New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
The ants of Tokelau
K. L. Abbott
M. Sarty
P. J. Lester
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
P.O. Box 600
Wellington, New Zealand
kirsti.abbott@vuw.ac.nz
Abstract This paper combines published and new
collection records to provide a comprehensive list of ant species
collected on Tokelau, a Pacific island nation with the world’s
smallest land area. Twenty-eight ant species have been recorded since
the late 1950s, 10 in recent surveys, and the majority of which are
tramp species. Known invasive species such as Anoplolepis gracilipes, Monomorium pharaonis, Pheidole megacephala, and Tapinoma melanocephalum are
present but currently appear to have a limited distribution on two of
the three atolls. There are no ant species endemic to Tokelau, but two
Pacific endemics, and 11 Pacific natives; 26 listed ant species
are present in Samoa, which is the likely point of origin for most of
Tokelau’s ant fauna. Pitfall trap collections from three visits
between 2002 and 2005 highlight how different sampling intensities
and locations alter the species accumulation rate and species richness
and diversity estimates. The relationship between total ant species and
land area of Pacific islands is linear, but combined with earlier
records, this study reports more ant species from Tokelau than the
analysis predicts. This study indicates the remote and small nation of
Tokelau is as susceptible to invasive species as other larger, more
populated, land masses in the Pacific.
Keywords Tokelau; ants; exotic and endemic species; sampling method; species richness; diversity; accumulation; island area
Z05039; Received 30 November 2005; accepted 2 April 2006; Online publication date 16 May 2006
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2006, Vol. 33: 157–164
0301–4223/06/3302–0157 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2006
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