Japan

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

The Japanese Ant Image Database website holds the distinction of being the first in numerous ways when it comes to hosting ant information on the internet. Importantly it focused on a particular fauna and used high quality digital images. While the site began as a means of conveying scientific information to scientists, it only took a few years for it to add and enhance its presentation to allow non-scientists to readily access interesting information about ants. This was immediately useful because in Japanese culture insects are seen as interesting rather than a nuisance. It is remarkable to think that some variant of this website has been online, as of 2019, for close to 25 years. If you are interested in Japanese ants, this is one of your starting points for learning more about each species and the ant fauna as a whole.

Acropyga

 * Acropyga kinomurai Terayama & Hashimoto, 1996
 * Acropyga nipponensis
 * Acropyga sauteri
 * Acropyga yaeyamensis

Aenictus

 * Aenictus ceylonicus (Mayr, 1866)
 * Aenictus lifuiae

Anochetus

 * Anochetus shohki

Anomalomyrma

 * Anomalomyrma species

Anoplolepis

 * Anoplolepis gracilipes

Aphaenogaster

 * Aphaenogaster concolor
 * Aphaenogaster donann
 * Aphaenogaster edentula
 * Aphaenogaster erabu
 * Aphaenogaster famelica
 * Aphaenogaster gamagumayaa Naka & Maruyama, 2018
 * Aphaenogaster gracillima
 * Aphaenogaster irrigua
 * Aphaenogaster izuensis Terayama & Kubota, 2013
 * Aphaenogaster japonica
 * Aphaenogaster kumejimana
 * Aphaenogaster luteipes
 * Aphaenogaster minutula
 * Aphaenogaster omotoensis Terayama & Kubota, 2013
 * Aphaenogaster osimenseis
 * Aphaenogaster rugulosa
 * Aphaenogaster tipuna
 * Aphaenogaster tokarainsulana

Brachymyrmex

 * Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr, 1868

Brachyponera

 * Brachyponera chinensis
 * Brachyponera luteipes
 * Brachyponera nakasujii Yashiro, et al. 2010

Camponotus

 * Camponotus albosparsus
 * Camponotus amamianus
 * Camponotus bishamon
 * Camponotus brunni Forel, 1901
 * Camponotus daitoensis
 * Camponotus devestivus
 * Camponotus friedae
 * Camponotus habereri Forel, 1911
 * Camponotus hemichlaena
 * Camponotus herculeanus sachalinensis Forel, 1904
 * Camponotus itoi
 * Camponotus iwoensis Terayama & Kubota, 2011
 * Camponotus japonicus
 * Camponotus kaguya
 * Camponotus keihitoi
 * Camponotus kiusiuensis
 * Camponotus kunigamiensis Terayama, 2013
 * Camponotus monju
 * Camponotus nawai
 * Camponotus nigronitidus Azuma, 1951
 * Camponotus nipponensis
 * Camponotus obscuripes
 * Camponotus ogasawarensis
 * Camponotus quadrinotatus
 * Camponotus senkakuensis Terayama, 2013
 * Camponotus vitiosus
 * Camponotus yamaokai
 * Camponotus yambaru
 * Camponotus yessensis

Cardiocondyla

 * Cardiocondyla itsukii Seifert, Okita & Heinze, 2017
 * Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi
 * Cardiocondyla kazanensis Terayama, 2013
 * Cardiocondyla minutior
 * Cardiocondyla strigifrons Viehmeyer 1922
 * Cardiocondyla wroughtonii

Carebara

 * Carebara borealis
 * Carebara diversa
 * Carebara hannya
 * Carebara oni Terayama, 1996
 * Carebara sauteri
 * Carebara yamatonis Terayama, 1996

Colobopsis

 * Colobopsis nipponica
 * Colobopsis shohki

Crematogaster

 * Crematogaster izanami Terayama, 2013
 * Crematogaster matsumurai
 * Crematogaster nawai
 * Crematogaster osakensis
 * Crematogaster suehiro
 * Crematogaster teranishii
 * Crematogaster vagula

