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A surge of interest in ants is sweeping through biology, due in no small part to the calculated efforts of B. H611dobler and E.O. Wilson, whose seven-pound Pulitzer Prize-winning instant classic, The Ants (1990), provided more than enough critical mass to insure a sustained reaction. Chapter 2 of that work did its level best to supply the baseline knowledge necessary for comprehending ant morphological diversity, distribution, and classification, but fell short of the ideal of a self-contained key, atlas, and bench reference. Now, Barry Bolton of the British Museum, who authored some of the keys in that volume, has fulfilled this need by publishing the Identification Guide to the Ant Genera of the World.H611dobler and Wilson were the first in the history of myrmecology to assemble in one place representative illustrations, in the form of line drawings, of all extant ant genera. Bolton has taken this worthy goal to a sublime level by including scanning electron micrographs of both a full-face view and a body profile for the worker caste of nearly every described genus. These SEM's are for the most part clear and well executed, with the result that, for the first time ever, the full range of morphology in the family Formicidae may easily be perused and appreciated by any interested person, regardless of myrmecological background. The overall result is nothing less than an opulent visual atlas of genus-level ant diversity. Perhaps more importantly, the Identification Guide to Ant Genera of the World serves as a much-needed reference for: 1) current classification, 2) genus-level identification of the world fauna, 3) external ant-specific morphology, and 4) the systematic literature relevant at the genus level and above.

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In order to observe the effect of forest loss on the leaf litter ant fauna in Ghana, West Africa, samples were taken in primary forest, secondary forest and in cocoa plots. Ants were extracted from the leaf litter by sieving followed by suspension in Winkler bags. The species composition and species richness in the three different habitats were compared and no significant difference was found between them. It was concluded that most primary forest leaf litter ant species continue to survive in parts of the agricultural landscape which has largely replaced their original habitat.

Summary 1.Tropical biodiversity is seriously threatened by deforestation but few studies have quantified its impact. We aimed to measure the impact of forest clearance and different methods of establishing Terminalia ivorensis (Combretaceae) forest plantations on the abundance, richness and composition of ants, the most abundant group of arthropods in tropical forest canopies, in the Mblamayo Forest Reserve in Cameroon. For canopy ants, we quantified the effects of different methods of plantation establishment by sampling two sets of plots subjected to complete clearance, partial mechanical clearance and partial manual clearance relative to uncleared forest reference plots. For leaf-litter ants, we quantified the impacts of different levels of forest disturbance along a gradient from near primary forest to complete forest clearance. . Jack-knife estimates of species richness showed that at one site, Bilik, 87% more species occurred in the partial manual clearance plot than the complete clearance plot, with the partial mechanical clearance plot intermediate. At the other site, Ebogo, ant richness did not vary between treatments. Ants were 20 times more abundant in the partial manual clearance plot in Ebogo than the partial manual clearance plot in Bilik, largely due to a numerous Technomyrmex species that might have reduced ant richness on this plot. 3. Cluster analysis of the similarities in ant species composition between plots, calculated by the Morisita index, showed that site and treatment affected species composition. Neither treatment nor site affected the relative number of species in different nesting categories. 4. A total of 111 ant species (from 3650 individuals) was recorded from the leaf litter, at an average of 52 ( ± 4·6) ants m -2 . Species numbers were greatest in the two partial clearance plots in Ebogo (52-53 species), lowest in the two complete clearance plots (37), and intermediate and most variable in the three uncleared forest plots (40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52). Cluster analysis showed that species composition was not affected by treatment, while neither treatment nor site affected the relative number of ant species in different feeding categories. 5. Despite some local effects by dominant species, our results support the view that deforestation can reduce arthropod species richness. This study is unique in showing that reforestation methods (using a single tree species) can have a marked effect on arthropod species richness and composition. Specifically, it reveals that ant species richness can be greater in plantations established after partial manual clearance than complete clearance.