Description
We attempted to document all ant species ever collected in Maghreb, based on published accounts, the FORMIS database and examination of http//www.antweb.org, and established the percentage of exotics within the total number of known ant species. We compiled 16 exotic ant species found in the Maghreb in wild ecosystems, gardens and urban areas. Five of these introduced species are considered major ecological and agricultural household pest species that have become established above all in Morocco.
Data Records
The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 61 records.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
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How to cite
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Oussalah, N., Marniche, F., Espadaler, X., Biche M., 2019. Exotic ants from the Maghreb (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with first report of the Hairy Alien Ant Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi (Mayr) in Algeria. Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona. Dataset/Occurrence: https://doi.org/10.15470/dgay4r
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The publisher and rights holder of this work is Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 55a88b14-6151-4ba0-a609-38112106daef. Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by GBIF Spain.
Keywords
Tramp ants; Maghreb; Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi; Queen; Occurrence; Occurrence; Exotic ants
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Geographic Coverage
Sampling was performed in agricultural ecosystem and urban area in two locations of Algiers (Algeria): The first study site of ITMAS Hueraoua is located in the East area of Sahel-Mitidja, 30 km from the centre of Algiers; and bordered to the north by the Algerian Sahel, to the east by Lake Reghaia, to the west by Ain-Taya and Rouïba finally to the south by the commune of Rouïba. This station has geographical coordinates of 3°19'00"E and 36°46'60"N; elevation 42 m. The second study site of ENSV is located in El Alia-Oued Smar 14 km east of Algiers at the same time it is a part of Mitidja and Algerian Sahel where the urban area occupies a very small portion place around 10 m2 of surface. This station has geographical coordinates of 36°42’13” N and 3°10’20” E; elevation 52 m.
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [22.513, -3.516], North East [33.285, 11.074] |
|---|
Taxonomic Coverage
Exotic ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Maghreb, Algeria
| Order | Hymenoptera |
|---|---|
| Family | Formicidae |
| Genus | Cardiocondyla, Hypoponera, Linepithema, Lioponera, Monomorium, Nylanderia, Paratrechina, Pheidole, Strumingenys, Tetramorium, Trichomyrmex |
Temporal Coverage
| Start Date / End Date | 2016-01-01 / 2018-11-30 |
|---|
Project Data
In this paper we comment on the present understanding of non-native ants (= alien, exotic, introduced, transferred species) in Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia). The ant fauna of Maghreb is still poorly known and knowledge of exotic ants is scant. Here we report the exotic ants of Maghreb including one non-native ant species, Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi (Mayr, 1904), for the first time in Algeria. A second tramp species, Strumigenys membranifera Emery, 1869 was also recorded, this being the second record for Algeria. It is a minute dacetine predator and has been successfully distributed worldwide through commerce and human activities (Wetterer, 2011). Originally a Pantropical species, it now is found outside the tropics (Bolton, 2000). The species has successfully established in a wide range of habitats including forests, cultivated fields, pastures, and even manicured gardens and lawns (Deyrup, 1997).
| Title | Exotic ants from the Maghreb (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with first report of the Hairy Alien Ant Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi (Mayr) in Algeria |
|---|---|
| Study Area Description | Sampling was performed in agricultural ecosystem and urban area in two locations of Algiers (Algeria): The first one at the Institute of Technology on Specialized Agriculture (ITMAS Heuraoua) in a citrus orchard and the second at the High National Veterinary School (ENSV El-Harrach). The study site of ITMAS Hueraoua is located in the East area of Sahel-Mitidja, 30 km from the centre of Algiers; and bordered to the north by the Algerian Sahel, to the east by Lake Reghaia, to the west by Ain-Taya and Rouïba finally to the south by the commune of Rouïba. This station has geographical coordinates of 3°19'00"E and 36°46'60"N; elevation 42 m. The soil type is fine sandy clay and slightly basic. The local climate is subhumid temperate (Bounab, 2009). It occupies a total area of 31.6 ha of which market gardening is the most dominant followed by arboriculture and cereal crops, forage and cultivation under plastic. The agricultural area is estimated at 17.25 ha, with four ha being citrus established for 60 years with around 180 trees (Citrus sinensis) with four varieties. For our study we chose the variety Washington Navel (fig. 1). The trees were watered regularly during dry periods. Diverse adventive plants in association with citrus trees were scored, for example: oxalis Bermuda Buttercup (Oxalis cernua Thunb.), Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) and Solanum sp. The second study site of ENSV is located in El Alia - Oued Smar 14 km east of Algiers at the same time it is a part of Mitidja and Algerian Sahel where the urban area occupies a very small portion place around 10 m2 of surface. This station has geographical coordinates of 36°42’13” N and 3°10’20” E; elevation 52 m. |
