Species grouping and key to known species of the ant genus Echinopla Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with reports of Chinese species

Twenty-three valid species of the formicine ant genus Echinopla Smith are recorded in the world. Body surface sculptures of the genus are summarized into four types: shagreened, longitudinally striate, bluntly spined with background retirugose and cribrate with interstice retirugose. The twenty-three species are divided into five species-groups based on the body surface sculpture types and other important characters. A key to known species of the genus is provided based on worker and queen castes. E. striata Smith, 1857 is recorded in China for the first time, E. cherapunjiensis Bharti & Gul, 2012 is recorded in Tibet and Guangxi regions of China, and this is the northernmost record of the genus in the world.