A Comparison of Methods for Sampling Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Savannas

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Hand collecting of ants, sampling all ants in a specific area, and collection with pitfall traps baited with meat, tuna, honey, or with unbaited traps were compared with respect to efficiency in assessing species diversity and abundance in eight different localities in the Venezuelan Llanos. Hand collecting for over 8 hr was the most time-efficient and reliable technique for estimating the number of species. Intensive sampling of ants in a small area proved to be the least efficient method. Each of the techniques sampled a somewhat different set of ant species. The best results were obtained by a combination of hand collecting and pitfall traps. Abundance was better measured by the number of collection sites where the species occurred rather than by the number of the individuals collected.