Introduction

Access to entomological knowledge and stronger engagement with the public are amongst the emerging themes and future priority challenges to entomology (Luke et al. 2023). Biodiversity data platforms, repositories, fora, databases and websites contribute to these challenges by raising awareness, increasing local knowledge of biodiversity and promoting public participation in scientific research (McCormack 2007, Borges et al. 2010, Goula et al. 2013, Kalaentzis et al. 2021, Zotos et al. 2023). Furthermore, biodiversity databases have been extensively used for mapping and modelling species distributions, reporting on newly-detected or expanding alien species, as well as in studies on the ecology and conservation of rare or threatened species (Castañeda et al. 2019, Mesibov 2019, Avtaeva et al. 2020, Ruzzier et al. 2020, Wilson et al. 2020, Davranoglou and Karaouzas 2021, Angelidou et al. 2022, Krapf 2023, Lugo et al. 2023, Skvarla and Fisher 2023). Despite their high biodiversity, insects are amongst the classes with the lowest median observations per species and poorest taxonomic precision in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (Troudet et al. 2017). This taxonomic bias is also evident in global conservation efforts, with insect conservation receiving minimal attention compared to vertebrates (Dunn 2005, Oberhauser and Guiney 2009, Donaldson et al. 2017).

Recently, large scale data syntheses have developed taxonomic resources for an exemplar invertebrate group, ants (Janicki et al. 2016, Guénard et al. 2017, Kass et al. 2022). Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) belong to an ecologically important family of insects, with recent global estimates showing 20 quadrillion ants on Earth and their total global biomass reaching 12 megatons of dry carbon (Parker and Kronauer 2021, Schultheiss et al. 2022). They are considered “ecosystem engineers”, altering ecosystem dynamics and the availability of resources to other species directly or indirectly through the creation of their nests (Jones et al. 1997, Jouquet et al. 2006, Del Toro et al. 2012). Ants also form symbiotic relationships with animals (myrmecophiles), plants and fungi, with the latter relationship increasing soil biodiversity through mycorrhizal enrichment, dispersion of fungal spores, the development of plant rhizosphere fauna and enhancing the growth of ammonifying bacteria (Folgarait 1998). The nests and tunnels which ants excavate also increase soil drainage and aeration, making water and air more accessible to soil arthropods and plant roots (Folgarait 1998). Their movement between shallow and deeper soil layers transports faeces, corpses and other organic matter, enhancing their availability to decomposers and, thus, enriching the soil with nutrients (Folgarait 1998, Del Toro et al. 2012, De Almeida et al. 2020). Regarding ant-plant interactions, myrmecochory, i.e. the dispersal of seeds by ants, plays an important role for at least 11,000 species of plants (Lengyel et al. 2010). Some ants have also been found to pollinate plants such as orchids (Del Toro et al. 2012, Claessens and Seifert 2017). In addition to their aforementioned roles in ecosystem processes, ants have direct benefits for people both as a food source and, more recently, in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications which use their silk cocoons or venom (Del Toro et al. 2012).

On the other hand, some ant species are regarded as agricultural, commercial and household pests, often being reported as a nuisance for inflicting painful stings or bites and infesting food products, electrical appliances or timber (Klotz et al. 1995, Lee 2002, Wetterer 2009, Del Toro et al. 2012, Serge et al. 2019). These “disservices” impact human and animal health, cause substantial economic losses across the globe and are exacerbated by the impact of Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868), Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972, Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger, 1863) and other invasive alien species of ants. These invasive ants have affected ecosystems and their native biodiversity, leading, amongst others, to the decrease of native arthropod and vertebrate abundances (Wetterer and Porter 2003, Moreira et al. 2005, Lard et al. 2006, Del Toro et al. 2012, Zina et al. 2020, Gruber et al. 2022, Montgomery et al. 2022, Tercel et al. 2023).

Cyprus has been identified as a biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000) and important area for small-ranged ants (Kass et al. 2022). The myrmecofauna of Cyprus has been reported through online catalogues which include a checklist of only 65 native and ten alien species (Janicki et al. 2016, Guénard et al. 2017). Some information and annotations on selected species can be found in Georghiou (1977), Edwards et al. (2016), the Biodiversity of Cyprus blogspot (https://biodiversitycyprus.blogspot.com/search/label/Ants%20of%20%20Cyprus) and AntWiki (https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Cyprus). However, recent research has added several both alien and native species to the inventory of Cyprus (Demetriou et al. 2023, Salata et al. 2023a, Salata et al. 2023b, Salata et al. 2023c, Salata et al. 2024). There are a number of websites and platforms focusing on particular taxonomic groups for Cyprus, such as BirdLife Cyprus (https://birdlifecyprus.org/), the Flora of Cyprus (Hand et al. 2011), the Cyprus Database of Alien Species (CyDAS) (https://ris-ky.info/cydas), the Cyprus Herp Atlas (Zotos et al. 2023), the Chalcid Wasps of Cyprus (Koutsoukos et al. 2024) and Biodiversity of Cyprus (https://biodiversitycyprus.blogspot.com/); however, a portal providing information and data on the ants of Cyprus is lacking.

