Activity Patterns of a Harvester Ant in an Inter-tropical Semiarid Zone in Central Mexico

Authors

  • Leticia Ríos-Casanova Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
  • Gabriela Castaño Universidad Nacinal Autónoma de México
  • Verónica Farías-González Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
  • Patricia Dávila Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
  • Héctor Octavio Godínez-Alvarez Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v61i2.133-135

Keywords:

activity, Pogonomyrmex, soil temperature, semiarid zones

Abstract

Red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) inhabits deserts of USA and Mexico. Its activity patterns are well known in temperate deserts, but they have not been studied in tropical ones. We studied these patterns in the Tehucan Valley, a tropical desert in central Mexico. It had bimodal activity patterns in spring, summer, and fall while unimodal patterns in winter. These patterns differ from those reported for this species in temperate deserts where activity stopped in winter. Our results suggest that P. barbatus extends its activity periods and remains active all year round in the Tehuacan Valley.

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Author Biographies

Leticia Ríos-Casanova, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Laboratorio de Ecología, Unidad de Biotecnología y Prototipos, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala

Gabriela Castaño, Universidad Nacinal Autónoma de México

Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Juriquilla

Verónica Farías-González, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Laboratorio de Recursos Naturales, Unidad de Biotecnología y Prototipos, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala

Patricia Dávila, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Laboratorio de Recursos Naturales, Unidad de Biotecnología y Prototipos, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala

Héctor Octavio Godínez-Alvarez, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Laboratorio de Ecología, Unidad de Biotecnología y Prototipos, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala

References

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Published

2014-07-01

How to Cite

Ríos-Casanova, L., Castaño, G., Farías-González, V., Dávila, P., & Godínez-Alvarez, H. O. (2014). Activity Patterns of a Harvester Ant in an Inter-tropical Semiarid Zone in Central Mexico. Sociobiology, 61(2), 133–135. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v61i2.133-135

Issue

Vol. 61 No. 2 (2014)

Section

Research Article - Ants

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