Utilization of<i>Apion</i>sp. (Coleoptera Apionidae) galls by an ant community in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The ant community associated with Apion sp. (Coleoptera Apionidae) galls on Diospyrus hispida DC (Ebenaceae) was studied in a cerrado (savanna) area in southeastern Brazil. We asked the following questions: (a) what ant species occupy the galls, (b) are there any relationships among gall occupation, plant height, and gall distance from the ground, and (c) do ants differentially select galls? Seven ant species were found: Camponotus sp. 1 and Camponotus sp. 2, Crematogaster brevispinosa (Mayr 1870), Zacryptocerus pusillus (Klug 1824), Pseudomyrmex gracilis (Fabricius 1804), Solenopsis sp., and Leptothorax sp. Plant height, distance of the gall to the ground, gall volume, number of channels inside the galls, the length of ant's body and the width of ant's head were recorded. Ants occupied the largest galls (t = 2.653, n = 144, P < 0.05). The number of channels in occupied galls was significantly different from that in unoccupied galls (t = 5.565, n = 144, P < 0.05). Differential utilization of galls may be explained by the different biology and competitive interactions of the ant community.