Suchergebnisse

Weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina is distributed from India through SE Asia to North Australia including many tropical western pacific Islands. A recent phylogenetic study of O. smaragdina revealed the central Bangladesh population as SE Asian mainland clade despite of its geographical proximity to India. However, the sample analyzed was limited and the geographical border between the two groups has not been presented. In this study, several samples collected from western parts of Bangladesh have been used to examine the phylogenetic position. A total of 20 O. smaragdina colonies were sampled from 12 Districts during 2013 to 2014. Their haplotype and phylogenetic relationships were determined by analyzing mitochondrial Cytochrome b gene (Cytb) of 606 bp and Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) of 775bp. Bayesian analysis inferred that the western parts of Bangladesh were occupied by Indian type, which is the first record in the country. The present study suggested that, although the Ganges river has no border effect, both Indian type and SE Asian types occur in Bangladesh.

During winter, foraging activity of ants is considered low in temperate regions. Winter activity of ground-dwelling ants was investigated using bait traps and quadrat sampling in an urban area of Fukuoka City, western Japan. Six study sites were grouped into two categories: 4 open land types and 2 forest types. A total of 18 ant species were recorded between the end of January and beginning of March. The foraging activity of ants was generally low, except during relatively warm periods when the surface ground temperature was above 6℃–7℃ or soil temperature was above 4℃–5℃. Tetramorium tsushimae, Messor aciculatus, and Pheidole noda were the most abundant in the open land type, whereas Nylanderia flavipes, P. noda, and Crematogaster osakensis were the most abundant in the forest type. Bait preference varied among the different species, e.g., P. noda preferred tuna over honey, whereas N. flavipes similarly responded to tuna and honey. This is the first detailed study on the relationship between temperature and ant activity in Japanese mainland fauna.