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 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.
• 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. Their use of this site for identifications is acknowledged in Yanoviak, S.P., Fisher, B.L. & Alonso, A. Arboreal ant diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a central African Forest. Afr. J. Ecol., 46, 60-66.

Specific Country studies

• Benin - for specimens collected by S Tchibozo and sent to me via Yves Braet, of Belgium.
• Cameroun - Professor Doyle McKey and colleagues, Montpellier University.
• Cameroun - Hauke Koch for Pheidole specimens collected as part of his graduate project.
• Central African Republic - Drs Philippe Annoyer and Sam Danflous for specimens from the former's study in the Nzanga-Ndoki National Park.
• Congo - Dr Yves Braet, for specimens from pitfall traps at Brazzaville.
• 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 - S Sky Stephens, University of Arizona, for specimens collected as part of her PhD study of forest ant ecology.
• Egypt - Dr Mostafa Sharaf, co-author of "Ants of Egypt" for specimens from that country.
• Gabon - Dr Yves Braet, for specimens from his studies of the ecology of the Pongara National Park.
• 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) .
• Rwanda - Gabriel Bizimungu for specimens collecting during an MSc study of the impact of ants on coffee in Rwanda and Australia
• South Africa - Dr Peter Hlavác, for specimens collected in South Africa
• Sudan - Miss Awatif Omer, MSc, for specimens from her country.
• Tanzania - the late Professor Shigeo Uehara, for mainly Driver Ants collected as part of the Mahale (southern Tanzania) observations of chimpanzee behaviour.
• Tanzania - Dr Vasily Grebennikov, for specimens from the Uluguru Mountains, eastern Tanzania.
• Tanzania - Dr George McGavin, for specimens taken in his study of tree canopy insects in the Mkomazi Game Reserve.

Miscellaneous

• Armin Ionescu and Professor Joshua Kugler, University of Tel Aviv, for specimens from Israel and Sinai.
• 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.
• Professor Alain Lenoir, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, for Cataglyphis specimens from Burkina Faso and Morocco.
• Omid Paknia, now studying in Germany, for ants collected as part of his MSc research in Iran.
• Dr Mike Smith and Dr Francis Gilbert, University of Nottingham, for specimens collected by the first during his PhD studies in Sinai, 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.

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