Ants of Alabama-species list

Ants of Alabama (species list)
Joe MacGown

Historically, the only list of ants of Alabama was done by L. C. Murphree in 1947. However, his collections were concentrated in urban areas and consequently his list was incomplete. Recent collections (in the last decade or so) in Alabama by the Mississippi Entomological Museum (MEM), collections by Jason Forster at Auburn University Entomological Museum (AUEM), and published records in revisional works by various authors have dramatically increased the total number of species reported from Alabama. The list presented below is largely based on a recently published paper documenting ants of Alabama by MacGown and Forster (2005) and recent collections since that publication. The list below includes 167 species of Formicidae, plus the hybrid fire ant, Solenopsis invicta X richteri, from 9 subfamilies and 38 genera. Many of the species records included in this list are based on collections made during the last 12 years, with 135 species collected during this time period. The remaining species records are from examination of older specimens stored at both the AUEM in Alabama and the MEM at Mississippi State University, as well as from literature records.

Clicking on a species name will lead to a page with further information and photographs of that species. Although species pages are at various levels of progress, most pages now have representative photographs of at least workers of the species. In addition to the photographs of ants taken by Joe MacGown at the Mississippi Entomological Museum (MEM), many photos are used, with permission, from AntWeb, a web site about ants of the world with amazing photos. The Discover Life site provides a list of North American ants with photos at "Kinds of Ants , Ants of North America Page". On each individual MEM species page, a link is provided (at the bottom of the page) for that species on both the AntWeb site and the Discover Life ant site. The list presented is arranged by subfamily, tribe, and genus according to Bolton (2003). Names follow Fisher and Cover (2007). Species that are in the Mississippi Entomological Museum (MEM), literature records, web based records, and/or other citations of records are noted in brackets following the species name (note that not all published records are given).

Family Formicidae
Subfamily Dolichoderinae
Tribe Dolichoderini

Dolichoderus mariae Forel [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Dolichoderus plagiatus (Mayr) [ MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Dolichoderus pustulatus Mayr [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Dolichoderus taschenbergi (Mayr) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Dorymyrmex bureni (Trager) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Dorymyrmex flavus McCook [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Dorymyrmex grandulus (Forel) [Trager, 1984]
Dorymyrmex smithi Cole [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Forelius mccooki (McCook) [MEM]
Forelius pruinosus (Roger) [MEM]
Linepithema humile (Mayr) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Tapinoma sessile (Say) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Subfamily Formicinae
Tribe Lasiini

Lasius alienus (Foerster) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Lasius flavus (Fabricius) [Smith, 1979]
Lasius neoniger Emery [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Lasius umbratus (Nylander) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Tribe Plagiolepidini

Brachymyrmex depilis Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr [MEM; MacGown et al., 2007]
Brachymyrmex sp. [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Paratrechina arenivaga (Wheeler) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Paratrechina bourbonica (Forel) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Paratrechina concinna Trager [Trager, 1984]
Paratrechina faisonensis (Forel) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille) [Murphree, 1947]
Paratrechina parvula (Mayr) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Paratrechina phantasma Trager [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Paratrechina vividula (Nylander) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Paratrechina wojciki Trager [Trager, 1984]
Prenolepis imparis (Say) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Tribe Camponotini

Tribe Formicini

Formica archboldi M. R. Smith [Smith, 1979]
Formica biophilica Trager [MEM; Trager et al., 2007]
Formica dolosa Buren [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Formica integra Nylander [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Formica pallidefulva Latreille [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Formica rubicunda Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Formica subintegra Wheeler [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Formica subsericea Say [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae
Tribe Pseudomyrmecini

Pseudomyrmex ejectus (F. Smith) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pseudomyrmex pallidus (F. Smith) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pseudomyrmex seminole Ward [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Subfamily Ecitoninae
Tribe Ecitonini

Neivamyrmex carolinensis (Emery) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Neivamyrmex nigrescens (Cresson) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Neivamyrmex opacithorax (Emery) [Watkins, 1985; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Subfamily Amblyoponinae
Tribe Amblyoponini

Amblyopone pallipes (Haldeman) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Subfamily Ponerinae
Tribe Ponerini

Cryptopone gilva (Roger) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Hypoponera inexorata Wheeler [MEM]
Hypoponera opaciceps (Mayr) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Hypoponera opacior (Forel) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Odontomachus brunneus (Patton) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Odontomachus ruginodis M. R. Smith [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pachycondyla chinensis (Emery) [pers. com. Rob Dunn, N.C. State University]
Pachycondyla stigma (F.) [Deyrup et al., 1989]
Ponera exotica M. R. Smith [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Ponera pennsylvanica Buckley [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Subfamily Ectatomminae
Tribe Ectatommini

