Rediscovery of a colony Polyergus rufescens (Latreille, 1798) in Belgium : Observations at the "Hageven" Nature reserve (Hymenoptera Formicidae)
2001
Dekoninck, W. | Versteirt, V. | Grootaert, P. (Royal Belgian Inst. of Natural Sciences, Brussels (Belgium). Dept. Entomology)
The first record of a colony of Polyergus rufescens (Latreille, 1798) in Belgium is from 1943 (Raigneer and Van Boven, 1949). However Bondroit (1911, 1918) mentions the record of a single worker in Yvoir but he was doubtful about this record. The last Belgian record of a colony Polyergus rufescens was in Genk by Van Boven in 1963 (Vankerkhoven, 1999). We rediscovered the species in August 2000 at the Nature reserve the Hageven in Neerpelt, Flanders (294 workers of Polyergus rufescens were collected). The workers were collected with pitfalls traps. At the same time eggs and pupae of a Serviformica's species were found indicating a successful slave-making raid. The habitat where the species was found can be described as an ant-species rich, dry Calluna-Corynephorus-vegetation. The rediscovery of this vulnerable species in Belgium after over 37 years can be considered as hopeful but does not imply a sustainable presence in other comparable habitats in Belgium. Also the importance of ant community-compositions to determine the chances and key variables for nature development in areas with a former agricultural use in heathlands are discussed here.
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