Formidabel; Belgian Ants Database

Occurrence
Latest version published by Belgian Biodiversity Platform on Mar 25, 2021 Belgian Biodiversity Platform
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Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

Data as a DwC-A file download 27,264 records in English (663 KB) - Update frequency: unknown
Metadata as an EML file download in English (23 KB)
Metadata as an RTF file download in English (19 KB)

Description

FORMIDABEL is a database of Belgian Ants containing more than 27.000 occurrence records. These records originate from collections, field sampling and literature. The database gives information on 76 native and 9 introduced ant species found in Belgium. The collection records originated mainly from the Ants collection in Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), the ‘Gaspar’ Ants collection in Gembloux and the zoological collection of the University of Liège (ULG). The oldest occurrences date back from May 1866, the most recent refer to August 2012. FORMIDABEL is a work in progress and the database is updated on a regular basis. Twice a year the database is updated with data from the North and the South of the country. The latest version of the dataset is publicly and freely accessible through this url: http://ipt.biodiversity.be/resource.do?r=formidabel. The dataset is also retrievable via the GBIF data portal through this link: http://data.gbif.org/datasets/resource/14697 A dedicated geo-portal, developed by the Belgian Biodiversity Platform is accessible at: http://www.formicidae-atlas.be FORMIDABEL is a joint cooperation of the Flemish ants working group "Polyergus" and the Wallonian ants working group "FourmisWalBru". The database was created in 2002 in the context of the preliminary red data book of Flemish Ants (Dekoninck et al. 2003). Later in 2005, data from the Southern part of Belgium; Wallonia and Brussels were added. Twice a year the database is updated with data from the North and the South of the country. FORMIDABEL is a work in progress and the database is updated on a regular basis. The latest version of the dataset is publicly and freely accessible through this url: http://ipt.biodiversity.be/resource.do?r=formidabel All the records in FORMIDABEL are georeferenced through the centroid coordinates of the corresponding UTM 5 Km square. Therefore, the uncertainty of these coordinates is 3.500 meters, the distance between the centre and the corner of the UTM square. FORMIDABEL follows the taxonomy of Seifert (2007) for most genera and Radchenko & Elmes (2010) only for the genus Myrmica. A dedicated geo-portal showing Formidabel records is accessible at: http://www.formicidae-atlas.be/

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 27,264 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

DEKONINCK W, VANKERKHOVEN F & MAELFAIT J-P, 2003. – Verspreidingsatlas en voorlopige Rode Lijst van de mieren van Vlaanderen. Rapport van het Instituut voor Natuurbehoud IN.R.2003.07. Brussel 191 pp.

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Belgian Biodiversity Platform. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: b528799a-2d52-4023-aa02-9ce081e3ca5f.  Belgian Biodiversity Platform publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Belgian Biodiversity Platform.

Keywords

Formicidae; Belgium; Flanders; Wallonia; Brussels Capital Region; ecological data; grid mapping; UTM; historical data; literature; collections; observations; trapping; Occurrence

Contacts

Wouter Dekoninck
  • Metadata Provider
  • Custodian Steward
  • Originator
  • Point Of Contact
Curator entomology collections
RBINS
Vautierstraat 29
1000 Brussels
Brussels Capital Region
BE
0032 (0) 2 627 42 98
Dimitri Brosens
  • Originator
  • Processor
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) / Belgian Biodiversity Platform
BE
François Vankerkhoven
  • Custodian Steward
Web designer and Data manager
Polyergus
Diest
Vlaams Brabant
BE
Philippe Wegnez
  • Point Of Contact
President "FourmisWalBru"
FourmisWalBru
Herve
Liége
BE
David Ignace
  • Custodian Steward
FourmisWalBru
Courcelles
Hainaut
BE

