Las hormigas del suelo en México: diversidad, distribución e importancia (Hymenoptera: Formicidade)

A synthesis of the functional and taxonomic biodiversity of mexican soil ants is presented, including its distribution and main ecological patterns. Soil formicofauna ineludes 407 species and subspecies, being Myrmicinae the most diverse subfamily (53 % of species). Myrmicinae dominates the tropical area of the country, whereas Formicinae predominates in temperate zones. Neotropical, neartic, pantropical, holartic and cosmopolite genera are represented. The most diverse genera are Pheidole (51 spp), Neivamyrmex (37) and Lepthotorax (21). Tropical rain forests and deciduous foresta harbor the richest communities, while temperate forests and arid shrubs present the poorest ones. East and Southeast are the more diverse regions of the country (56% of species), whereas the peninsula of Baja California (30 spp) contains the higher number of endemisms (40%). The State of Veracruz, followed by Chiapas and Nuevo Leon, are the richest in species; Mexico, Queretaro and Tlaxcala are the poorest. The trophic guild of omnivores predominates (44%) followed by predators (30.5%). Disturbed sites havo highor abundancei and biomass but are the less diverse, being dommatod by a few spocies. Finally it is recognized that m tha futura we should: i) to conclude species checklists, ii) tu evaluate its effect un suil pTOcess and m) to begin studias for their possible agroecosystem management.