A First Checklist and Diversity of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Saline Dry Lake Chott El Hodna in Algeria, a Ramsar Conservation Wetland

© Entomological Society of Southern Africa. In the first study of its kind, ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were sampled near a unique natural environment, a large saline lake, Chott El Hodna, a Ramsar ConservationWetland in eastern Algeria. The species of ants were determined at two sites, Medbah and Birkraa in spring (March-April) 2011 using pitfall trapping and hand collecting.We provide a checklist and some observations on 24 species belonging to 14 genera and four subfamilies (Dolichoderinae, Dorylinae, Formicinae and Myrmicinae). To evaluate the ant diversity, we used data from pitfall traps for calculating ecological indexes.