The Ants of Africa Contributors of specimens and information

The following lists the many people who have contributed specimens and information to this website. Without them it would not exist in the form it now does and I cannot express my thanks adequately for their support, interest and encouragement.

Fundamental support and facilities

• Dr Donat Agosti, without whose vast efforts in developing and curating the http://www.antbase.org/ website and his coworker, Dr Norm Johnson, who coordinates the Hymenoptera Name Server (accessible from Antbase), together with the collation of electronic versions of almost all the ant publications of the whole world that has made my efforts possible.
• The American Museum of Natural History, New York, which kindly hosts this website and Mark Breedlove, of their IT section for his ongoing help and guidance.
• My friend, Dr Francis Gilbert, of the University of Nottingham, arranged the original web hosting and has given me unfailing support and encouragement over the last decade. He also is coordinator of the Biomap project, of which the parallel website "Ants of Egypt" forms a part.
• The Oxford University Museum of Natural History, who have lent entomological cabinets and supplied materials for my taxonomic work. The ants presently in my care and shown in my photographs will be deposited in the Museum, thanks to the interest of Dr George McGavin and on-going support from Darren Mann and his colleagues.
• Dr Brian Fisher and colleagues for their activity and their http://www.antweb.org/ site with its assemblage of many excellent photographs of ants from Africa and elsewhere.
• Professor Alain Dejean also has very generously sent me copies of all the many studies he and his colleagues have undertaken in Cameroun.
• Although much of the task has been self-funded, with the support of my family and friends, the costs of information resourcing were met by a grant from The Royal Entomological Society, and Messrs Intercept furnished me with several of the works by Barry Bolton at a discount.
• From May 2002, this site is included on Natural Selection, which is a gateway to quality evaluated Internet resources in the natural world, coordinated by The Natural History Museum, London. Natural Selection is part of BIOME, an integrated collection of Internet gateways covering the health and life sciences.

Specific Country studies

• Benin - for specimens collected by Sévérin Tchibozo and sent to me via Yves Braet, of Belgium - Benin.
• Benin - for specimens collected by Dr Jean-François Vayssieres, IITA - Benin.
• Cameroun - Professor Doyle McKey and colleagues, Montpellier University; collectors Dr Gabriel Debout and Dr Ambroise Delecky - Cameroun.
• Cameroun - Apollin Fotso Kuate and colleagures, IITA Cameroun - Cameroun - Fotso Kuate.
• Cameroun - Hauke Koch for Pheidole specimens collected as part of his graduate project - Ants collected in miscellaneous countries.
• Central African Republic - Drs Philippe Annoyer and Sam Danflous for specimens from the former's study in the Nzanga-Ndoki National Park - Central African Republic.
• Congo - Dr Yves Braet and Eric Zassi, for specimens from 24 h pitfall traps at Brazzaville - Brazzaville; with a further pitfall trapping by Eric Zassi, in the Réserve de Lésio-Louna, November 2007 to February 2008 - Réserve de Lésio-Louna.
• Ethiopia - Dr Serge Guiraud for specimens in the south-west Omo Region - Ethiopia.
• Gambia - Mike Lush, Ecologist of Bristol, UK, for specimens collected while visiting the country and for active feedback on the keys and descriptions - see http://sifolinia.blogspot.com/.
• Ghana - Dr S Sky Stephens, formerly University of Arizona, for specimens collected as part of her PhD study of forest ant ecology She gained her PhD in Late-2008 - Ghana.
• Gabon - Dr Yves Braet, for specimens from his studies of the ecology of the Pongara National Park - Gabon.
• Guinea & Ivory Coast - Dr Tanya Humle, for mainly Driver Ants collected as part of her PhD research into chimpanzee behaviour, based at Bossou in Guinea Humle (University of Wisconsin, Madison) - Ants collected in miscellaneous countries.
• Liberia - E Poiriet, for specimens collected as part of an environmental impact assessment - Liberia (under preparation).
• Rwanda - Gabriel Bizimungu for specimens collecting during an MSc study of the impact of ants on coffee in Rwanda and Australia - Ants collected in miscellaneous countries
• Senegal - Dr B Ndiaye, IFAN Dakar, for specimens collected in various surveys - Senegal.
• South Africa - Dr Peter Hlavác, for specimens collected in South Africa - South Africa.
• Sudan - Miss Awatif Omer, MSc, for specimens from her country - Sudan.
• Tanzania - the late Professor Shigeo Uehara, for mainly Driver Ants collected as part of the Mahale (southern Tanzania) observations of chimpanzee behaviour - Ants collected in miscellaneous countries.
• Tanzania - Dr Vasily Grebennikov, for specimens from the Uluguru Mountains, eastern Tanzania - Usambara Mountains, Tanzania.
• Tanzania - Dr George McGavin, for specimens taken in his study of tree canopy insects in the Mkomazi Game Reserve - Mkomazi Game Reserve, Tanzania.
• Namibia - ants collected by Heather campbell, University of Reading, and, separately Darren Mann, OUMNH - Namibia.

