An updated checklist of the ants of India with their specific distributions in Indian states (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

By

Bharti, Himender
Guénard, Benoit
Bharti, Meenakshi
Economo, Evan

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2016

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

551

Pages

Jan-83

Subjects

Checklist , Formicidae , Indian Ants

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.551.6767

 

Abstract

As one of the 17 megadiverse countries of the world and with four biodiversity hotspots represented in its borders, India is home to an impressive diversity of life forms. However, much work remains to document and catalogue the species of India and their geographic distributions, especially for diverse invertebrate groups. In the present study, a comprehensive and critical list of Indian ant species is provided with up-to-date state-wise distribution. A total of 828 valid species and subspecies names belonging to 100 genera are listed from India. Potential erroneous data, misidentifications and dubious distributional records that may exist in the literature are also identified. The present exhaustive listing of Indian ants will provide a holistic view about diversity and distribution and will also help to identify major undersampled areas where future sampling and taxonomic efforts should be directed.