The “Ants of Cyprus” website aims to aggregate, summarise and present all available knowledge on the ants of Cyprus. This dynamic, user-friendly website has been constructed to be used by the scientific community, conservation officials and the wider public. The website’s main objectives are:

(1) To raise public awareness and increase local knowledge of the biodiversity and ecological significance of ants on Cyprus and beyond.

(2) Provide data on the distribution (including downloadable occurrence records and distributional maps), phenology (monthly activity/presence), morphology (photographic material), habitats and interrelationships of ants with other insect species on Cyprus.

(3) Enhance conservation efforts and set a baseline for the future assessment of both native i.e. against IUCN categories and criteria and alien ant species i.e. using the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) and Socio‐Economic Impact Classification of Alien Taxa (SEICAT) protocols (Blackburn et al. 2014, Bacher et al. 2017), to provide information and guide national conservation and management priorities, respectively (Fig. 1).

Figure 1.  

An illustration of the main objectives of the “Ants of Cyprus” website focusing on awareness raising, the ecology and conservation of ants on Cyprus.

Materials and methods

Website overview

The main menu of the site is divided into the following top-level pages:

Home. Welcome page stating the funding declaration and the website’s main objectives (Fig. 2).

Figure 2.  

Ants of Cyprus homepage.

News. Blog page featuring the latest news on the ants of Cyprus, such as information on new publications, events or citizen-science initiatives taking place.

About ants. A menu section page further divided into the following pages: “How to spot an ant”, “Ants and other species”, “Ecological significance” and “Eusociality and lifecycle” providing valuable information on the morphology, species interrelationships and ecology of ants to the wider public.

Ants of Cyprus. A pull-down menu section in the form of a taxonomic backbone following Bolton (2024), with information on the subfamilies > genera > and species present on the island. On a subfamily level, the genera present in Cyprus are noted. Moving on to the genus level, an embedded map from the AntMaps website (Janicki et al. 2016, Guénard et al. 2017) shows the number of native species in the genus worldwide. The map is followed by a checklist of the species present on Cyprus, species previously reported, but dubious or erroneous (where applicable) and the relevant scientific literature. On a species level, profiles for all species found in Cyprus are provided including data on their status, distribution, phenology (monthly activity/presence), establishment status, ecology and habitats and conservation accompanied by photographic material, maps, downloadable occurrence records and relevant scientific literature.

Associations with other insects. This section provides an *.xlsx file on known associations of ants with other insects including myrmecophilus species and parasitoids, based on scientific literature. Myrmecophilous taxa, such as Brentidae, the genera Cryptocephalus (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), Thorictus (Coleoptera, Dermestidae) and lycaenid butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), whose host ants are unknown, have been also included in order to promote collaboration with and data collection from beetle and butterfly enthusiasts, ecologists, taxonomists and scientists. This file will be supplemented in the future with more species and associations as research on ants in Cyprus and associates develops.

Biological invasions. General information on biological invasions and the alien ants of Cyprus are provided, including clickable links to the species profiles of 17 alien ants currently detected on the island (Demetriou et al. 2023), with special reference to the presence and impacts of the little fire-ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger, 1863) (Demetriou et al. 2022, Demetriou et al. 2023) as well as measures to mitigate further spread. A full disclosure statement is provided as the authors are not involved with pest control, clarifying the ecological nature of the website.

Media and keys. A menu section divided into the sub-pages “Statistics and checklist”, “Distributional data (published)”, “Educational material” and “Identification keys”. The “Statistics and checklist” subpage includes a dynamic checklist of ants on Cyprus alongside their status. At the top of the page, the number of subfamilies, genera and species present on the island is given, including the number and overall percentages of endemic and non-native species. The “Distributional data (published)” subpage includes a link to the published GBIF dataset (Demetriou et al. 2024), a .csv copy of the dataset, a map with all published data, as well as the citation to the dataset. The subsection “Educational material” includes a photographic guide to identify main ant groups, a trifold brochure on the ANTovreis citizen-science initiative, informational material on the little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata and posters on alien invasive species not yet reported from Cyprus, such as Anoplolepis gracilipes, Linepithema humile and Solenopsis invicta, all both in Greek and English. Links to research articles with identification keys, are provided in the appropriate section.

Glossary. Definition of entomological terms used throughout the website. A link to the “interpretative dictionary of entomological terms” in Greek by Buchelos (2012) is also provided to guide Greek-speaking readers.

Mapping and data standards. Listing materials and methods used for the construction of the species profiles as listed in the aforementioned section.

ANTovreis CSI. Information and encouragement to participate in a citizen-science scheme on Cypriot ants, which will be presented as the project evolves.

Credits. Acknowledging and listing data contributors and supporting organisations.

About us. Includes the website’s citation, project members and contact information (ants.of.cyprus@gmail.com).

Data usage

Acknowledgements

Funding program

Grant title

Hosting institution

Conflicts of interest

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