selected foraging activity of camponotus rubrithorax (hymenoptera : formicidae) in the zapotitlan salinas valley, puebla, mexico

Abstract

Ants are a very important element in and and semiarid environments, not only because of their abundance and diversity, but also because of the many ecological functions that they perform. In Mexico, Zapotitlan (Tehuacan Valley) is a very important and area with remarkable biodiversity and large numbers of endemic ant species, even though there have been very few studies about ants in that region. The aim of the present study is to obtain information about the foraging activity of Camponotus rubrithorax (Forel), a very common ant in Zapotitlan, in relation to resource availability, and to determine the ecological role of this ant in the area. Our results show that C rubrithorax walks short distances in search of food and selects resources depending on their abundance. The results suggest some level of myrmecochory between Sanvitalia fruticosa, Caesalpinia melanadenia and Choriphanta pallida plants and C. rubrithorax.