Iran

Iran
Location
Region	Asia
Subregion	Southern Asia
BioRegion	Palaearctic Region
Diversity
Subfamilies	6
Genera	38
Endemic Genera	0
% Endemic Genera	0.0%
Species/Subspecies	248
Endemic Species	21
% Endemic Species	8.5%
Introduced Species	1

The following valid species and subspecies of ants are known to occur in Iran. 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 Iranian ants. Those who have specimen records that expand this list are encouraged to submit this information in the discussion section of the Iranian Ants web page. Please advise if any corrections are warranted.

Aenictus

• Aenictus dlusskyi Arnol’di, 1968
• Aenictus rhodiensis Menozzi, 1936

Anochetus

• Anochetus evansi Crawley, 1922

Aphaenogaster

Key to species

• Aphaenogaster holtzi (Emery, 1898)
• Aphaenogaster iranica Kiran & Alipanah, 2013
• Aphaenogaster kurdica Ruzsky, 1905
• Aphaenogaster muschtaidica Emery, 1908
• Aphaenogaster obsidiana Mayr, 1861
• Aphaenogaster rhaphidiiceps (Mayr, 1877)
• Aphaenogaster splendida Roger, 1859
• Aphaenogaster subterranea (Latreille, 1798)
• Aphaenogaster syriaca Emery, 1908

Brachyponera

• Brachyponera sennaarensis (Mayr, 1862)

Camponotus

• Camponotus aethiops (Latreille, 1798)
• Camponotus armeniacus Arnoldi, 1967
• Camponotus atlantis Forel, 1890
• Camponotus bakhtiariensis Salata, Khalili-Moghadam & Borowiec, 2020
• Camponotus buddhae Forel, 1892
• Camponotus cecconii Emery, 1908
• Camponotus cognatocompressus Forel, 1904
• Camponotus evansi Crawley, 1920
• Camponotus fallax (Nylander, 1856)
• Camponotus fedtschenkoi Mayr, 1877
• Camponotus fellah Dalla Torre, 1893
• Camponotus gestroi Emery, 1878
• Camponotus interjectus Mayr, 1877
• Camponotus kiesenwetteri (Roger, 1859)
• Camponotus kopetdaghensis Dlussky & Zabelin, 1985
• Camponotus kurdistanicus Emery, 1898
• Camponotus lateralis Olivier, 1792
• Camponotus libanicus André, 1881
• Camponotus maculatus (Fabricius, 1782)
• Camponotus oasium Forel, 1890
• Camponotus oasium ninivae Pisarski, 1971
• Camponotus oertzeni Forel, 1889
• Camponotus piceus Leach, 1825
• Camponotus rebeccae Forel, 1913
• Camponotus ruzskyellus Forel, 1922
• Camponotus sanctus Forel, 1904
• Camponotus shaqualavensis Pisarski, 1971
• Camponotus staryi Pisarski, 1971
• Camponotus thoracicus (Fabriciu, 1804)
• Camponotus turkestanicus Emery, 1887
• Camponotus vogti Forel, 1906
• Camponotus xerxes Forel, 1904

Cardiocondyla

• Cardiocondyla brachyceps Seifert, 2003
• Cardiocondyla caspiensis Seifert, 2023
• Cardiocondyla dalmatica Soudek, 1925
• Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel, 1881
• Cardiocondyla fajumensis Forel, 1913
• Cardiocondyla kushanica Pisarski, 1967
• Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel, 1890
• Cardiocondyla nigra Forel, 1905
• Cardiocondyla persiana Seifert, 2003
• Cardiocondyla sahlbergi Forel, 1913
• Cardiocondyla stambuloffii Forel, 1892
• Cardiocondyla unicalis Seifert, 2003
• Cardiocondyla ulianini Emery, 1889

