Exploring fungus-growing ant diversity in Colombia

In the recent paper “A checklist of the non-leaf-cutting fungus-growing ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Colombia, with new biogeographic records”, Daniela Mera-Rodríguez, Francisco Serna, Jeffrey Sosa-Calvo, John Lattke, and Christian Rabeling assed the fungus-growing ant diversity in Colombia. They identified 41 species that belong to seven genera and added new species to the list. Currently, 85 fungus-growing ants are known from Colombia. Here, Daniela Mera-Rodríguez shares some pictures.

A Photoblog by Daniela Mera-Rodríguez

Manigua nature reserve in the Amazonian rain forest of Colombia. (© Julián Díaz-Sánchez)

Yellow and black Riodinidae butterfly, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, campus Leticia. (© Julián Díaz-Sánchez)

Winkler trap for collecting leaf-litter arthropods such as ants, beetles, springtails, mites, and spiders. Centro de Investigaciones Amazónicas Macagual, Caquetá, Colombia. (© Daniela Cubillos)

Wasp nest found in the Manigua nature reserve, Amazonas, Colombia. (© Julián Díaz-Sánchez)

Members of the UNAB (Museo entomológico Universidad Nacional Agronomía Bogotá) team examining samples collected in Amazonas, Colombia. (© Francisco Serna)

Tents set up during a collecting trip to Tumaco, Nariño, Colombia. (© Sergio Rubiano)

Collecting galls on leaves and stems. Galls were caused by gall midges (Cecidomyiidae). Centro de Investigaciones Amazónicas Macagual, Caquetá, Colombia. (© Francisco Serna)

Collecting fungus-growing ants using an insect aspirator. Corozal, Sucre, Colombia. (© Mateo Bejarano)

The collected ant specimens were examined and compared with specimens deposited in the Social Insects Biodiversity Repository at Arizona State University (Rabeling Lab) in Tempe, AZ, U.S.A. (ASU-SIBR). (© Daniela Mera-Rodríguez)

Frontal and lateral view of Paratrachymyrmex phaleratus (Wheeler, 1925) encountered in Colombia as its first biogeographic record in this country. (© Daniela Mera-Rodríguez)