Faune associated with two giant ants in northern Brazil: Dinoponera gigantea (Perty, 1833) (Ponerinae) and Paraponera clavata (Fabricius, 1775) (Paraponerinae)

The ant nests are inhabiting by great diversity of organisms. There is few information about the nests of giant ants and their associated fauna. We study the fauna in the nests of Dinoponera gigantea (Ponerinae) and Paraponera clavata (Paraponerinae) in two localities of the state of Maranhão, Brazil. A total of 15 nests were reviewed to D. gigantea and 10 to P. clavata , recorded their associated fauna and number of chambers in each one. The total abundance of organisms recorded in nests of both species were 1833, belonging to 43 families and 30 genera/species. In the nests of D. gigantea nests were recorded 571 organisms (average ± SD = 2.48 ± 4.5 individuals by nest) while to P. clavata nests were 1,262 (2.96 ± 8.5 individuals by nest). The maximum number of chambers recorder in D. gigantea were seven, while in P. clavata were recorded 24 chambers. Insecta represent 46% of the total, Arachnida 38%, Entognatha 14%, and groups as Chilopoda, Clitellata, Diplopoda, Gastropoda and Squamata represented less than 1%. There groups as Squamata were found only in P. clavate nests. The diversity of mites and springtails was high in both species but show differences in composition. The nests or these giant ants area a very important to conservation of diversity of mani groups of myrmecophiles but also to soil fauna.