 2003. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la Cueva de “Las Sardinas”, Tabasco, México. Entomología mexicana 2:148-152.
Dáttilo, W., R.E. Vicente, R.V. Nunes and R.M. Feitosa. 2012. Influence of cave size and presence of bat guano on ant visitation. Sociobiology 59 (2): 549-559. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v59i2.617
Dáttilo, W., M. Vásquez-Bolaños, D.A. Ahuatzin, R. Antoniazzi, E. Chávez-González, E. Corro, P. Luna, R. Guevara, F. Villalobos, R. Madrigal-Chavero, J.C. de Faria, A. Bonilla-Ramírez, A.R. García, A. de la Mora, A. Ramírez-Hernández, A.L. Escalante-Jiménez, A.P. Martínez-Falcón, A.I. Villarreal, A. García, B. Aponte, B. Juárez-Juárez, C. Castillo-Guevara, C.E. Moreno, C. Albor, D.L. Martínez-Tlapa, E. Huber-Sannwald, F. Escobar, F.J. Montiel-Reyes, F. Varela-Hernández, G. Castaño-Meneses, G. Pérez-Lachaud, G.R. Pérez-Toledo, I. Alcalá-Martínez, I.S. Rivera-Salinas, I. Chairez-Hernández, I.A. Chamorro-Florescano, J. Hernández-Flores, J. Martínez, J-P. Lachaud, J.L. Reyes-Muñoz, J.E. Valenzuela-González, J.V. Horta-Vega, J.D. Cruz-Labana, J.J. Reynoso-Campos, J.L. Navarrete-Heredia, J.A. Rodríguez-Garza, J.F. Pérez-Domínguez, J. Benítez-Malvido, K.K. Ennis, L. Sáenz, L.A. Díaz-Montiel, L.A. Tarango-Arámbula, L.N. Quiroz-Robledo, M. Rosas-Mejía, M. Villalvazo-Palacios, M. Gómez-Lazaga, M. Cuautle, M.J. Aguilar-Méndez, M.L. Baena, M. Madora-Astudillo, M. Rocha-Ortega, M. Pale, M.A. García-Martínez, M.A. Soto-Cárdenas, M.M. Correa-Ramírez, M. Janda, P. Rojas, R. Torres-Ricario, R.W. Jones, R. Coates, S.L. Gómez-Acevedo, S. Ugalde-Lezama, S.M. Philpott, T. Joaqui, T. Marques, V. Zamora-Gutiérrez, V. Martínez, Z. Hajian-Forooshani and I. MacGregor-Fors. 2020. Mexico ants: incidence and abundance along the Neartic-Neotropical interface. Ecology, 101 (4):e02944. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
Decu, V., A. Casale, P.L. Scaramozzino, F. López and A. Tinaut. 1998. Hymenoptera. (pp. 1015-1024). In: Juberthie C. y V. Decu (Eds.): Encyclopaedia Bioespeleologia. Societè de Bioespéologie, Moulis, France.
Dejean, A. S. Groc, B. Hérault, H. Rodríguez-Pérez, A. Touchard, R. Céréghino, J.H.C. Delabie and B. Corbara. 2015. Bat aggregation mediates the functional structure of ant assamblages. Comptes Redues Biologie 338 (10): 688-695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2015.06.011
Espinosa, R. y R. Diamant. 1994. Origen y distribución de las cavernas de México. Ciencias, (36): 45-49.
Fernandes, I.O., J.H.C. Delabie and F. Fernández. 2019. Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Proceratium Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Proceratiinae) in the New World. Sociobiology 66 (4): 551-559. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v66i4.4484
Fernández, F. 2004. The American species of the myrmicine ant genus Carebara Wetwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Caldasia 26 (1): 191-238. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23641795
Flores-Maldonado, K.Y., I.R. Rodríguez-de-León, L. Guzmán-Díaz and M. Rosas-Mejía. 2021. Myrmecological diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Tamaulipas, México. Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina 80 (4): 81-99. https://doi.org/10.25085/rsea.800404
Frisia, S. and A. Borsato. 2010. Chapter 6 Karst. (pp. 269-318). In Alonso-Zarza, A.M. and L.H. Tanner (Eds.):Developments in Sedimentology. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
García, P. y L. Ríos-Casanova. 2020. Diversidad de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de La Cantera Oriente,una reserva dentro de la ciudad de México. Dugesiana, 27(1): 29-36.
Gillieson, D.S. 1996. Cave ecology. (pp. 203-208). In: John Wiley & Sons (Eds.): Caves: processes, development, and management. Blackwell Publishers, Oxford.
González-Martínez, E. y M. Vásquez-Bolaños. (2019). Lista comentada de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del cerro Juan El Grande, El Llano, Aguascalientes, México. Dugesiana, 26(2): 87-98.
