Gupte Sanika and Somani Vaishali
Abstract
The study investigated the ant community structure of Male Village (18.2243° N, 73.6860° E), Pune, Maharashtra, from 2015 to 2018, with opportunistic sampling continued till 2024 to detect any significant changes in ant composition. This region lies close to the northwestern Ghats. Order Hymenoptera includes social insects such as ants, bees, and wasps. Ants belong to a single family, Formicidae, and are a ubiquitous, highly diverse, and ecologically dominant faunal group. Ant studies in Maharashtra remain fragmented. The present study was carried out in the Male Village area of the Mulshi region to assess ant diversity. In the present study, ants were collected using the all-out search method. Ant diversity from the five subfamilies, viz. Dolichoderinae, Formicinae, Myrmicinae, Ponerinae, and Pseudomyrmicinae were documented during the study. In terms of species diversity, the subfamily Myrmicinae (10 species) was the most speciose, followed by Formicinae (7 species), Ponerinae (4 species), Pseudomyrmicinae (1 species), and Dolichoderinae (1 species), respectively. A total of 23 ant species, belonging to 16 genera, were reported from the present study area, with more representation from the subfamily Myrmicinae. Of therecorded ant species, 44 per cent were from the subfamily Myrmicinae. Generalist tramp species, such as Monomorium pharaonis and Tapinoma melanocephalum, were reported in the study area, along with some specialist species.