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Some noteworthy endemic ants of Cyprus: Cataglyphis aphrodite (top left), Temnothoraxakrotiriensis (top right), Camponotus troodosensis (bottom left) and Messor bucephalus (bottom right). Photographs taken from original publications. Credit - Prof Emeritus Lech Borowiec (University of Wroclaw, Poland).

Investigating the ant biodiversity of Cyprus

Ants are one of the most dominant ground-dwelling arthropod groups in all ecosystems, carrying out vital roles in ecosystem functions such as soil aeration and movement, nutrient cycling, decomposition, seed dispersal, and to a lesser extent, pollination. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, a biodiversity hotspot and rarity centre for ants. Nevertheless, the island’s ant biodiversity is still poorly known, with earlier reports synthesising a checklist of just 65 native and 10 alien species.

For the past year, in the frameworks of this project, “Biodiversity and spatiotemporal patterns of ants in the Akrotiri Peninsula,” and my PhD studies, on the “Ant taxonomy and the effects of human activity, land use, and biological invasions on ant communities in Cyprus,” we have been filling taxonomic and ecological gaps regarding the ants of Cyprus. Amongst these, we have detected nine newly reported non-native species, increasing their total number on the island to 17. Furthermore, we have described a total of 12 endemic species new to science, including Temnothorax akrotiriensis, celebrating the region’s ecological importance!

A full list of publications is given below:

• Salata S, Demetriou J, Georgiadis C, Borowiec L (2024) The genus Temnothorax Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cyprus. Zootaxa 5434(1): 1-69. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5434.1.1
• Demetriou J, Georgiadis C, Martinou AF, Roy HE, Wetterer JK, Borowiec L, Economo EP, Triantis KA, Salata S (2023) Running rampant: the alien ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Cyprus. NeoBiota 88: 17-73. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.88.106750
• Salata S, Demetriou J, Georgiadis C, Borowiec L (2023) Camponotus Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Cyprus: generic synopsis and description of a new species. Asian Myrmecology 16: e016007. https://doi.org/10.20362/am.016007
• Salata S, Demetriou J, Georgiadis C, Borowiec L (2023) The genus Messor Forel, 1890 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cyprus. Annales Zoologici 73(2): 215-234. https://doi.org/10.3161/00034541ANZ2023.73.2.006
• Salata S, Demetriou J, Georgiadis C, Borowiec L (2023) The ant genus Cataglyphis Förster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cyprus. Zootaxa 5264(3): 301-322. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5264.3.1

The second year of our Darwin Plus project focuses on publishing an online website hosting all available knowledge on the ants of Cyprus, as well as investigating their spatiotemporal patterns through material surveys and citizen science approaches. Stay tuned!

Written by Jakovos Demetriou. For more information on this Darwin Plus Fellowship project DPLUS200, led by Enalia Physis, click here.