Canary Islands

Canary Islands
Location
Region	Africa
Subregion	Northern Africa
BioRegion	Palaearctic Region
Diversity
Subfamilies	4
Genera	24
Endemic Genera	0
% Endemic Genera	0.0%
Species/Subspecies	84
Endemic Species	26
% Endemic Species	31.0%
Introduced Species	5

The following valid species and subspecies of ants are known to occur in the Canary Islands. Unidentified and undescribed species will be added to this list as identifications are verified and taxonomic revisions are published. This species list is based upon the effort of many ant collectors as well as myrmecologists who have published on the taxonomy of Canary Island ants. Additional information about the ant fauna is found on the Ants of the Canary Islands page.

Aphaenogaster

• Aphaenogaster hesperia Santschi, 1911
• Aphaenogaster iberica Emery, 1908
• Aphaenogaster senilis Mayr, 1853

Camponotus

• Camponotus atlantis Forel, 1890
• Camponotus brullei (Smith, F., 1858)
• Camponotus compressus (Fabricius, 1787)
• Camponotus feae Emery, 1882
• Camponotus guanchus Santschi, 1908
• Camponotus hesperius Emery, 1893
• Camponotus oertzeni Forel, 1889
• Camponotus rufoglaucus (Jerdon, 1851)
• Camponotus sicheli Mayr, 1866

Cardiocondyla

• Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel, 1881
• Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel, 1890
• Cardiocondyla obscurior Wheeler, W.M., 1929

Cataglyphis

• Cataglyphis albicans (Roger, 1859)
• Cataglyphis bicolor (Fabricius, 1793)

Crematogaster

• Crematogaster alluaudi Emery, 1893
• Crematogaster alluaudi noualhieri Emery, 1893
• Crematogaster auberti levithorax Forel, 1902
• Crematogaster laestrygon Emery, 1869
• Crematogaster laestrygon canariensis Barquin, 1981

Formica

• Formica sanguinea Latreille, 1798

Hypoponera

• Hypoponera eduardi (Forel, 1894)
• Hypoponera nivariana (Santschi, 1908)
• Hypoponera punctatissima (Roger, 1859)
• Hypoponera ragusai (Emery, 1894)

Lasius

• Lasius emarginatus (Olivier, 1792)
• Lasius flavus (Fabricius, 1782)
• Lasius grandis Forel, 1909
• Lasius mauretanicus Seifert, 2020
• Lasius neglectus Van Loon, Boomsama & Andrasfalvy, 1990 (introduced)

Lepisiota

• Lepisiota capensis (Mayr, 1862) (introduced)
• Lepisiota frauenfeldi kantarensis (Forel, 1911) (introduced)

Linepithema

• Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868)

Messor

• Messor minor (Andre, 1883)
• Messor minor hesperius Santschi, 1927
• Messor minor maurus Barquin, 1981

Monomorium

• Monomorium carbonarium (Smith, F., 1858)
• Monomorium hesperium Emery, 1895
• Monomorium hesperium lanzarotense Wheeler, W.M., 1927
• Monomorium medinae Forel, 1892
• Monomorium monomorium Bolton, 1987
• Monomorium pharaonis (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Monomorium salomonis (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Monomorium subopacum (Smith, F., 1858)
• Monomorium wilsoni Espadaler, 2007

Myrmica

• Myrmica lobicornis Nylander, 1846
• Myrmica lobulicornis Nylander, 1857
• Myrmica schencki Emery, 1895

Nylanderia

• Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi (Mayr, 1904)

Oxyopomyrmex

• Oxyopomyrmex insularis Santschi, 1908

Paratrechina

• Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille, 1802) (introduced)

Pheidole

• Pheidole indica Mayr, 1879
• Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius, 1793)
• Pheidole pallidula (Nylander, 1849)

Plagiolepis

• Plagiolepis barbara Santschi, 1911
• Plagiolepis pygmaea (Latreille, 1798)
• Plagiolepis schmitzii Forel, 1895

Proformica

• Proformica nasuta (Nylander, 1856)

Solenopsis

• Solenopsis canariensis Forel, 1893
• Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius, 1804)

Tapinoma

• Tapinoma erraticum (Latreill, 1798)
• Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793)
• Tapinoma simrothi Krausse-Heldrungen, 1911

Temnothorax

• Temnothorax bimbache Espadaler, 2007
• Temnothorax birgitae (Schulz, 1994)
• Temnothorax cabrerae (Forel, 1893)
• Temnothorax canescens (Santschi, 1908)
• Temnothorax gracilicornis (Emery, 1882)
• Temnothorax gracilicornis nivarianus (Santschi, 1925)
• Temnothorax hesperius (Santschi, 1909)
• Temnothorax productus (Santschi, 1918)
• Temnothorax risii (Forel, 1892)
• Temnothorax rottenbergii (Emery, 1870)
• Temnothorax rottenbergii scabriosus Santschi, 1909

Tetramorium

• Tetramorium bicarinatum (Nylander, 1846)
• Tetramorium biskrense Forel, 1904
• Tetramorium caespitum (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Tetramorium caldarium (Roger, 1857)
• Tetramorium depressum Forel, 1892
• Tetramorium punicum (Smith, F., 1861)
• Tetramorium semilaeve fortunatarum Barquin Diez, 1981

Trichomyrmex

• Trichomyrmex destructor (Jerdon, 1851) (introduced)

References

• Barquín, J. 1981. Las hormigas de Canarias. Taxonomía, ecología y distribución de los Formicidae. Colección Monografías (Secretariado de Publicaciones de la Universidad de La Laguna) 3:1-584. [1981] 122525
• Hohmann, H.; La Roche, F.; Ortega, G.; Barquín, J. 1993. Bienen, Wespen und Ameisen der Kanarischen Inseln. Veröffentlichungen aus dem Überseemuseum Bremen. Naturwissenschaften 12:14-712. [1993] 125912 Formicidae pp. 58-60, 145-166.
• Espadaler, X.; Bernal, V. 2003. Exotic ants in the Canary Islands (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Vieraea 31:1-7. [2003-12]
• Espadaler, X. 2007. The ants of El Hierro (Canary Islands). Pages 113-127 in R. R. Snelling, B. L. Fisher, and P. S. Ward, editors. Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): homage to E. O. Wilson - 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, Gainesville, FL. 80:690 pp.
• Högmo, O. 2003. Algunas especies de hormigas nuevas o interesantes para Gran Canaria, Islas Canarias (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)Vieraea: Folia scientarum biologicarum canariensium, ISSN 0210-945X, Nº. 31, 2003, pags. 197-200.