Trophic guilds of the Myrmecofauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Apurimac River valley, Peru: First checklist

Alarcon G.; Olano P.; Hermoza G.F.; Colos P.; Ayala Y.; Castañeda-Pérez L.; Alvariño L.; Iannacone J. · Entomotropica (2026)

Resumen

For the first time, trophic guilds of the ant fauna of the Apurímac River Valley in Peru has been documented. This area is little known in terms of its biodiversity but is of high socioeconomic importance. Eight sampling stations were established: two in the district of Sivia (Ayacucho Department), four in the district of Pichari, and two in the district of Kimbiri (Cuzco Department), at elevations between 584 and 888 meters above sea level. The collected ants were grouped into nine trophic guilds. Thirty-three species, 26 genera, and seven subfamilies were identified. Myrmicinae was the most diverse, followed by Ponerinae and Formicinae. The genera Cephalotes and Dolichoderus showed the greatest species richness, with three species each. Solenopsis geminata, Camponotus sp., and Crematogaster sp. had the highest number of records across the eight stations. The arboreal ant guild, associated with carbohydrate-rich resources or domatia, exhibited the greatest species richness. Three of the records were invasive invasive exotic ant species. The 33 ant species collected in this study would correspond to new records of geographic range for the Apurímac River Valley, Peru. The results contributed to increasing the known richness of the myrmecofauna in Peru by generating the first list of ant species for this geographic area.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal; Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de Huamanga