List of ants of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. The invertebrate fauna is as large as it is common to other regions of the world. There are about 2 million species of arthropods found in the world, and still it is counting. So many new species are discover up to this time also. So it is very complicated and difficult to summarize the exact number of species found within a certain region.

Ants

Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae

Ants are social insects that can be found in terrestrial ecosystems. They are also very common in human settlements, as well as in forest floor. Well over 6000 species of ants were found and described, and new species are about to discover. Sri Lanka is home to 229 species of ants that included to 66 genera and 12 subfamilies. There are 102 endemic species in Sri Lanka, with 48.6% of endemism. One endemic genus Aneuretus is also included to the list. The following list is according to the Ants of Sri Lanka by Prof. R.K. Sriyani Dias 2014 comprehensive edition by Biodiversity Secretariat on Ministry of Environmental and Renewable Energy of Sri Lanka.[1]

Subfamily: Amblyoponinae

Subfamily: Aneuretinae

Aneuretus simoni - A endemic ant species of Sri Lanka

Subfamily: Dolichoderinae

Technomyrmex albipes - Known as "Kalu kumbiya" in Sri Lanka

Subfamily: Dorylinae

Subfamily: Ectatomminae

Subfamily: Formicinae

Anoplolepis gracilipes - Known as "Ambalaya" in Sri Lanka, is a troublesome species in houses
Oecophylla smaragdina - A common ant species in Sri Lanka, commonly known as "Dimiya"

Subfamily: Leptanillinae

Subfamily: Myrmecinae

Subfamily: Ponerinae

Subfamily: Pseudomyrmecinae

The following species were also described from Sri Lanka, but their true identities are currently unknown due to lack of experiments.

References

  1. ↑ Dias, Sriyani R.K. (2014). Ants of Sri Lanka. Battaramulla: Biodiversity Secretariat on Ministry of Environmental and Renewable Energy of Sri Lanka. p. 273. ISBN 978-955-0033-73-7.

See also

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