Nest density of the ‘escamolera’ ant (Liometopum apiculatum Mayr) and its relationship with scrubland habitat

Introduction: The ant Liometopum apiculatum Mayr is an insect of economic interest in Mexico, since its larvae are extracted for human consumption.Objective: We aimed to estimate the density of L. apiculatum nests and to identify habitat variables associated with the presence of the insect in scrubland vegetation in north-central area of Mexico.Materials and methods: The coordinates of 201 nests and a vegetation layer were used to create a distribution map of L. apiculatum in crassicule scrub, desert microphyll scrub and rosetophyll scrub. The density of nests was estimated in 27 transects of 200 m, on which circular plots were located in which 19 habitat variables were measured. The association between these and the presence of nests was determined with a canonical correspondence analysis.Results and discussion: Crassicule scrub had the highest density of nests with 4.8 nests∙ha-1, while in the desert microphyll scrub and rosetophyll scrub had 2.2 and 2.3 nests∙ha-1. The presence of nests is associated with slope direction (northwest), rock, bare soil, and soil type (eutric leptosol + lithic leptosol [medium texture]), but not with the presence of agaves. It is likely that the occurrence of nests is explained by the availability of resources by vegetation type.Conclusions: Nest density is heterogeneous depending on the type of vegetation. The ecological information collected from L. apiculatum is relevant and useful to conduct future experiments with artificial nests that contribute to sustainable use in the north-central region of Mexico