Saroj S., Mandi A., Basak N., Mandal P.
The Buxa Tiger Reserve as a ‘hot spot’ of ant diversity in West Bengal state (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Number: 503, Pages: 16 - 22
Totally 126 species from 43 genera and 7 subfamilies of ants have been found in the Buxa Tiger Reserve. Of them Tetramorium curtulum Emery, 1895, Calyptomyrmex friederikae Kutter, 1976 and Dolichoderus brevis Santschi, 1920 are recorded from India for the first time. Six rare species are also found here, viz. Gesomyrmex spatulatus Cole, 1949, Rhopalomastix rothneyi Forel, 1900, Colobopsis cotesii (Forel, 1893), Colobopsis vitrea angustula (Emery, 1925), and Camponotus selene (Emery, 1889). The diversity and distribution pattern of different species opens avenue for considering this protected area as a gene pool for ant diversity in West Bengal.