Published ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) records from the island of Cyprus

Ants are a vital component of terrestrial ecosystems due to their involvement in ecological processes and interactions, but some invasive alien species can also have detrimental effects to the environment and socioeconomic parameters. The ant biodiversity of Cyprus has been sporadically documented with recent efforts pooling information and resources for a more holistic approach. This dataset includes all published records of ants collected from the island of Cyprus, including records of native, endemic and alien species in order to better map their distribution and spatiotemporal patterns of observation. This dynamic dataset supports species distribution maps created on the “Ants of Cyprus website” (https://sites.google.com/view/ants-of-cyprus), is designed for use by the scientific community, conservation officers, and the wider public and it will be regularly updated as new information and data are generated.