Poneroid and ectatommine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in forest fragments of llanos piedmont and upper llanos of Meta, Colombia

This work contributes to the basic knowledge of poneroid and ectatommine ants in forest fragments of llanos piedmont, upper llanos and the transition between these zones in the Meta department. Species lists were generated for each study site and were compared among them. During september and november of 2015 and february of 2016, samplings were conducted through manual capture, pitfall traps, and collection of 1 m2 of litter for processing in Winkler sacks. In total, 40 species were recorded, 32 of them with a name, belonging to twelve genera and four subfamilies. Species richness and abundance tended to decrease from the llanos piedmont to upper llanos. The results constitute the highest richness of poneroid and ectatommine ants reported in the studied zones. The importance of forest fragments for the presence of these groups of ants and the need to increase baseline studies towards the Colombian Orinoquia region is highlighted.