Diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at Kuala Lompat, Krau Wildlife Reserve, Pahang, Malaysia

Studies of ants diversity in Peninsular Malaysia are limited. A few focusing on species inventory resulted in the establishment of local species checklist. There was a research gap between Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian’ Borneo states (i.e., Sabah and Sarawak) as the latter was well sampled and studied. This study aims to investigate the diversity and species composition of ants at lowland forests at Kuala Lompat, in Krau Wildlife Reserve, Temerloh, Pahang. Data were collected for three days in Mac and May 2013, respectively. Two methods were used, i.e., handpicking and trapping. Ground and arboreal traps were set-up to collect ground-dwelling and arboreal ants. Overall, 3077 individual of ants were captured; 2282 individuals were recorded in Mac 2013 and only 795 individuals in May 2013. In Mac, 25 species had been identified from five subfamilies and 18 genera. However, in May, a total of 33 species were recognized, an increased in the number of species captured. The number of subfamilies and genus were similar. The most abundant species that has been recorded in this study was Euprenolepis procera (979 individuals) followed by Oecophylla smaragdina (774 individuals). Shannon’s diversity index showed that collection in May 2013 (2.26) was more diverse than Mac 2013 (1.89). Rarefaction curve for May 2013 data set was surpassing that of Mac 2013, but showing incomplete surveys. In general, ant diversity at Kuala Lompat, Krau Wildlife Reserve is diverse. This is supported by the rarefaction analysis where the curve for May data increasing steadily although March data set showing sign of reaching asymptote with increasing sampling effort. We suspected that unfavorable wet weather during sampling in May affecting the catch, hence the analysis. Fewer specimens and more species were recorded in May increased the diversity index value. Oecophylla smaragdina was found in great number for both months, but confined to the open areas. Euprenolepis procera only dominant in Mac and this is expected since being a ground dwelling species, E. procera probably prefer drier ground to search for food. The finding is still premature. More samplings and techniques such as sifting will be needed to demonstrate ants diversity in the study area. A complete dataset is useful to facilitate conservation program, thus warrant further research.