Gnamptogenys triangularis (Mayr) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Subfamily Proceratiinae
Tribe Proceratiini

Discothyrea testacea Roger [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Proceratium chickasaw De Andrade [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Proceratium crassicorne Emery [Baroni Urbani & de Andrade, 2003]
Proceratium croceum (Roger) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Baroni Urbani & de Andrade, 2003]
Proceratium pergandei (Emery) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Baroni Urbani & de Andrade, 2003]
Proceratium silaceum Roger [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Baroni Urbani & de Andrade, 2003]

Subfamily Myrmicinae
Tribe Dacetini

Pyramica angulata (M. R. Smith) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Bolton, 2000]
Pyramica clypeata (Roger) [MacGown & Forster, 2005; Bolton, 2000]
Pyramica creightoni (M. R. Smith) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pyramica dietrichi (M. R. Smith) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Bolton, 2000]
Pyramica hexamera (Brown) [MEM]
Pyramica laevinasis (M. R. Smith) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Bolton, 2000]
Pyramica margaritae (Forel) [MacGown & Forster, 2005; Smith 1979]
Pyramica membranifera (Emery) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pyramica metazytes Bolton [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pyramica ohioensis (Kennedy & Schramm) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pyramica ornata (Mayr) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Bolton, 2000]
Pyramica pergandei (Emery) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pyramica pilinasis (Forel) [Bolton, 2000]
Pyramica pulchella (Emery) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Bolton, 2000]
Pyramica reflexa (Wesson & Wesson) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Bolton, 2000]
Pyramica rostrata (Emery) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Bolton, 2000]
Pyramica talpa (Weber) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005; Bolton, 2000]
Strumigenys louisianae Roger [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Strumigenys silvestrii Emery [pers. comm. Mark Deyrup, Archbold Biological Station, FL)

Tribe Attini

Cyphomyrmex rimosus (Spinola) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Trachymyrmex septentrionalis (McCook) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Tribe Stenammini

Stenamma foveolocephalum M. R. Smith [Dubois & Davis, 1998; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Stenamma impar Forel [MEM]

Tribe Solenopsidini

Monomorium floricola (Jerdon) [MacGown & Forster, 2005; Smith, 1979]
Monomorium minimum (Buckley) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Monomorium pharaonis (Linnaeus) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Monomorium viride Brown [Glancey et al., 1976; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis carolinensis Forel [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) [Creighton 1930; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis globularia Creighton [MEM; Creighton 1930; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis invicta Buren [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis invicta X richteri [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis molesta (Say) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis pergandei Forel [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis picta Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis richteri Forel [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis tennesseensis M. R. Smith [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis texana Emery [Pacheco, 2007]
Solenopsis tonsa Thompson [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Solenopsis xyloni McCook [MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Tribe Myrmicini

Myrmica americana Weber [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Myrmica pinetorum Wheeler [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Myrmica punctiventris Roger [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pogonomyrmex badius (Latreille) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Tribe Tetramoriini

Tetramorium bicarinatum (Nylander) [Glancey et al., 1976; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Tetramorium caespitum (Linnaeus) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Tetramorium lanuginosum Mayr [Murphree, 1947]

Tribe Pheidolini

Aphaenogaster carolinensis Wheeler [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Aphaenogaster floridana M. R. Smith [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Aphaenogaster fulva Roger [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Aphaenogaster lamellidens Mayr [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Aphaenogaster miamiana Wheeler [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Aphaenogaster picea (Wheeler) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Aphaenogaster rudis Enzmann [MacGown & Forster, 2005; Umphrey, 1996]
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis (Mayr) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Aphaenogaster treatae Forel [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole adrianoi Naves [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole bicarinata Mayr [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole crassicornis Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole davisi Wheeler [Wilson, 2003]
Pheidole dentata Mayr [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole dentigula M.R Smith [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole floridana Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole lamia Wheeler [MEM]
Pheidole metallescens Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole moerens Wheeler [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole morrisi Forel [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole obscurithorax Naves [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole pilifera (Roger) [MEM]
Pheidole tetra Creighton [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole tysoni Forel [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Pheidole sp.-01 [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Tribe Crematogastrini

Crematogaster ashmeadi Mayr [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Crematogaster atkinsoni Wheeler [Johnson, 1988; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Crematogaster cerasi (Fitch) [MEM]
Crematogaster lineolata (Say) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Crematogaster minutissima Mayr [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Crematogaster missuriensis Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Crematogaster pilosa Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Crematogaster pinicola Deyrup and Cover [MEM]
Crematogaster vermiculata Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Tribe Formicoxenini