Cryptopone

 * Cryptopone sauteri Wheeler, 1906
 * Cryptopone tengu

Diacamma

 * Diacamma indicum Santschi, 1920

Discothyrea

 * Discothyrea kamiteta
 * Discothyrea sauteri

Dolichoderus

 * Dolichoderus sibiricus

Ectomomyrmex

 * Ectomomyrmex javanus

Erromyrma

 * Erromyrma latinodis (Mayr, 1872)

Euponera

 * Euponera pilosior
 * Euponera sakishimensis

Formica

 * Formica candida
 * Formica fukaii
 * Formica gagatoides
 * Formica hayashi
 * Formica japonica
 * Formica lemani
 * Formica sanguinea
 * Formica truncorum
 * Formica yessensis
 * Formica yoshiokae Wheeler, W.M. 1933

Hypoponera

 * Hypoponera beppin
 * Hypoponera ergatandria (Forel, 1893)
 * Hypoponera nippona
 * Hypoponera nubatama
 * Hypoponera opaciceps
 * Hypoponera punctatissima (Roger, 1857)
 * Hypoponera ragusai (Emery, 1894)
 * Hypoponera sauteri
 * Hypoponera zwaluwenburgi

Lasius

 * Lasius alienus
 * Lasius capitatus
 * Lasius flavus
 * Lasius hayashi
 * Lasius hikosanus
 * Lasius japonicus
 * Lasius longipalpus Seifert, 2020
 * Lasius meridionalis
 * Lasius morisitai
 * Lasius nipponensis
 * Lasius orientalis
 * Lasius productus
 * Lasius sakagamii
 * Lasius sonobei
 * Lasius spathepus
 * Lasius talpa
 * Lasius umbratus

Leptanilla

 * Leptanilla japonica
 * Leptanilla kubotai
 * Leptanilla morimotoi
 * Leptanilla oceanica
 * Leptanilla okinawensis Terayama, 2013
 * Leptanilla tanakai

Leptogenys

 * Leptogenys confucii

Leptothorax

 * Leptothorax acervorum

Linepithema

 * Linepithema humile

Lioponera

 * Lioponera daikoku

Lordomyrma

 * Lordomyrma azumai

Manica

 * Manica yessensis

Messor

 * Messor aciculatus

Monomorium

 * Monomorium chinense
 * Monomorium floricola
 * Monomorium hiten
 * Monomorium intrudens
 * Monomorium pharaonis
 * Monomorium triviale

Myrmecina

 * Myrmecina amamiana
 * Myrmecina flava
 * Myrmecina nipponica
 * Myrmecina ryukyuensis

Myrmica

 * Myrmica excelsa Kupyanskaya, 1990
 * Myrmica jessensis
 * Myrmica kotokui
 * Myrmica kurokii
 * Myrmica onoyamai Radchenko & Elmes, 2006
 * Myrmica rubra
 * Myrmica yezomonticola Terayama, 2013

Nylanderia

 * Nylanderia amia
 * Nylanderia flavipes
 * Nylanderia nubatama
 * Nylanderia ogasawarensis
 * Nylanderia otome
 * Nylanderia ryukyuensis
 * Nylanderia teranishii (Santschi, 1937)
 * Nylanderia yaeyamensis
 * Nylanderia yambaru

Ochetellus

 * Ochetellus glaber

Odontomachus

 * Odontomachus kuroiwae Matsumura, 1912
 * Odontomachus monticola

Ooceraea

 * Ooceraea biroi

Parvaponera

 * Parvaponera darwinii

Paraparatrechina

 * Paraparatrechina sakurae (Ito, 1914)
 * Paraparatrechina sakuya Terayama, 2013

Parasyscia

 * Parasyscia hashimotoi

Paratrechina

 * Paratrechina longicornis

Pheidole

 * Pheidole fervens
 * Pheidole fervida
 * Pheidole indica
 * Pheidole megacephala
 * Pheidole nodus
 * Pheidole parva
 * Pheidole pieli
 * Pheidole ryukyuensis
 * Pheidole susanowo

Plagiolepis

 * Plagiolepis alluaudi
 * Plagiolepis flavescens

Polyergus

 * Polyergus samurai

Polyrhachis

 * Polyrhachis dives
 * Polyrhachis lamellidens
 * Polyrhachis latona
 * Polyrhachis moesta

