Diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in residential area of tarbela, swabi: New records from pakistan

Abstract

Twenty-one species of ants, including nine new records from Pakistan were collected from residenti al colonies of Tarbela Power Station, Swabi. These species were classified into four subfamilies and thirteen genera. The most diverse genus was, Camponotus represented by four species i.e. Camponotus angusticollis Jerdon, 1851, Camponotus compressus Fabricius, 1787, Camponotus oblongus Forel, 1916, Camponotus sericeus Fabricius, 1798. Three species of Pheidole i.e. Pheidole binghami Forel, 1902, Pheidole sykesi and Pheidole sagei Forel, 1902, and two species each of Monomorium and Lepisiota i.e. Monomorium indicum Forel, 1902, Monomorium sagei Forel, 1890 and Lepisiota frauenfeldi Mayr, 1855, Lepisiota capensis Mayr, 1862 were reported in current study. Remaining ten genera i.e. Crematogaster, Meranoplus, Messor, Cataglyphis, Cardiocondyla, Aenictus, Polyrachis, Paratrechina, Nylanderia and Tapinoma were represented by single species each; Crematogaster subnuda Mayr,1878, Messor semirufus Smith, 1858, Cataglypus setipes Forel, 1894, Meranoplus bicolor Guerin-Meneville,1844, Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel, 1890, Aenictus wroughtonii Forel,1890, Polyrachis hauxwelli Bingham, 1903, Paratrechina longicornis Latreille, 1802, Nylanderia indica (Forel, 1894) and Tapinoma indicum Forel (1895). The species first time recorded from Pakistan were Camponotus angusticollis, Lepisiota capensis, Messor semirufus, Pheidole sykesi, Monomorium sagei, Nylanderia indica and Tapinoma indicum.