Miscellaneous - Ants collected in miscellaneous countries

• Marco Aita, for ants collected from the Maldives, North Malé, Ihuru Atoll - Ants collected in non-African countries
• Armin Ionescu and Professor Joshua Kugler, University of Tel Aviv, for specimens from Israel and Sinai - Ants collected in non-African countries.
• Jean-michel Kersaudy, France, for photographs of Messor cephalotes.
• David King for specimens from Benin, Kenya, Senegal, Chad, Niger, Kuwait, Turkey, Italy and Canary Islands, collected and photographed in the course of his occupational travel - e.g. Ants collected in miscellaneous countries.
• Professor Alain Lenoir, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, for Cataglyphis specimens from Burkina Faso and Morocco - e.g. Ants collected in miscellaneous countries.
• Omid Paknia, now studying in Germany, for ants collected as part of his MSc research in Iran - Ants collected in non-African countries
• Dr Mostafa Sharaf, co-author for specimens from Egypt - "Ants of Egypt".
• Dr Mike Smith and Dr Francis Gilbert, University of Nottingham, for specimens collected by the first during his PhD studies in Sinai, Egypt - "Ants of Egypt".
• Marcus Stüben DFG-Graduiertenkolleg "Arthropodenverhalten" Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften der Universität Würzburg (Biozentrum), Germany, for comments and translation of material on Pachycondyla analis and related species; plus help with the glossary of German terminology.
• James C. Trager, Ph. D. Restoration Biologist / Ant Taxonomist Shaw Nature Reserve, USA, for comments and advice on Paratrechina.
• James K. Wetterer, Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, 5353 Parkside Drive, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA - correspondence on Paratrechina longicornis, Monomorium destructor and Tapinoma melanocephalum.
• Ted C. Macrae, http://beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/africkaans-ants/, and Joan at http://saphotographs.blogspot.com/ for photographs of Carebara vidua sexuals from South Africa.

Citations

• Beck, J. & Kunz, B.K. 2007. Cooperative self-defence: Matabele ants (Pachycondyla analis) against African driver ants (Dorylus sp.: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 10, 27-28.
• Yanoviak, S.P., Fisher, B.L. & Alonso, A. 2007. Arboreal ant diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a central African Forest. Afr. J. Ecol., 46, 60-66.
• Dejean, A., Kenne, M. & Moreau, C. S. 2007. Predatory abilities favour the success of the invasive ant Pheidole megacephala in an introduced area. Journal of Applied Entomology, 131 (9-10), 625-629 http://fm1.fieldmuseum.org/aa/Files/cmoreau/Dejean_et_al._2007__J._App._Ent._.pdf
• Dejean, A., Moreau, C. S., Uzac, P., Le Breton, J., & Kenne, M. 2007. The predatory behavior of Pheidole megacephala. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 330, 701-709 http://fm1.fieldmuseum.org/aa/Files/cmoreau/Dejean_et_al._2007_Comptes_Rendus_Biologies_.pdf
• Dejean, A., Moreau, C. S., Kenne, M. & Leponce, M. 2008. The raiding success of Pheidole megacephala on other ants in both its native and introduced ranges. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 331, 631-635 http://fm1.fieldmuseum.org/aa/Files/cmoreau/Dejean_et_al._2008_C._R._Biologies.pdf
• Abdallah Dahbia, Abraham Hefetzb, A., & Lenoir, A. 2008. Chemotaxonomy of some Cataglyphis ants from Morocco and Burkina Faso. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 36, 564-572.
• Dino J. Martins. 2009. Pollination and Facultative Ant-Association in the African Leopard Orchid Ansellia africana. Journal of East African Natural History, 98, (1), 67-77.
  

Communications

Alex Wild has very nicely commented on this website at - http://myrmecos.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/brian-taylors-ants-of-africa/. It is nice to feel "indispensable", or at least to know one's efforts do work for others.

Dr Kate Parr, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford - http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/people/parrkate.php - "I am currently working on some (ants) from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa. I made some exciting finds including an Amblyopone species. I have been using your website a fair bit which has been very helpful". 27 August 2009

Dr. Marcell Peters, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum A. Koenig, BIOTA East Africa, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany: "Many thanks for your nice website on African ants. We (our working group) are using it very often and greatly acknowledge the information presented there." 2 September 2009

Dr Brigitte M. Braschler, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa - "I am a great fan of your website and very much appreciate the effort you have made with the inclusion of original descriptions, distribution records, and photographs. I often recommend the website to new research students here. There are currently a number of students here doing work with ants. Often their projects have to do with Argentine ants as this is the Centre for Invasion Biology, but also more general biodiversity work is done." 29 April 2009.

Amy Wade, PhD student, Department of Agriculture, University of Reading, UK - currently using the site for identification of ants from Ghanaian cocoa.
 
Heather Campbell, PhD student, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, UK - currently using the site for identification of ants involved in savannah ant-Acacia mutualisms in Africa.

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