Abstract
BackgroundThe fungus-farming ant genus Cyatta (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) is represented by a single species, C. abscondita Sosa-Calvo et al., known from a few localities in Brazil (in the states of Ceará, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and the Distrito Federal), and a single locality in the Misiones province, Argentina. Cyatta is known to occur predominantly in savanna habitats and occasionally in the transition zones between the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado.New informationThe new records reported here significantly expand the previously known distribution of Cyatta abscondita and provide further support for the intimate relation between this species and the savannas of South America. We report the first occurrence of the genus in southern Brazil (Paraná state) and the westernmost occurrence (Bolivia) of Cyatta abscondita, which extend its distribution approximately 1450 km to the west. Finally, we discuss the importance of mapping inconspicuous species in order to develop strategies for protecting endangered areas and to increase our understanding of the evolutionary history of organisms and biomes.
Highlights
The ant genus Cyatta is represented by a single species, C. abscondita which belongs to the Neoattini clade of fungus-farming ants
We report 15 specimens for the new occurrence sites, five in CSP, five in RNPG, two in SBE, two in SRF and one in SCN
The fact that such a small amount of workers was sampled from 6,960 pitfall traps installed in the soil of the 29 Cerrado localities of the project highlights the elusive nature of this species
Summary
The ant genus Cyatta is represented by a single species, C. abscondita which belongs to the Neoattini clade of fungus-farming ants. Along with the monotypic genus Kalathomyrmex Klingenberg & Brandão, compose the sister group of all other genera in the Neoattini clade (Sosa-Calvo et al 2013) This phylogenetic relationship is reflected on the etymology of the genus, where "cy" means sister (Brazilian Tupi language) and "atta" refers to the genus Atta Fabricius, the most derived representative of the fungus-farming ant clade. The fungus-farming ant genus Cyatta (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) is represented by a single species, C. abscondita Sosa-Calvo et al, known from a few localities in Brazil (in the states of Ceará, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and the Distrito Federal), and a single locality in the Misiones province, Argentina.
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