The book contains: an introduction to morphology, development, ecology, life cycle, feeding strategies and enemies of ants; comprehensive information on all important aspects of the special biology of the 180 outdoor species of Central and North Europe given in a standardized handbook format; a short description of the multidimensional niche space of all German ants; an illustrated determination key to 190 species recorded for the area and directly adjacent regions; the authors position to some fundamental questions of taxonomy and biodiversity research; and 581 photos and line drawings of living or mounted ants.