Analysis of ant diversity in the sandbank of Barra do Una beach (Peruíbe/SP) in two periods Tiago Ribeiro de Souza, Laura Andrade, Letícia Parada Moreira, Amanda Aparecida Carminatto, Thaíza Maria Rezende da Rocha Barreto, Silvia Lima Oliveira dos Santos, Helen Sadauskas-Henrique, Walter Barrella

Abstract

Characterized by diverse plant formations, the restinga ensures a very diverse fauna of insects. However, there are few studies that have investigated the diversity of ants in this ecosystem. The aim of the present study was to analyze the diversity of ants in the restinga of the Barra do Una beach (Peruíbe / SP), in the afternoon and at night. Along the restinga, six points were demarcated every 10 meters, in the afternoon and at night, where sardine baits  were placed. The baits remained in place for one hour and the attracted ants were collected with tweezers, wrapped in plastic tubes (eppendorfs^®) with 70% GL alcohol. The individuals collected were identified to the genre level. 35 individuals belonging to the genus Solenopsis sp. were sampled in both periods. (88.57%), Gnamptogenys sp. (8.57%) and Odontomachus sp. (2.86%). Analyzing separately, in the afternoon the genus Solenopsis sp. was the only present (100%), whereas in the night, the baits attracted a smaller number of individuals (n= 13), but of different genres. The diversity of ants in the beach restinga of Barra do Una was represented by the genus Gnamptogenys sp., Odontomachus sp. and Solenopsis sp., The latter being the most abundant in both periods.