Geographic Coverage

Belgium is a small country in Western Europe. To the west, its 70 km coastline fronts the North Sea; to the north lies the Netherlands; to the east, Germany, and to the south, France and Luxembourg. Biologically, the fauna of eastern Belgium belongs to the Central European Province of the Eurasian (Palaearctic) Region. By contrast, the rest of the country primarily consists of an Atlantic fauna plus few Central European relict species. Politically and geographically, the country is divided into three parts: Flanders, Wallonia and the Brussels Capital Region. In Flanders (13,522 km² and population about 6 million people), to the north, soils are mainly sandy to loamy. Here, the most important habitats for ants are heathlands and dry grasslands. The Brussels Capital Region is a small region (162 km²) within Flanders and is entirely situated in the sandy loam area. In Wallonia (17,006 km² and about 3,5 million people), to the south, soils and habitats are more diverse, ranging from forests to rocky and calcareous grasslands on loam and chalky soils. Eastern Wallonia, near the German border, includes the Hautes Fagnes, a large area of bogs and peat with some typical ant species.

Bounding Coordinates South West [49.45, 2.47], North East [51.54, 6.46]

Taxonomic Coverage

The taxonomic coverage of this database spans the full range of ants pertaining to Belgium (outdoor living ant species and exotic introduced species). The determination level is species level and if appropriate also hybrid level. The taxonimic authority followed is: Seifert 2007 and Boer 2010

Phylum Artropoda
Subphylum Hexapoda
Class Insecta
Order Hymenoptera
Suborder Apocrita
Superfamily Vespoidea
Family Formicidae

Temporal Coverage

Start Date / End Date 1866-05-05 / 2011-12-31

Sampling Methods

Pitfall sampling; hand sampling; sifting, nest sampling

Study Extent The data was gathered in the context of the creation of the first Belgian Ant Atlas: "Verspreidingsatlas van de mieren van België - Atlas des fourmis de Belgique"
Quality Control All the data was validated by the dataset curators

Method step description:

  1. A representative number of UTM squares has been sampled. A big portion of the data has been sampled by volonteers, another portion of the data originated from several projects and research programs. The data and specimens were send to the curators and after validation incorporated in the database.

