Check list of ground-dwelling ant diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Iguazú National Park with a comparison at regional scale.

Abstract

We describe the ant fauna of Iguazu National Park (INP), a region of high biodiversity and endemism in northeastern Argentina that includes the southernmost protected area of the Atlantic Forest (AF). Ants were sampled over seven periods from 1998 to 2011 using a variety of techniques. We also surveyed museum collections and the scientific literature to obtain additional records of ants from INP. In addition to providing a species list, we compare ant composition of INP to other sites in the Upper Parana, Serra do Mar Coastal Forest and Araucaria eco-regions. A total of 165 ant species belonging to 57 genera are reported; 67 species are new records for Misiones Province and 48 species are reported from Argentina for the first time. Alto Parana and Canindeyu departments in Paraguay present the most similar ant fauna to INP. Serra da Bodoquena in Brazil showed higher similarity with the Upper Parana AF eco-region, despite that Serra da Bodoquena is composed of a mix of eco-regions. Ant diversity was lower in Upper Parana than in Serra do Mar Coastal Forest eco-region. This difference may result from higher primary productivity and a greater altitudinal variation in the coastal region.