2009.08.05 How many different species of ant are there?

The most recent complete tabulation of ant species is that by Barry Bolton in his 1995 catalog of the ants of the world. He recognized 9563 names of ants described by science, each a distinct form. Since that publication, dozens of new species have been discovered by myrmecologists. The Social Insects/Antbase Web site gives the most recent count at 12,545 species on August 5th, 2009. --Dr. Ant and Ant

Since most of the ant species in studies of tropical areas are as yet unnamed, and new ones continue to be discovered even in relatively well-studied Japan, Europe and North America, myrmecologists estimate that there may be over 20,000 different kinds of ants inhabiting the earth." --Dr. Ant