Abstract
The state of Maranhão, located in northeastern Brazil, comprises three biomes: Amazonian, Caatinga, and the Cerrado. To date, 99 ant species have been recorded in the literature from the state. In the present work, we provide for the first time a profile of the ant fauna in the state based on data from the historical literature and Brazilian institutional collections. The updated records on ant diversity for the state of Maranhão revealed a total of 279 species, belonging to 71 genera and 10 subfamilies. In total, 180 species are recorded for the first time in the state, of which four species recorded for the first time in Brazil. In summary, apart from documenting the ant fauna of the region, these results provide a basis for further studies and may contribute to future conservation efforts for the biomes present in this complex landscape.
Highlights
Understanding the distribution of species is essential to determine regional and global patterns of biodiversity (Dalzochio et al, 2018)
We provide for the first time a profile of the ant fauna in the state based on data from the historical literature and Brazilian institutional collections
180 species are recorded for the first time in the state, of which four species recorded for the first time in Brazil
Summary
Understanding the distribution of species is essential to determine regional and global patterns of biodiversity (Dalzochio et al, 2018). In this sense, taxonomic inventories contribute to characterize areas of endemism, reveal taxonomic novelties and improve scientific collections (Moura et al, 2014; Freitas et al, 2017). The analysis of species distribution databases can. Maranhão is a northeastern state in Brazil and comprises a total area of 329,642.170 km (IBGE, 2018).
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