Faunistic survey and population fluctuations of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as predators of pests of rice fields in Mazandaran, Iran

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are one of the important predators in different agroecosystems. Considering the importance of ants in predating and feeding at different life stages of pests, fauna and population fluctuation of these beneficial insects were studied in rice fields of Mazandaran province. Of the faunistic survey, totally 15 species of ants were collected and identified from the paddy fields in Mazandaran province. The results of population fluctuations on the stubbles of three varieties including, Fajr, Khazar and Nemat indicated that the ant's population density was higher on Fajr than the two other varieties, and there was not a significant difference between Khazar and Nemat. Samplings from 11 September to 15 November 2005 indicated that the population density increased until last October and then decreased gradually; the highest density was obtained in 30 October. The means comparison revealed the significant reciprocal effect of "sampling date × rice variety" on population density of ants "P<0.01".