Bibliographic Citations

  1. DEKONINCK W, MAELFAIT J-P, VANKERKHOVEN F & GROOTAERT P, 2005. – Remarks on the distribution and use of a provisional red list of the ants of Flanders (Formicidae, Hymenoptera). In PROCTER D & PT HARDING (Eds.). JNCC Report No. 367 Proceedings of IN Cardiff 2003, Red Lists for Invertebrates: their application at different spatial scales – practical issues, pragmatic approaches, 74-85 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-744142
  2. DEKONINCK W, MAELFAIT J-P, VANKERKHOVEN F, BAUGNÉE J-Y, & GROOTAERT P, 2006. – An update of the checklist of the Belgian ant fauna with comments on new species for the country (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Belgium Journal of Entomology, 8: 27-41.
  3. DEKONINCK W, IGANCE D, VANKERKHOVEN F & WEGNEZ P, 2012. Verspreidingsatlas van de mieren van België/Atlas des fourmis de Belgique. Bulletin SRBE/KBVE, 148 (III): 91pp.
  4. SEIFERT B., 2007. – Die Ameisen Mittel-und Nordeuropas - Lutra Verlags- und Vertriebgesellschaft. Klitten, 368 pp.
  5. RADCHENKO A.G. & ELMES G.W., 2010. – Myrmica ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Old World. Fauna Mondi, Vol. 3, 789 pp.
  6. VANDENBUSSCHE V., 2002. – Systematiek van natuurtypes voor de biotopen heide, moeras, duin, slik en schor: deel 1: Inleiding. Brussels, Instituut voor Natuurbehoud.
  7. ZWAENEPOEL A., T’JOLLYN F., VANDENBUSSCHE V. & HOFFMANN M. 2002. – Systematiek van Natuurtypes voor de biotoop grasland. Brugge & Brussels, WVI & Instituut voor Natuurbehoud.
  8. DEKONINCK W, IGANCE D, VANKERKHOVEN F & WEGNEZ P, 2012. Verspreidingsatlas van de mieren van België/Atlas des fourmis de Belgique. Bulletin SRBE/KBVE, 148 (III): 94pp.
  9. DEKONINCK W, MAELFAIT J-P, VANKERKHOVEN F, BAUGNÉE J-Y, & GROOTAERT P, 2006. –An update of the checklist of the Belgian ant fauna with comments on new species for the country (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Belgium Journal of Entomology, 8: 27-41. http://antweb.org/belgium/Belgiumants2006.pdf
  10. BONDROIT J., 1909. – Les fourmis de Belgique. Annales de la Société royale belge d'Entomologie 1909, 53: 479-500.
  11. BONDROIT J., 1910. – Compte rendu d'une excursion aux environs de Hockai. Annales de la Société royale belge d'Entomologie, 54: 231-232.
  12. BONDROIT J., 1911. – Contribution à la fauna de Belgique, Notes diverses. Annales de la Société royale belge d'Entomologie, 55: 8-13.
  13. BONDROIT J., 1912. – Fourmis des Hautes Fagnes. Bulletin et Annales de la Société royale belge d'Entomologie, 56: 351-352.
  14. BONDROIT J., 1918. – Les Fourmis de France et de Belgique. Annales de la Société d'Entomologie de France, 87: 1-174.
  15. CAMMAERTS R. & CAMMAERTS M.-C., 1988. – Four ants (Hym.: Formicidae) new to the Belgian Fauna. Entomolgist's Record, 100: 37-38.
  16. DE BISEAU J-C & COUVREUR J.-M., 1994. – Fourmis (Formicidae). Faune de Belgique. Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique,56 pp.
  17. DESSART P. & CAMMAERTS R., 1995. – Recaptures d'Hypoponera punctatissima enBelgique (Hymenoptera Formicidae Ponerinae). Bulletin S.R.B.E./K.B.V.E., 131: 487-489.
  18. GASPAR C., 1970. – Hymenoptera Formicidae: cartes 143-164. In Atlas Provisoire des Insectes de Belgique, cartes 101-200. Edité par J. LECLERCQ, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques de l’Etat, Zoologie générale et Faunistique, Gembloux.
  19. GASPAR C., 1970. – Hymenoptera Formicidae: cartes 15-30. In Atlas Provisoire des Insectes de Belgique, cartes 1-100. Edité par J. LECLERCQ, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques de l’Etat, Zoologie générale et Faunistique, Gembloux.
  20. GASPAR C., 1971. – Hymenoptera Formicidae: cartes 203-216. In Atlas Provisoire des Insectes de Belgique, cartes 201-300. Edité par J. LECLERCQ, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques de l’Etat, Zoologie générale et Faunistique, Gembloux.
  21. SCHOETERS E. & VANKERKHOVEN F., 2001a. – Onze mieren. Educatie Limburgs Landschap, Heusden-Zolder, 175 pp.
  22. VAN BOVEN J.K.A., 1947. – Liste de détermination des principales espèces de Fourmis belges (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin S.R.B.E./K.B.V.E., 83: 163-190.
  23. VAN BOVEN J.K.A., 1949. – Notes sur la faune des Hautes Fagnes en Belgique. Bulletin S.R.B.E./K.B.V.E., 85: 135-143.
  24. VAN BOVEN, J.K.A., 1970. – Vliesvleugelige insecten - Hymenoptera, Angeldragers - Aculeata, Mieren - Formicidae. Wetenschappelijke Mededelingen van de Koninklijke Nederlandse Natuurhistorische Vereniging, 30: 52 pp.
  25. VAN BOVEN J.K.A. & MABELIS A.A., 1986. – De mieren van de Benelux. Wetenschappelijke Mededelingen van de KNNV 173, 64 pp.

Additional Metadata

This dataset was originally created to develop the Belgian Ants Atlas. However, the dataset can be reused for a variety of purposes. Since the link between individual data records and underlined specimens (stored in multiple collections) is not recorded, we doubt if the dataset can be used for taxonomic or systematic studies. However, this being an occurrence dataset, it can be used for understanding species richness, distribution pattern and modeling studies such as ecological niche modeling. In order to enhance the confidence of use, we have documented the metadata as well as subjected the data records to a series of quality assessment and enhancement processes as described in the earlier section quality control description.

Purpose The dataset was developed for the creation of the first Belgian ant Atlas
Alternative Identifiers b528799a-2d52-4023-aa02-9ce081e3ca5f
https://ipt.biodiversity.be/resource?r=formidabel