Diversity and biocontrol potential of dominant ants associated with the cacao mirid bug, Helopeltis bakeri poppius (Hemiptera: Miridae) in a selected cacao farm in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, Philippines

• Main Authors: Pag-Ong, Anthony Ian G., Barrion, Alberto T., Amalin, Divina M.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Ants—Control; Ants—Variation > Philippines > Batangas; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/1802
• Institution: De La Salle University

The ants associated with cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) suspected as predators of the cacao mirid bug, Helopeltis bakeri Poppius were surveyed using four collecting methods, namely: (1) beating the canopy; (2) handpicking; (3) pitfall trapping, and (4) ground surface food-baiting in regularly pruned trees and weeded farm (site 1) and irregularly pruned trees and weedy farm (site 2) in Santo Tomas, Batangas, Philippines during the month of January 2018. A total of 2,072 ant individuals (1,019 in site 1 and 1,053 in site 2) belonging to 13 species in 13 genera under four subfamilies were recorded. These are Myrmicinae with 1,182 individuals (57.04%) in five species represented by Solenopis geminata Fabricius 1804; Tetramorium sp.; Carebara diversa Jerdon 1851; Pheidole sp. and Crematogaster sp.; Formicinae with 793 individuals (38.27%) in four species-Nylanderia sp.; Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius 1775; Anoplolepis gracilipes F. Smith 1857 and Polyrhachis sp.; Dolichoderinae with three individuals (0.15%) in Tapinoma melanocephalum Fabricius 1793, and Ponerinae with 94 individuals (4.54%) in three species-Odontoponera denticulata F. Smith 1858; Odontomachus simillimus F. Smith 1858, and Leptogenys sp. Of all taxa, C. diversa and O. smaragdina were most preponderant, followed by Crematogaster and Odontoponera in the second group; whereas, Anoplolepis, Pheidole, Nylanderia and Solenopsis were the least preponderant. Our findings showed that Shannon-Weaver function of diversity (H’) was slightly higher in weedy and irregularly pruned farm (H’=1.18) compared to the weeded and regularly pruned one (H’=1.08). On the other hand, alpha diversity (α) index showed diversity highest in soil (α =1.9) > trunk (α =1.7) > foliage area (0.6). Sorensen’s Coefficient index (CI) of similarity of ant species was high (0.86) denoting that at least nine taxa are common in the same orchard irrespective of farmers practice. A new scoring system was developed based on ant’s attraction to food baits. Of all taxa, only O. smaragdina and Solenopsis geminata preyed on the cacao mirid bug and demonstrated potential use as biological control agents in cacao farms. © Rushing Water Publishers Ltd. 2018.