Global generic richness and distribution: New maps of the world of ants with examples of their use in the context of Asia

Abstract

Knowledge of the biogeographic distribution of ants is central to our understanding of ant ecology, evolution, taxonomy and conservation. Here, we introduce a novel global biogeographic database for ant genera and an associated website with maps showing the known distribution of all extant ant genera. We use this database to consider knowledge of the distribution of ant genera in Asia, a hotspot of ant diversity and biological diversity more generally. We find that, although ant systematists and ecologists are now active in Asia, much remains to be learned about the distribution of Asian ant genera. We highlight areas where additional research would be particularly useful. © Benoit Guénard, Michael D. Weiser and Robert R. Dunn.