Invasive ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Paratrechina longicornis along elevational gradients on Mount Marapi, West Sumatera

Abstract

The diversity of ants along elevational gradients has become a topic in many scientific types of research, while the information regarding patterns of, and processes that shapes, ant community structure across different elevations is still considerably lacking. Therefore, the study about ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at Mount Marapi, Agam Regency, West Sumatra, was conducted at three elevations (low elevation at 0-1200 m, mid-elevation at 1200-2100m and high elevation at 2100-3000 m) and by applying Quadra Protocol (honey bait trapping, soil sampling, leaf litter sifting and hand collecting). It focused on Paratrechina longicornis, renowned as an invasive species. A total of 144 individuals from this species were collected; 13 individuals from low elevation, 144 individuals from mid-elevation and 127 individuals from the high elevation. Paratrechina longicornis, also named as ‘longhorn crazy ant’, became the only species observed to be present along the whole study transects. Its ability to adapt to many artificial environments could explain its success as an invasive species. P. longicornis distributions at the elevational gradients of Mount Marapi were discussed in this paper.