Abstract
It was conducted a research, in urban areas, on the nesting habits and reproductive period of Pachycondyla striata, a species of ant that stings painfully. The study was motivated by the frequent reports of accidents in the city of Sao Paulo. The reports are more common during the reproductive seasons of the species, when the winged females sting the population, since they enter the houses of the people attracted to light. Although anaphylaxis for P. striata has not been reported yet, other close species may cause anaphylaxis, which makes important to understand their biology in order to take management and control measures. Fourteen green areas in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, were monitored in the search for the species and their nests that were found in 64.3% of the areas. The nests are located around the trunk base of the trees, between the roots that protrude from the ground, under the rocks and through the cracks and crevices on the sidewalks. The spatial distribution of the nests is random. The reproductive period of P. striata was monitored from April 2012 to November 2013, through passive collection and laboratory colony. The nuptial flights occur during the cooler and drier months of the year, between July and September.
Highlights
Among invertebrates, ants are the most speciesrich and ecologically dominant animals of all the eusocial insects (HÖLLDOBLER;WILSON, 1990), and under certain circumstances some species may cause negative impacts, from altering an ecosystem by interfering with the mutualistic relationships, to becoming a medical or agricultural problem (HOLWAY et al, 2002).Pachycondyla striata Fr
America between the parallels 10°S and 35°S. It is present in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and North Argentina, and colonies have been found since the sea level until 1,300 meters in altitude (MACKAY; MACKAY, 2010)
Medeiros and Oliveira (2009), and Silva-Melo and Giannotti (2010) reported that the nests were located in shaded areas near the trees of medium and large size, in places with few herbaceous plants on the campus of the State University of São Paulo (UNESP) in the city of Rio Claro, Brazil
Summary
Ants are the most speciesrich and ecologically dominant animals of all the eusocial insects (HÖLLDOBLER;WILSON, 1990), and under certain circumstances some species may cause negative impacts, from altering an ecosystem by interfering with the mutualistic relationships, to becoming a medical or agricultural problem (HOLWAY et al, 2002).Pachycondyla striata Fr. Ants are the most speciesrich and ecologically dominant animals of all the eusocial insects (HÖLLDOBLER;WILSON, 1990), and under certain circumstances some species may cause negative impacts, from altering an ecosystem by interfering with the mutualistic relationships, to becoming a medical or agricultural problem (HOLWAY et al, 2002). America between the parallels 10°S and 35°S. It is present in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and North Argentina, and colonies have been found since the sea level until 1,300 meters in altitude (MACKAY; MACKAY, 2010). 337-344, July-Sept., 2015 monogynous (RODRIGUES et al, 2011). It is considered a generalist predator ant, feeding on insect carcass, fruits, and hunting other arthropods (GIANNOTTI; MACHADO, 1994). The workers and alate reproductive forms are relatively large, from 13.2 to 16.7 mm (KEMPF, 1961)
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