List of ants of Sri Lanka

Last updated October 18, 2025

Sri Lanka is a tropical island country situated near to the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent. Sri Lanka is home to at least 229 species of ants which span 66 genera and 12 subfamilies. There are 102 endemic species in Sri Lanka, comprising 48.6% of ant species on the island. The following list is according to the Ants of Sri Lanka by Prof. R.K. Sriyani Dias 2014 comprehensive edition by Biodiversity Secretariat on Ministry of Environmental and Renewable Energy of Sri Lanka.^[1]

Ants

Subfamily: Amblyoponinae

Stigmatomma testaceum

Subfamily: Aneuretinae

Aneuretus simoni - Sri Lanka Relict Ant (endemic)

Aneuretus simoni - An endemic ant species of Sri Lanka

Subfamily: Dolichoderinae

Technomyrmex albipes - Known as "Kalu kumbiya" in Sri Lanka

Subfamily: Dorylinae

Subfamily: Ectatomminae

Gnamptogenys coxalis

Subfamily: Formicinae

Camponotus albipes
Camponotus auriculatus
Camponotus barbatus
Camponotus ceylonicus
Camponotus greeni
Camponotus fletcheri
Camponotus indeflexus
Camponotus irritans
Camponotus isabellae
Camponotus latebrosus
Camponotus maculatus
Camponotus mendax - ssp. integer
Camponotus mitis
Camponotus ominosus
Camponotus rufoglaucus
Camponotus reticulatus - ssp. yerburyi
Camponotus sericeus
Camponotus sesquipedalis
Camponotus simoni
Camponotus thraso - ssp. diogenes
Camponotus varians
Camponotus variegatus - ssp. infuscoides, intrans
Camponotus wedda
Dolichoderus taprobanae
Lepisiota capensis - ssp. lunaris
Myrmoteras ceylonicum
Nylanderia taylori - ssp. levis
Nylanderia vagabunda
Nylanderia yerburyi

Oecophylla smaragdina
Paratrechina longicornis
Plagiolepis pissina
Polyrhachis aedipus
Polyrhachis bugnioni
Polyrhachis convexa - ssp. isabellae
Polyrhachis curvispina
Polyrhachis exercita
Polyrhachis gibbosa
Polyrhachis hippomanes - ssp. ceylonensis
Polyrhachis horni
Polyrhachis illaudata
Polyrhachis jerdonii
Polyrhachis nigra
Polyrhachis punctillata
Polyrhachis rastellata
Polyrhachis rupicapra
Polyrhachis scissa
Polyrhachis sophocles
Polyrhachis thrinax
Polyrhachis tibialis - ssp. pectita
Polyrhachis xanthippe
Polyrhachis yerburyi
Prenolepis naoroji
Pseudolasius isabellae

Subfamily: Leptanillinae

Subfamily: Myrmicinae

Acanthomyrmex luciolae
Anillomyrma decamera
Calyptomyrmex singalensis
Calyptomyrmex tamil
Calyptomyrmex vedda
Cardiocondyla emeryi - ssp. emeryi
Cardiocondyla minutior
Cardiocondyla nuda
Carebara bruni
Carebara butteli
Carebara ceylonensis
Carebara deponens
Carebara diversa - ssp. taprobanae
Carebara escherichi
Carebara nana
Carebara pygmaea
Carebara sinhala
Cataulacus granulatus
Cataulacus simoni
Cataulacus taprobanae
Crematogaster anthracina
Crematogaster apicalis
Crematogaster biroi
Crematogaster brunnescens
Crematogaster consternens
Crematogaster desecta
Crematogaster dohrni - ssp. dohrni, gigas
Crematogaster pellens
Crematogaster ransonneti
Crematogaster rogeri
Crematogaster rogenhoferi
Crematogaster rothneyi - ssp. haputalensis
Crematogaster subnuda
Dilobocondyla didita
Lophomyrmex quadrispinosus
Meranoplus bicolor
Meranoplus boltoni
Meranoplus levis
Meranoplus loebli
Metapone greeni
Metapone johni
Monomorium consternens
Monomorium floricola
Monomorium pharaonis
Monomorium latinode
Monomorium subopacum
Monomorium taprobanae
Myrmicaria brunnea
Paratopula ceylonica
Pheidole barreleti
Pheidole ceylonica
Pheidole diffidens
Pheidole gracilipes
Pheidole horni
Pheidole latinoda - ssp. angustior, latinoda, peradeniyae
Pheidole malinsii
Pheidole megacephala
Pheidole nietneri
Pheidole noda
Pheidole parva
Pheidole pronotalis
Pheidole rugosa
Pheidole spathifera - ssp. yerburyi
Pheidole sulcaticeps - ssp. sulcaticeps, vellicans
Pheidole templaria - ssp. euscrobata
Pheidologeton diversus
Recurvidris pickburni
Rhopalomastix escherichi
Solenopsis geminata
Solenopsis nitens
Stereomyrmex horni
Strumigenys godeffroyi
Strumigenys inopinata
Strumigenys lewisi
Strumigenys lyroessa
Strumigenys veddha
Tetramorium bicarinatum
Tetramorium curvispinosum
Tetramorium pacificum
Tetramorium pilosum
Tetramorium simillimum
Tetramorium tonganum
Tetramorium tortuosum
Tetramorium transversarium
Tetramorium yerburyi
Trichomyrmex criniceps
Trichomyrmex destructor
Trichomyrmex emeryi - ssp. laevior
Trichomyrmex rogeri
Tyrannomyrmex legatus
Vollenhovia escherichi

Subfamily: Ponerinae

Subfamily: Pseudomyrmecinae

The following species were also described from Sri Lanka, but their true identities are currently unknown due to lack of experiments.

Also check

Ants of Sri Lanka , a book by Dr. Shriyani Dias

References

↑ Dias, Sriyani R.K. (2014). Ants of Sri Lanka. Battaramulla: Biodiversity Secretariat on Ministry of Environmental and Renewable Energy of Sri Lanka. p. 273. ISBN 978-955-0033-73-7.

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[ASL-1] Dias, Sriyani R.K. (2014). Ants of Sri Lanka. Battaramulla: Biodiversity Secretariat on Ministry of Environmental and Renewable Energy of Sri Lanka. p. 273. ISBN 978-955-0033-73-7.

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