| Design Description | Sampling was carried out at ITMAS Heuraoua on a monthly basis from January 2016 to October 2017. Standard pitfall traps consisted of a 10.4 cm diameter metal container placed with its top at the same level as the surrounding ground, and holding a solution of water plus a drop of liquid detergent to break the surface tension. Ten traps were placed under the trees in single line also, separated by almost 5m. They were left for 48 hours before being gathered and emptied of their contents. This is a well-known method (e.g. Hernández-Ruiz and Castaño-Meneses, 2006, and Berville et al., 2015). On November 2018 at ENSV El-Harrach, we intentionally collected the ants directly to survey exotic species inside the building. Ant samples were sorted to species level based on morphological characters. The specimens were studied under a Leica stereomicroscope and all except N. jaegerskioeldi were identified by M. F. using available keys (Cagniant, 1996, 1997, 2009). Digital images were prepared using Keyance digital with 4x microscope objective. Voucher specimens are kept at the Higher National Agronomic School Algiers. |
The personnel involved in the project:
Sampling Methods
Sampling was carried out at ITMAS Heuraoua on a monthly basis from January 2016 to October 2017. Standard pitfall traps consisted of a 10.4 cm diameter metal container placed with its top at the same level as the surrounding ground, and holding a solution of water plus a drop of liquid detergent to break the surface tension. Ten traps were placed under the trees in single line also, separated by almost 5m. They were left for 48 hours before being gathered and emptied of their contents. This is a well-known method (e.g. Hernández-Ruiz and Castaño-Meneses, 2006, and Berville et al., 2015). On November 2018 at ENSV El-Harrach, we intentionally collected the ants directly to survey exotic species inside the building.
| Study Extent | Sampling was performed in agricultural ecosystem and urban area in two locations of Algiers (Algeria): The first one at the Institute of Technology on Specialized Agriculture (ITMAS Heuraoua) in a citrus orchard and the second at the High National Veterinary School (ENSV El-Harrach). The study site of ITMAS Hueraoua is located in the East area of Sahel-Mitidja, 30 km from the centre of Algiers; and bordered to the north by the Algerian Sahel, to the east by Lake Reghaia, to the west by Ain-Taya and Rouïba finally to the south by the commune of Rouïba. This station has geographical coordinates of 3°19'00"E and 36°46'60"N; elevation 42 m. The soil type is fine sandy clay and slightly basic. The local climate is subhumid temperate (Bounab, 2009). It occupies a total area of 31.6 ha of which market gardening is the most dominant followed by arboriculture and cereal crops, forage and cultivation under plastic. The agricultural area is estimated at 17.25 ha, with four ha being citrus established for 60 years with around 180 trees (Citrus sinensis) with four varieties. For our study we chose the variety Washington Navel (fig. 1). The trees were watered regularly during dry periods. Diverse adventive plants in association with citrus trees were scored, for example: oxalis Bermuda Buttercup (Oxalis cernua Thunb.), Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) and Solanum sp. The second study site of ENSV is located in El Alia - Oued Smar 14 km east of Algiers at the same time it is a part of Mitidja and Algerian Sahel where the urban area occupies a very small portion place around 10 m2 of surface. This station has geographical coordinates of 36°42’13” N and 3°10’20” E; elevation 52 m. |
|---|---|
| Quality Control | Ant samples were sorted to species level based on morphological characters. The Specimens were studied under a Leica stereomicroscope and all except N. jaegerskioeldi were identified by M. F. using available keys (Cagniant, 1996, 1997, 2009). |
Method step description:
- Digital images were prepared using Keyance digital with 4x microscope objective. Voucher specimens are kept at the Higher National Agronomic School Algiers.
Bibliographic Citations
- Oussalah, N., Marniche, F., Espadaler, X., Biche M., 2019. Exotic ants from the Maghreb (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with first report of the Hairy Alien Ant Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi (Mayr) in Algeria. Arxius de Miscel·lània Zoològica, 17: 45-58, Doi: https://doi.org/10.32800/amz.2019.17.0045 https://doi.org/10.32800/amz.2019.17.0045
Additional Metadata
| Alternative Identifiers | 10.15470/dgay4r |
|---|---|
| 55a88b14-6151-4ba0-a609-38112106daef | |
| https://ipt.gbif.es/resource?r=ants_maghreb |