Cataglyphis

• Cataglyphis aenescens (Nylander, 1849)
• Cataglyphis albicans (Roger, 1859)
• Cataglyphis alibabae Pisarski, 1965
• Cataglyphis altisquamis (André, 1881)
• Cataglyphis aurata Menozzi, 1922
• Cataglyphis bazoftensis Khalili-Moghadam, Salata & Borowiec, 2021
• Cataglyphis bellicosa (Karavaiev, 1924)
• Cataglyphis bergiana Arnoldi, 1964
• Cataglyphis bucharica Emery, 1925
• Cataglyphis cinnamomea (Karavaiev, 1910)
• Cataglyphis cugiai Menozzi, 1939
• Cataglyphis cuneinodis Arnoldi, 1964
• Cataglyphis dejdaranensis Khalili-Moghadam, Salata & Borowiec, 2021
• Cataglyphis emeryi (Karavaiev, 1910)
• Cataglyphis fici Salata, Kiyani, Minaei & Borowiec, 2021
• Cataglyphis foreli (Ruzsky, 1903)
• Cataglyphis frigida persica Emery, 1906
• Cataglyphis fritillariae Khalili-Moghadam, Salata & Borowiec, 2021
• Cataglyphis kurdistanica Pisarski, 1965
• Cataglyphis livida André, 1881
• Cataglyphis lirabiensis Khalili-Moghadam, Salata & Borowiec, 2023
• Cataglyphis longipedem (Eichwald, 1841)
• Cataglyphis lutea Pisarski, 1967
• Cataglyphis nigra (André, 1881)
• Cataglyphis nigripes Arnoldi, 1964
• Cataglyphis nodus (Brulle, 1833)
• Cataglyphis pubescens Radchenko & Paknia, 2010
• Cataglyphis rubra (Forel, 1903)
• Cataglyphis semitonsa Santschi, 1929
• Cataglyphis setipes (Forel, 1894)
• Cataglyphis shahrekordensis Khalili-Moghadam, Salata & Borowiec, 2023
• Cataglyphis stigmata Radchenko & Paknia, 2010
• Cataglyphis turcomanica Crawley, 1920
• Cataglyphis viaticoides André, 1881

Crematogaster

• Crematogaster afghanica Pisarski, 1967
• Crematogaster antaris Forel, 1894
• Crematogaster auberti Emery, 1869
• Crematogaster bogojawlenskii Ruzsky, 1905
• Crematogaster gypsophila Mohseni, 2023
• Crematogaster hezaradjatica Pisarski, 1967
• Crematogaster inermis Mayr, 1862
• Crematogaster schmidti (Mayr, 1853)
• Crematogaster sorokini Ruzsky, 1905
• Crematogaster subdentata Mayr, 1877
• Crematogaster warburgi Menozzi, 1933

Dolichoderus

• Dolichoderus quadripunctatus (Linnaeus, 1771)

Dorylus

• Dorylus species

Formica

• Formica cinerea Mayr, 1853
• Formica clara Forel, 1886
• Formica cunicularia Latreille, 1798
• Formica glauca Ruzsky, 1896
• Formica persica Seifert & Schultz, 2009
• Formica pratensis Retzius, 1783
• Formica rufibarbis Fabricius, 1793
• Formica sanguinea Latreille, 1798

Hypoponera

• Hypoponera eduardi (Forel, 1894)

Lasius

• Lasius alienus (Forster, 1850)
• Lasius brunneus (Latreille, 1798)
• Lasius creticus Seifert, 2020
• Lasius emarginatus (Oliver, 1792)
• Lasius excavatus Seifert, 2020
• Lasius flavescens Forel, 1904
• Lasius flavus Fabricius, 1728
• Lasius frequens Seifert, 2024
• Lasius himalayanus Bingham, 1903
• Lasius lasioides (Emery, 1869)
• Lasius neglectus Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrasafalvy, 1990
• Lasius persicus Seifert, 2020
• Lasius platythorax Seifert, 1991
• Lasius silvaticus Seifert, 2020
• Lasius turcicus Santschi, 1921

Lepisiota

• Lepisiota bipartita (Smith, F., 1861)
• Lepisiota dolabellae (Forel, 1911)
• Lepisiota frauenfeldi (Mayr, 1855) (as Lepisiota caucasica Santschi, 1917)
• Lepisiota integrisquama (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929)
• Lepisiota karawaiewi (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929)
• Lepisiota litoralis (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929)
• Lepisiota melas Emery, 1915
• Lepisiota nigra Dalla Torre, 1893
• Lepisiota semenovi (Ruzsky, 1905)
• Lepisiota spinisquama (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929
• Lepisiota surchanica (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929)

Leptanilla

• Leptanilla laventa (Griebenow, Moradmand & Isaia, 2022)

Leptothorax

• Leptothorax acervorum (Fabricius, 1793)

Linepithema

• Linepithema humile Mayr, 1868

Liometopum

• Liometopum microcephalum (Panzer, 1798)