Guzmán-Mendoza R., G. Castaño-Meneses y M. del C. Herrera-Fuentes. 2010. Variación espacial y temporal de la diversidad de hormigas en el Jardín Botánico del valle de Zapotitlán de las Salinas, Puebla. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 81: 427- 435.
Hoffmann, A., J.G. Palacios-Vargas y J.B. Morales-Ma-lacara. 1986. Manual de bioespeleología: con nuevas aportaciones de Morelos, Guerrero y México. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
Ladino, N., R. Feitosa, R. de Almeida and J.E. Lattke. 2024. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in subterranean natural cavities of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Biologia 79: 2125-2134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-024-01692-8
Lazcano, S.C. 2017. Las Cavernas de la Sierra Gorda. Fondo Editorial Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro.Querétaro.
Longino, J.T. 2012. A review of the ant genus Adelomyrmex Emery 1897 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Central America. Zootaxa (3456): 1-35
Longino, J.T. 2013. A revision of the ant genus Octostruma Forel 1912 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zootaxa,(3699): 1- 61.
MacGown, J.A., H. Richter and R.L. Brown. 2013. Notes and new distributional records of invasive ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Southeastern United States. Midsouth Entomologist 6: 104-114.
MacKay, W.P. y E.E. MacKay. 1989. Clave de los géneros de hormigas en México (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). (pp. 1-82). In: Quiroz L.N. y L.M.P. Garduño (Eds.). Memorias II Simposio Nacional de Insectos Sociales.Oaxtepec, Morelos.
MacKay, W.P. and E. MacKay. 2010. They systematics and biology of the New World ants of the genus Pachycondyla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press.
Novak, T., C. Thirion and F. Janžekovič. 2010. Hypogean ecophase of three hymenopteran species in Central European caves. Italian Journal of Zoology 77(4): 469-475. https://doi.org/10.1080/11250000903451809
Pacheco, J.A. and W.P. Mackay. 2013. The systematics and biology of the New World thief ants of the genus Solenopsis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Edwin Mellen Press, New York.
Palacios-Vargas, J.G., G. Castaño-Meneses and D.A. Estrada. 2011. Diversity and dynamics of microarthropods from different biotopes of Las Sardinas cave (México). Subterranean Biology 9: 113-126. DOI: 10.3897/subtbiol.9.2514
Palacios-Vargas, J.G., C. Juberthie and J.R. Reddell. 2015. Encyclopaedia Biospeologica Mexico. Mundos Subterráneos 15-26: 1-110.
Pape, R.B. 2016. The importance of ants in cave ecology, with new records and behavioral observations of ants in Arizona caves. International Journal of Speleology 45(3): 185-205. https://doi.org/10.5038/1827-806X.45.3.1936
Pipan, T., L. Deharveng y D.C. Culver. 2020. Hotspots of subterranean biodiversity. Diversity, 12(5): 209. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050209
Prous, X., R. Lopes Ferreira and R. Parentoni Martins. 2004. Ecotone delimitation: Epigean–hypogean transition in cave ecosystems. Austral Ecology 29: 374–382. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01373.x
Reddell, J.R. 1971. A preliminary bibliography of mexican cave biology: Checklist of published records. Association for Mexican Cave Studies. Bulletin 3. The Speleo Press, Austin.
Reddell, J.R. 1977. Studies on the cave and cave fauna of the Yucatan Peninsula. Bulletin 6. Association for Mexican Cave Studies. The Speleo Press, Austin.
Reddell, J.R. 1981. A review of the cavernicole fauna of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Association for Mexican Cave Studies. Bulletin 27. The Speleo Press, Austin.
Reddell, J.R. 2001. Cave fauna of the Xilitla region, Querétaro and San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Texas Memorial Museum, Speleological Monographs 5: 155-187.
Reddell, J.R. and J.C. Cokendolpher. 2001. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the caves of Belize, Mexico, and California and Texas (U.S.A.). Texas Memorial Museum, Speleological Monographs, 5: 129-154.
Ríos-Casanova, L., A. Valiente-Banuet, y V. Rico-Gray. 2004. Las hormigas del Valle de Tehuacán (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): una comparación con otras zonas áridas de México. Acta Zoológica Mexicana 20 (1): 37-54. https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2004.2011997
Rosas-Mejía, M., B. Guénard, M.J. Aguilar-Méndez, A. Ghilardi, M. Vásquez-Bolaños, E.P. Economo and M. Janda. 2021. Alien ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Mexico: the first database of records. Biological Invasions, (23): 1669–1680. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02423-1
Sarmiento, A., E. Benítez y R.C. Aldana de la Torre. 2005. Descripción de la capacidad depredadora de las hormigas Pachycondyla harpax y Pachycondyla obscuricornis, sobre Sagalassa valida Walker, barrenador de raíces en la palma de aceite. Palmas 23(2):23-38. https://publicaciones.fedlpalma.org/index.php/palmas/article/view/1130
Selfa, J. y O. Escola, 1991. Primeros datos sobre los Ichneumoninae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) encontrados en cuevas de la Península Ibérica. Miscel-lània Zoològica 15: 165-168.
