| Samenvatting: | Background and Aims: The humid tropical forest canopy hosts a great diversity of epiphytic plants and arboreal ants. These biological groups are usually studied individually without considering their interactions. Still, they can establish complex and specialized mutualisms such as ant-gardens, a particular assembly of epiphytic angiosperms cultivated by ants. This work aimed to present the first annotated checklist and the distribution maps of the epiphytes and one ant species associated with ant-gardens in southeastern Mexico. Methods: We compiled occurrence records of the angiosperm epiphytes and ant species in specialized literature, herbarium records and photographs in national and international online databases, as well as field observations. Key results: We reported a total of eight species of epiphytes belonging to six angiosperm families and the ant Azteca gnava, distributed in southeastern Mexico (Veracruz to Quintana Roo) and with the highest diversity on the border between the states of Tabasco and Chiapas. Epidendrum flexuosum was the most representative species of the ant-gardens in southeastern Mexico. Conclusions: The ant-gardens are complex systems, and their study in Mexico is incipient, so we hope this work will encourage their research and the conservation of canopy species and their mutualisms.
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