Messor

• Messor alexandri Thome & Thome, 1981
• Messor aralocaspius Ruzsky, 1902
• Messor caducus (Victor, 1839)
• Messor ceresis Santschi, 1938
• Messor dentatus Santschi, 1927
• Messor excursionis Ruzsky, 1905
• Messor ebeninus Santschi, 1927
• Messor galla (Mayr, 1904)
• Messor hebraeus Santschi, 1927
• Messor incorruptus Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929
• Messor laboriosus Santschi, 1927
• Messor melancholicus Arnoldi, 1977
• Messor meridionalis (André, 1883)
• Messor medioruber Santschi, 1910
• Messor mediosanguineus Donisthorpe, 1946
• Messor minor (André, 1883)
• Messor nahali Thomé & Thomé, 1981
• Messor obscurior Pashaei Rad et al., 2018
• Messor orientalis Emery, 1896
• Messor picturatus Santschi, 1927
• Messor platyceras Crawley, 1920
• Messor rufotestaceus (Forster, 1850)
• Messor semirufus (André, 1883)
• Messor sultanus Santschi, 1917
• Messor syriacus Thomé, 1969
• Messor testaceus Donisthorpe, 1950
• Messor turcmenochorassanicus Arnoldi, 1977
• Messor varrialei Emery, 1921
• Messor wasmanni Krausse, 1910

Monomorium

• Monomorium abeillei André, 1881
• Monomorium acutinode Collingwood & Agosti, 1996
• Monomorium areniphilum Santschi, 1911
• Monomorium barbatulum Mayr, 1877
• Monomorium indicum Forel, 1902
• Monomorium kusnezowi Santschi, 1928
• Monomorium nitidiventre Emery, 1893
• Monomorium pallidum Donisthorpe, 1918
• Monomorium pharaonis (Lineaus, 1758)
• Monomorium ruzskyi Dlussky & Zabelin, 1985
• Monomorium salomonis (Linaeus, 1758)
• Monomorium venustum Smith, F., 1858

Myrmecina

• Myrmecina species

Myrmica

• Myrmica bergi Ruzsky, 1902
• Myrmica constricta Karavaiev, 1934
• Myrmica deplanata Emery, 1921
• Myrmica gallienii Bondroit, 1920
• Myrmica hellenica Finzi, 1926
• Myrmica specioides Bondroit, 1918
• Myrmica sabuleti Meinert, 1861

Nylanderia

• Nylanderia flavipes (Smith, F., 1874)
• Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi (Mayr, 1904).
• Nylanderia vividula (Nylander, 1846)

Oxyopomyrmex

• Oxyopomyrmex krueperi Forel, 1911

Paratrechina

• Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille, 1802)

Pheidole

• Pheidole cicatricosa Stitz, 1917
• Pheidole fervens F. Smith, 1858
• Pheidole indica Mayr, 1879
• Pheidole koshewnikovi Ruzsky, 1905
• Pheidole latinoda Roger, 1863
• Pheidole megacephala Fabricius, 1793
• Pheidole pallidula (Nylander, 1849)
• Pheidole providens (Sykes, 1835)
• Pheidole sinaitica Mayr, 1862
• Pheidole sculpturata Mayr, 1866

Plagiolepis

• Plagiolepis alluaudi Emery, 1894
• Plagiolepis barbara Santschi, 1911
• Plagiolepis pallescens Forel, 1889
• Plagiolepis perperamus Salata, Borowiec & Radchenko, 2018
• Plagiolepis pygmaea (Latreille, 1798).
• Plagiolepis schmitzii Forel, 1895

Polyrhachis

• Polyrhachis lacteipennis Smith, F., 1858

Ponera

• Ponera species

Proformica

• Proformica epinotalis Kusnetsov-Ugamsky, 1927
• Proformica ferreri Bondroit, 1918
• Proformica nitida Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1923
• Proformica pilosiscapa Dlussky, 1969

Solenopsis

• Solenopsis fugax (Latreille, 1798)
• Solenopsis wolfi Emery, 1915

Stenamma

• Stenamma species

Strongylognathus

• Strongylognathus christophi Emery, 1889

Strumigenys

• Strumigenys species

Tapinoma

• Tapinoma erraticum (Latreille, 1798)
• Tapinoma festae Emery, 1925
• Tapinoma insularis Seifert, Kaufmann & Fraysse, 2024
• Tapinoma karavaievi Emery, 1925
• Tapinoma phoeniceum Emery, 1925
• Tapinoma simrothi Krausse, 1911

