Ants in the clouds: A preliminary checklist of the ant (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) fauna of a Honduran cloud forest ecosystem, featuring a key to country genera

Authors: DE WINT, FREDERICK - Biodiversity Inventory For Conservation Npo (BINCO); OORTS, DOMINIK - Biodiversity Inventory For Conservation Npo (BINCO); Branstetter, Michael; DE GRAAF, DARIO - Biodiversity Inventory For Conservation Npo (BINCO); DEKONINCK, WOUTER - Royal Belgian Institute Of Natural Sciences (IRSNB/KBIN); JOCQUE, MERLIGN - Biodiversity Inventory For Conservation Npo (BINCO); MARTIN, THOMAS - Bangor University; SUDWORTH, JENNIFER - Biodiversity Inventory For Conservation Npo (BINCO); VAN OSSELAER, RONJA - Biodiversity Inventory For Conservation Npo (BINCO); HAMER, MATHEW - Biodiversity Inventory For Conservation Npo (BINCO)

Submitted to: Neotropical Biology and Conservation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2024
Publication Date: 6/28/2024
Citation: De Wint, F.C., Oorts, D., Branstetter, M.G., De Graaf, D., Dekoninck, W., Jocque, M., Martin, T.E., Sudworth, J., Van Osselaer, R., Hamer, M.T. 2024. Ants in the clouds: A preliminary checklist of the ant (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) fauna of a Honduran cloud forest ecosystem, featuring a key to country genera. Neotropical Biology and Conservation. 19(2):157-185. https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.19.e119775.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.19.e119775

Interpretive Summary: Ant diversity in tropical montane rainforests is understudied globally despite the fact that these ecosystems contain many unique species and are in peril due to habitat destruction and climate change. One such place is Cusuco National Park, an isolated cloud forest reserve in northwestern Honduras that protects many unique habitats and species. To better understand and document the ant fauna of this location, an international group of researches combined ant data from several projects into a single data set, and examined ant species diversity and ecology in the park. A total of 163 species were documented, including 5 species new to the country, demonstrating that the reserve has high diversity for a relatively small area. To aid future research, the study provides a key to ant genera for the park, plus information where and how each species was collected. Overall this study highlights the high ant diversity of tropical montane forests and provides useful starting point for future ant research in the park.

Technical Abstract: Ant diversity in tropical montane rainforests is understudied globally. This is true in Cusuco National Park (CNP), a cloud forest ecosystem in northwestern Honduras which supports geographically isolated and threatened habitats. This study represents the first comprehensive ant species checklist for CNP, and the first ant checklist for any Honduran site in over a century. Species records from several projects are combined and presented. Sampling occurred along an elevational range (mainly between 1170-2030m a.s.l.) and was complex, with methodologies and intensities varying among projects and dates. Overall, 163 ant species, belonging to nine subfamilies and 60 genera are reported from CNP. Five species are recorded for the first time in Honduras (Pheidole natalie Longino, 2019; Strumigenys cf. calamita; Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972; Solenopsis texana/carolinensis; Pseudomyrmex pallens Mayr, 1870). Specimens of Pheidole balatro Longino, 2019 males are reported for the first time. For each species, we provide information on observed habitat preference, elevational range, and sampling technique. Species accumulation curves are provided for each sample technique, representing sampling intensity and community sample coverage. We also provide a key to the ant genera of Honduras to aid future taxonomic efforts in the country. Our research demonstrates that CNP harbours a surprising richness of ant species, despite its small area, similar to many other taxa in the park. The information provided here represents baseline information for future work on ants in CNP and other Honduran cloud forests, and will help guide research in these otherwise poorly explored yet highly threatened ecosystems.