Checklist of Ants (Hymenoptera-Formicidae) with their specific distribution on soybean (Glycine max) crop in Nanded District, Maharashtra state, India

Abstract

Ants are an impressive, dominant, and successful component of the ecosystem and they are strong indicators of ecosystem. The study of ant population, species richness and relative abundance as well as their worldwide dispersion are critical because they are economically significant. Ants are unique amongst the arthropod fauna in terms of behavior, species richness, social tendencies and large densities all of which contribute to the study of ecology. The survey was conducted during the year- 2021, from Nanded district, Maharashtra state, India to assess the diversity and distribution of the ant species on soybean crop fields, Nanded. The study reveals that 17 species of ants from 15 genera and 6 subfamilies have been identified from Nanded region prior to this investigation. Formicinae, Myrmicinae, Ponerinae, Dolichoderinae, Formicidae and Pseudomyrmicinae are the six subfamilies of ants. Most of the genera from tropical, warm, and temperate region are belongs to the subfamily Ponerinae, is described in the Nanded district (MS) region. Crematogaster and Monomorium are the most commonly seen genera, followed by Solenopsis and Pheidole.