Survey and registration of the occurrence of leaf-cutting ants in grassland areas

Abstract

Leaf-cutting ants tend to adapt to different climatic conditions, soil and vegetation, and have the particularity of attacking different cultures. The objective of this work was to survey and record the occurrence of leaf-cutting ants in 5 pasture areas located in the municipalities of Altônia, Iporã and Cafezal do Sul, as well as to identify them at the genus level. The study areas were covered by the walking method, performing the geolocation of the anthills in order to verify the incidence of anthills, calculating the anthill areas, preparing maps of land use and occupation and geolocation of the anthills, calculating the density and the spatial distribution of anthills. Across the 5 areas, 56.72 ha of pasture were sampled and the existence of anthills inside the properties was proven. 55 anthills were sampled, from which specimens were collected for identification at the genus level, which will occur the genus Atta. The areas of the anthills vary from 0.26 m² to 97.34 m². The density of anthills ranged between 0.25 and 0.75 anthills / ha and the spatial distribution obtained was I = 1.13. Of the 55 anthills, all belonging to the Atta genera, and different types of management related to the occurrence of leaf-cutting ants in the areas.