Soto-Cárdenas, M.A., M. Vásquez-Bolaños, I. Chairez-Hernández, M.M. Correa-Ramírez y J.L. Rees-Muñoz. (2019a). Primer registro de Pseudomyrmex gracilis (Fabricius, 1804) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Pseudomyrmecinae) para Durango, México. Dugesiana 26(1):13-14.
Soto-Cárdenas M.A., M. Vázquez-Bolaños, C. García-Gutiérrez, M.M. Correa-Ramírez, R. Torres-Ricardo, M.C. González-Güereca e I. Chairez-Hernández. 2019b. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Durango, México. Revista Colombiana de Entomología, 45 (2): 1-9. https://doi.org/10.25100/socolen.v45i2.7958
Valera-Hernández, F., M., Rocha-Ortega, R.W. Jones y W.P. Mackay. (2016). Hormigas (Formicidae) del estado de Querétaro, México. (pp. 398-405). En: Jones, R.W. y VSerrano. (Eds.) Historia Natural de Querétaro. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro.
Vas, Z. and C. Kutasi. 2016. Hymenoptera from caves of Bakony Mountains, Hungary an overlooked taxon in hypogean research. Subterranean Biology 19:31-39. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.19.10016
Vásquez-Bolaños, M. 2015. Taxonomía de Formicidae (Hymenoptera) para México. Métodos en Ecología y Sistemática 10 (1): 1-53.
Vázquez, M., A. Pereira, P. Fragoso y J. Rodríguez. 2011. Riqueza y biodiversidad de organismos edáficos del Corredor Biológico Mesoamericano (México, Belice y Guatemala). (pp. 37-70). In: Avances deficiencia y tecnología en Quintana Roo. 1ª edición, Universidad de Quintana Roo, Chetumal, Quintana Roo.
Vázquez-Franco, C.M. and J.J. Morrone. 2022. The genus Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Puebla, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 93: 1-43. https://doi.org/10.22201/ib/20078706e.2022.93.3820
Ward, P.S. 1988. Mesic elements in the Western Neartic ant fauna: taxonomic and biological notes on Amblyopone, Proceratium, and Smithistruma (Hymenoptera: Fomicidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 61(1): 102-124. https://www.jstro.org/stable/25084968
Wetterer, J.K. 2008. Worldwide spread of the longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 11: 137-149. https://doi.org/10.25849/myrmecol.news_011:137
Wetterer, J.K. and G.C. Snelling. 2015. Geographic distribution of Labidus coecus (Latr.)(Hymenoptera, Formicidae), a subterranean army ant. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 44: 31–38. https://doi.org/10.3897/JHR.44.4672
Wilson, E.O. 1962. The Trinidad cave ant Erebomyrma (=Spelaeomyrmex) urichi (Wheeler), with a comment on cavernicolous ants in general. Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 69(2): 62-72.
Zeppelini D. y G. Castaño-Meneses. 1995. Estudio preliminar de la fauna cavernícola de Yucatán. Mundos subterráneos, (6): 4-12.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
1. Proposed policy for open access journals
Those authors who have publications with this journal, accept the following terms:
- The authors will retain their copyright and will guarantee to the journal the right of first publication of their work, which will be simultaneously subject to the Creative Commons Recognition License, which allows third parties to share the work whenever their author is indicated and His first publication is this journal.
- Authors may adopt other non-exclusive license agreements to distribute the version of the published work (eg to be deposited in an institutional telematic file or published in a monographic volume) provided the initial publication is indicated in this journal .
Authors are encouraged and encouraged to disseminate their work through the Internet (eg in institutional telematic files or on their web page) before and during the sending process, which can produce interesting exchanges and increase appointments Of the published work. (See The effect of open access).
2. Proposed policy for journals that offer open deferred access
Those authors who have publications with this journal, accept the following terms:
- The authors will retain their copyrights and will guarantee to the journal the right of first publication of their work [SPECIFY PERIOD OF TIME], which will be simultaneously subject to the Creative Commons Recognition License that allows third parties to share the work always That its author and his first publication be indicated this journal.
- Authors may adopt other non-exclusive license agreements to distribute the version of the published work (eg to be deposited in an institutional telematic file or published in a monographic volume) provided the initial publication is indicated in this journal .
- Authors are encouraged and encouraged to disseminate their work through the Internet (eg in institutional telematic files or on their web page) before and during the sending process, which can produce interesting exchanges and increase appointments Of the published work. (See The effect of open access).
