183 Nest predaion of the yellow-spo ted Amazon River turtle ( Podocnemis uni il is , Troschel, 1848) by the ire ant ( Solenopsis geminata , Fabricius, 1804) in the Brazilian Amazon José Erickson 1,2 & Fabrício Baccaro 3 1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Água Doce e Pesca Interior, Insituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil 2 Programa de Conservação Quelônios da Amazônia, Insituto Piagaçu, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil 3 Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil Herpetological Journal SHORT NOTE Correspondence: José Erickson (erickson.herpeto@gmail.com) Volume 26 (April 2016), 183–186 Published by the Briish Herpetological Society We report the efect of predaion by the ire ant Solenopsis geminata on nests of the turtle Podocnemis unifilis in the Piagaçu Purus Sustainable Development Reserve, Amazonas, Brazil. During three consecutive breeding seasons (between September and October of 2012, 2013 and 2014), 492 nests were monitored and 95 (19.3%) were predated. Solenopsis geminata was the main predator, accouning for 65.26% (n=62) of the losses. Nest predaion by ants was not correlated with soil exposition time. However, all P. uniilis nests predated by S. geminata were enirely covered by vegetaion, suggesing that ants may select nests at speciic microhabitat condiions. Studies on larger scales, including areas where S. geminata is naturally absent, are needed to develop an adequate management of P. uniilis. Key words: ire ant, looded forest, freshwater turtle, ofspring F or most chelonians, the characteristics of nesting sites can have direct consequences on reproducive success, and the development and survival of ofspring ater hatching (Weisrock & Janzen, 2000; Ferreira-Júnior & Castro, 2010). For example, lower nest temperature due to dense vegetaion coverage can reduce metabolic activity of hatchlings (Janzen, 1994; Ferreira-Júnior & Castro, 2006). Therefore, clutches with longer incubaion periods can be characterised by male-biased sex raios (Souza & Vogt, 1994; Mrosovsky et al., 1999), may sufer from higher mortality due to elevated humidity (Packard et al., 1987), and are exposed to higher predaion risks (Pignai et al., 2013a). A range of vertebrates have been reported as predators of chelonian nests (lizards: Escalona & Fa, 1998; birds: Ferreira-Júnior & Castro, 2010; canines: Boarman, 1997; Longo et al., 2009; felines: Escalona & Fa, 1998). Nest predaion by invertebrates are predominately reported for open areas or sandy soils (cockroaches: Ohba, 2011; crabs: Frick, 2003; ants: Allen et al., 2004; Pignai et al. 2013b). Predaion intensity ranges from a small proporion of eggs per nest (lizards: Escalona & Fa, 1998) to complete nest predaion by ants (Allen et al., 2004). Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are considered dominant in most ecosystems (Wilson & Hölldobler, 2005). In tropical forests, they represent up to 25% of the animal biomass (Fitkau & Klinger, 1973) and interact with a large number of other species. Eusocial behaviour maximises the monopolisaion of resources (Moloney & Vanderwoude, 2002), and colonies serve as a bufer against environmental changes (Kaspari & Vargo, 1995). Such characteristics make ants important predators impacting on vertebrate populations including turtles (Allen et al., 2004). Females of the yellow-spotted Amazon River turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) can lay up to 47 eggs (Erickson & Kaefer, 2015), with mean incubaion ime around 60 days (Pritchard & Trebbau, 1984; Pignai et al., 2013a). Podocnemis unifilis can spawn in different substrates such as beaches, clayed slopes, the banks of lakes or rivers, and areas covered with vegetaion (Escalona & Fa, 1998; Rueda-Almonacid et al., 2007); a considerable variaion of nesing substrates is associated with a broad distribuion of this species (Pritchard & Trebbau, 1984). While P. uniilis is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, it sill occurs in the basins of the Amazon, Tocanins-Araguaia and Orinoco rivers (Rueda-Almonacid et al. 2007). The intensive huning of adults, consumpion of eggs and illegal trade of members of the family Podocnemididae increasingly requires active conservation measures (Kemenes & Pezzui, 2007; Waldez et al., 2013; Erickson et al. 2015). One project concerns the monitoring of nesing areas carried out in the Piagaçu Purus Sustainable Development Reserve in the state of Amazonas, Brazil (04°15’28.1” S; 061°55’52.9” W) directly involving local residents. In the present study, we report on the predaion intensity of the ire ant (Solenopsis geminata) on P. uniilis nests over three consecuive breeding seasons. Field work was conducted during three consecuive dry seasons (September–December 2012-2014). In total,