Temnothorax

• Temnothorax anodonta (Arnoldi, 1977)
• Temnothorax iranicus Radchenko, 1994
• Temnothorax nadigi (Kutter, 1925)
• Temnothorax parvulus (Schenck, 1852)
• Temnothorax tuberum (Fabricius, 1775)

Tetramorium

• Tetramorium armatum Santschi, 1927
• Tetramorium caespitum (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Tetramorium caldarium (Roger, 1857)
• Tetramorium chefketi Forel, 1911
• Tetramorium davidi Forel, 1911
• Tetramorium ferox Ruzsky, 1903
• Tetramorium feroxoides Dlussky and Zabelin, 1985
• Tetramorium flavidulum Emery, 1924
• Tetramorium flavocostatum Salata, Khalili-Moghadam & Borowiec, 2024
• Tetramorium forte Forel, 1904
• Tetramorium immigrans Santschi, 1927
• Tetramorium indocile Santschi, 1927
• Tetramorium inerme Mayr, 1877
• Tetramorium lanuginosum Mayr, 1870
• Tetramorium moravicum Novák and Sadil, 1941
• Tetramorium nursei Bingham, 1903
• Tetramorium punctatum Santschi, 1927
• Tetramorium punicum (Smith, 1861)
• Tetramorium schneideri Emery, 1898
• Tetramorium sericeiventre Emery, 1877
• Tetramorium simillimum (Smith, 1851)
• Tetramorium striativentre Mayr, 1877
• Tetramorium sulcinode Santschi, 1927

Trichomyrmex

• Trichomyrmex destructor (Jerdon, 1851) (introduced)
• Trichomyrmex dentigera (Roger, 1862)
• Trichomyrmex perplexus (Radchenko, 1997)

References

• Fateme Firouzi, Shahrokh Pashaei Rad, Sakine Hossein Nezhad & Donat Agosti, 2011. Four new records of ants from Iran (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zoology in the Middle East 52: 71–78.
• Ghahari, H. & Collingwood, C.A. 2011. A study on the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of southern Iran. Calodema 176: 1-5.
• Ghahari, H., Collingwood, C.A., Havaskary, M., Samin, N. 2011. A contribution to the knowledge of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Arasbaran Biosphere Reserve and Vicinity, Northwestern Iran. Jordan Journal of Agricultural Sciences: 7 (3):558-563.
• Ghahari, H., Collingwood, C.A., Tabari, M., Ostovan, H. 2009. Faunistic notes on Formicidae (Insecta:Hymenoptera) of rice fields and surrounding grasslands in northern Iran. Mun.Ent.Zool. vol 4 (1):184-189.
• Khalini-Moghadam, A., Borowiec, L., Nemati, A. 2019. New records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province of Iran with taxonomic comments. Polish Journal of Entomology 88: 163–182 (DOI 10.2478/pjen-2019-0013).
• Mohammadi, S., Mossadegh, M. & Esfandiari, M. 2012. Eight ant species (Hym.: Formicidae) new for the fauna of Iran. Munis Entomology and Zoology. 7(2):847-851.
• Nezhad, S.H., Shahrokh Pashaei Rad, Fateme Firouzi, Donat Agosti 2012. New and additional records for the ant fauna from Iran (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zoology in the Middle East Vol. 55, 65-74.
• Paknia O, Pfeiffer M (2011) Steppe versus desert: multi-scale spatial patterns in diversity of ant communities in Iran. Insect Conservation and Diversity, DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-4598.2011.00136.x
• Paknia O., Radchenko, A.G., & M. Pfeiffer. 2010. New records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran. ASIAN MYRMECOLOGYVolume 3, 29–38
• [1] Omid Paknia, Alexander Radchenko, Helen Alipanah & Martin Pfeiffer, 2008. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Iran. Myrmecological News 11: 151-159
• Radchenko, A.G., Paknia, O. 2010. TWO NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS CATAGLYPHIS FOERSTER, 1850 (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)FROM IRAN. ANNA L E S ZOOLOGI C I (Warszawa), 2010, 60(1): 69-76
• Shahrokh Pashaei Rad, Brian Taylor, Roshanak Torabi, Ebrahim Aram, Giti Abolfathi, Rezvan Afshari, Fatemeh Borjali, Maryam Ghatei, Fouzihe Hediary, Farzaneh Jazini, Vala Heidary Kiah, Zeynab Mahmoudi, Fatemeh Safariyan & Maryam Seiri (2018) Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran, Zoology in the Middle East, 64:2, 145-159, DOI: 10.1080/09397140.2018.1442301