A preliminary checklist of ants from Rwanda (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

The main purpose of this study was to develop a preliminary checklist of ants known from Rwanda. Notes about repositories are provided for each species record, and ants that are likely to be endemic to Rwanda were identified. Results showed that ants were collected in different areas of Rwanda. Known ant species from the country comprised 6 subfamilies, 26 genera and 71 species, dominated by the subfamily Myrmicinae, Ponerinae, and Formicinae. Among the 71 ant species, 10 are at present considered endemic to Rwanda. This checklist will serve as a baseline survey for future research. We recommend further studies including new field data collections to validate and update this preliminary checklist.

distribution, endemism, Formicidae, Rwanda