Zoogeography of the Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Southeastern Iberian Peninsula

The work submitted in this paper presents the first checklist of the ant species of the Segura River Basin based on a review of specific literature and biological material collected during field work conducted from 2012 to 2017. Our findings recorded 110 species belonging to 30 genera of ants and twenty two of these species were recorded for the first time in this area. The zoogeographical composition is dominated by the species of the Mediterranean zone (75.2%), followed by the mixed and deciduous forest zone (19.1%). The most important zoogeographic elements are: Iberian (20%), Holomediterranean (17.1%) and West-Mediterranean (13.3%). There are only six cosmopolitan species (5.71%). There is a greater proportion of species from the mixed and deciduous forest zone in the high-mid altitudes in the Segura River Basin, where the climate is cooler, and more humid. The Euro-Caucasian and Euro-West Siberian elements seems to be more associated to the more humid forest, whilst the Euro-Caucasian elements seem to be more associated to ecosystems more similar to the forest-steppe zone. The existence of these different zoogeographic origins in this area is probably linked with: the position between Africa and Europe; the complex geotectonic, paleogeographic, and paleoclimatic history during the last 7 My; the complex geomorphology; and the high climate and habitat diversity. Based on ant studies and other taxa, possible explanations of the zoogeographic origin of these ant chorotypes are proposed.