Cardiocondyla nuda (Mayr) (MacKay, 1995)
Protomognathus americanus (Emery) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Temnothorax bradleyi (Wheeler) [MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Temnothorax curvispinosus (Mayr) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Temnothorax longispinosus (Roger) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Temnothorax pergandei (Emery) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Temnothorax schaumii (Roger) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Temnothorax smithi (Baroni Urbani) [MacGown & Forster, 2005; Smith, 1979]
Temnothorax texanus (Wheeler) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]
Temnothorax tuscaloosae (Wilson) [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Tribe Myrmecinini

Myrmecina americana Emery [MEM; MacGown & Forster, 2005]

Literature Cited

Baroni Urbani, C. and M. L. de Andrade. 2003. The ant genus Proceratium in the extant and fossil record (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Monografie 36: 1-480.

Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. Vol. 65, part 1-2.

Creighton, W. S. 1930. The New World species of the genus Solenopsis (Hymenop. Formicidae). Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 66: 39-151 + 7 plates.

Deyrup M., Johnson C., Wheeler G. C., Wheeler J. 1989. A preliminary list of the ants of Florida. Fla. Entomol. 72: 1989. 91–101.

Dubois, M. and L. R. Davis. 1998. Stenamma foveolocephalum (= S. carolinense) rediscovered (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Sociobiology 32: 125-138.

Fisher, B. L. and S. P. Cover. 2007. Ants of North America: A guide to the Genera. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA. 194 pp.

Glancey, B. M., D. P. Wojcik, C. H. Craig, and J. A. Mitchell. 1976. Ants of Mobile County, AL., as monitored by bait transects. Journal of the Georgia Entomological Society 11: 191-197.

Johnson, C. 1988. Species identification in the eastern Crematogaster. Journal of Entomological Science 23: 314-322.

Trager, J. C. 1984. A revision of the genus Paratrechina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the continental United States. Sociobiology 9: 49-162.

Trager, J. C. 1988. A revision of the Conomyrma (Hymenoptera: Fomicidae) from the southeastern United States, especially Florida, with keys to the species. Florida Entomologist 71: 11-29.

Trager, J. C., J. A. MacGown and M. D. Trager. 2007. Revision of the Nearctic endemic Formica pallidefulva group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). In: Snelling, R. R., P. S. Ward, and B. L. Fisher (editors), Advances in ant systematics. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80: 610-636.

MacGown, J. A. and J. A. Forster. 2005. A preliminary list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alabama. Entomological News 116: 61-74. [pdf]

MacKay, W. P. 1995. New distributional records for the ant genus Cardiocondyla in the New World (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 71: 169-172.

MacGown, J. A., J.G. Hill, and M. A. Deyrup. 2007. Brachymyrmex patagonicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an emerging pest species in the southeastern United States. Florida Entomologist 90: 457-464.

Trager, J. C. 1984. A revision of the genus Paratrechina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the continental United States. Sociobiology 9: 49-162.

Trager, J. C. 1988. A revision of the Conomyrma (Hymenoptera: Fomicidae) from the southeastern United States, especially Florida, with keys to the species. Florida Entomologist 71: 11-29.

1947. Alabama Ants, Description, Distribution, and Biology, with Notes on the Control of the Most Important Household Species. Unpublished M. S. Thesis, Mississippi State College, State College. 144 p.

Pacheco, J. A. 2007. The New World ants of the genus Solenopsis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). PhD dissertation, The University of Texas at El Paso. i-xxi +543 pp.

Smith, D. R. 1979. In Catalog of Hymenoptera in America north of Mexico. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D. C. Vol. 2, pp. 1323-1427.

Trager, J. C. 1984. A revision of the genus Paratrechina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the continental United States. Sociobiology 9: 49-162.

Trager, J. C. 1988. A revision of the Conomyrma (Hymenoptera: Fomicidae) from the southeastern United States, especially Florida, with keys to the species. Florida Entomologist 71: 11-29.

Umphrey, G. J. 1996. Morphometric discrimination among sibling species in the fulva-rudis-texana complex of the ant genus Aphaenogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology 74: 528-559.

Watkins, J. F. 1985. The identification and distribution of the army ants of the United States of American (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Ecitoninae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 58: 479-502.

Wilson, E. O. 2003. Pheidole in the New World, a Dominant, Hyperdiverse Ant Genus. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA, London, England. 794 pp.

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For questions or comments about this page or about ants, contact Joe MacGown: jmacgown@entomology.msstate.edu