Ponera

 * Ponera bishamon
 * Ponera japonica
 * Ponera kohmoku
 * Ponera scabra
 * Ponera swezeyi
 * Ponera takaminei
 * Ponera tamon

Prenolepis

 * Prenolepis species

Pristomyrmex

 * Pristomyrmex brevispinosus
 * Pristomyrmex punctatus

Probolomyrmex

 * Probolomyrmex longinodus
 * Probolomyrmex okinawensis

Proceratium

 * Proceratium itoi
 * Proceratium japonicum
 * Proceratium morisitai
 * Proceratium watasei

Protanilla

 * Protanilla izanagi Terayama, 2013
 * Protanilla lini Terayama, 2009

Recurvidris

 * Recurvidris recurvispinosa

Rhopalomastix

 * Rhopalomastix omotoensis

Solenopsis

 * Solenopsis geminata
 * Solenopsis japonica
 * Solenopsis tipuna

Stenamma

 * Stenamma nipponense
 * Stenamma owstoni

Stigmatomma

 * Stigmatomma caliginosum (Onoyama, 1999)
 * Stigmatomma fulvidum
 * Stigmatomma sakaii
 * Stigmatomma silvestrii

Strongylognathus

 * Strongylognathus koreanus

Strumigenys

 * Strumigenys alecto Bolton, 2000
 * Strumigenys benten
 * Strumigenys canina
 * Strumigenys circothrix
 * Strumigenys emmae
 * Strumigenys exilirhina
 * Strumigenys hexamera
 * Strumigenys hirashimai
 * Strumigenys hiroshimensis
 * Strumigenys incerta
 * Strumigenys japonica
 * Strumigenys kichijo
 * Strumigenys kumadori Yoshimura & Onoyama, 2007
 * Strumigenys lacunosa Lin & Wu, 1996
 * Strumigenys leptothrix
 * Strumigenys lewisi Cameron, 1886
 * Strumigenys masukoi
 * Strumigenys mazu
 * Strumigenys membranifera
 * Strumigenys minutula
 * Strumigenys morisitai
 * Strumigenys mutica
 * Strumigenys rostrataeformis
 * Strumigenys sauteri
 * Strumigenys solifontis
 * Strumigenys stenorhina
 * Strumigenys strigatella
 * Strumigenys terayamai

Syscia

 * Syscia humicola

Syllophopsis

 * Syllophopsis sechellensis (Emery, 1894)

Tapinoma

 * Tapinoma melanocephalum
 * Tapinoma sahohime Terayama, 2013

Technomyrmex

 * Technomyrmex albipes
 * Technomyrmex gibbosus Wheeler, W.M., 1906

Temnothorax

 * Temnothorax anira
 * Temnothorax antera
 * Temnothorax arimensis
 * Temnothorax basara
 * Temnothorax bikara
 * Temnothorax congruus
 * Temnothorax haira
 * Temnothorax indra
 * Temnothorax kinomurai
 * Temnothorax koreanus
 * Temnothorax kubira
 * Temnothorax makora
 * Temnothorax mekira Terayama & Kubota, 2011
 * Temnothorax mitsukoae Terayama & Yamane, 2013
 * Temnothorax santra
 * Temnothorax spinosior

Tetramorium

 * Tetramorium bicarinatum
 * Tetramorium caespitum japonicum Röszler, 1936
 * Tetramorium kraepelini
 * Tetramorium lanuginosum
 * Tetramorium nipponense
 * Tetramorium simillimum
 * Tetramorium smithi
 * Tetramorium tonganum
 * Tetramorium tsushimae

Tetraponera

 * Tetraponera attenuata

Trichomyrmex

 * Trichomyrmex destructor (Jerdon, 1851)

Vollenhovia

 * Vollenhovia amamiana
 * Vollenhovia benzai
 * Vollenhovia emeryi
 * Vollenhovia nipponica
 * Vollenhovia okinawana
 * Vollenhovia sakishimana
 * Vollenhovia yambaru

REFERENCES:
 * Japanese Ant Image Database
 * Masuko, K. 2010. Nest density and distribution of subterranean ants in an evergreen broadleaf forest in Japan with special reference to Amblyopone silvestrii. Entomological Science 13:191-198.