Ants of Natchez Trace Parkway

Ants of Natchez Trace Parkway
Joe A. MacGown and JoVonn G. Hill

Recently, the Mississippi Entomological Museum (MEM) conducted a survey of the ants of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Natchez Trace Parkway runs 444 miles from Natchez, Mississippi to a point just south of Nashville, Tenneesee, cutting across a border of Alabama. This historic parkway is banded on either side of the road by a swathe of protected land representing several different habitats. Some of these habitats include Black Belt Prairie remnants, bogs, fields, rich mesic woodlands with sloped ravines, open fields, pine forests, and others. Because of the fact that the parkway serves as a transect that extends through several different habitat types and crosses through many different counties, it was thought that a subsample of an array of ant species from the northern part of the parkway to the southern part could be collected. Collecting methods included baiting, beating and sweeping vegetation, litter sampling, and visually searching for ants and their colonies. As a result of our collections 80 species have been collected and are listed below. As more species are collected, this list will be updated.

Ants from Natchez Trace (Species are arranged taxonomically by genus)

    Subfamily Dolichoderinae
        Tribe Dolichoderini
           Dorymyrmex bureni (Trager)
           Forelius mccooki (McCook)
           Tapinoma sessile (Say) (pest)

    Subfamily Formicinae
        Tribe Lasiini
           Lasius alienus (Foerster)
           Lasius neoniger Emery
           Lasius umbratus (Nylander)

        Tribe Plagiolepidini
           Brachymyrmex depilis Emery
           Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr (introduced, pest)
           Paratrechina arenivaga (Wheeler)
           Paratrechina faisonensis (Forel)
           Paratrechina vividula (Nylander) (introduced?, pest)
           Paratrechina sp.-02
           Prenolepis imparis (Say)

        Tribe Camponotini
           Camponotus americanus Mayr (pest)
           Camponotus castaneus (Latreille) (pest)
           Camponotus chromaiodes Bolton (pest)
           Camponotus decipiens Emery (pest)
           Camponotus mississippiensis Smith
           Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer) (pest)
           Camponotus snellingi Bolton (pest)
           Camponotus subbarbatus Emery (pest)

        Tribe Formicini
           Formica biophilica Trager
           Formica dolosa Buren
           Formica pallidefulva Latreille
           Formica subsericea Latreille
           Polyergus longicornis Smith

    Subfamily Amblyoponinae
        Tribe Amblyoponini
           Amblyopone pallipes (Haldeman)

    Subfamily Ponerinae
        Tribe Ponerini
           Hypoponera opacior (Forel)
           Ponera exotica Smith
           Ponera pennsylvanica Buckley

   PROCERATIINAE
      PROCERATIINI
           Proceratium silaceum Roger

        Tribe Attini
           Cyphomyrmex rimosus (Spinola)
           Trachymyrmex septentrionalis (McCook)

Tribe Stenammini
Stenamma impar Forel

        Tribe Solenopsidini
           Monomorium minimum (Buckley) (pest)
           Solenopsis carolinensis Forel
           Solenopsis invicta Buren
           Solenopsis invicta x richteri (introduced, pest)
           Solenopsis richteri Forel
           Solenopsis texana Emery ??

        Tribe Myrmicini
           Myrmica latifrons Starcke
           Myrmica pinetorum Wheeler
           Myrmica punctiventris Roger

        Tribe Pheidolini
           Aphaenogaster carolinensis Wheeler
         Aphaenogaster fulva Roger
           Aphaenogaster lamellidens Mayr
           Aphaenogaster treatae Forel
           Pheidole bicarinata Mayr (pest?)
           Pheidole dentata Mayr (pest?)
           Pheidole dentigula Smith
           Pheidole pilifera (Roger)
           Pheidole tysoni Forel

        Tribe Crematogastrini
           Crematogaster ashmeadi Mayr (pest)
           Crematogaster lineolata (Say) (pest)
           Crematogaster minutissima (Mayr)
           Crematogaster missuriensis Emery
           Crematogaster pilosa Emery (pest)
           Crematogaster vermiculata Emery

        Tribe Formicoxenini
           Temnothorax curvispinosus (Mayr)
           Temnothorax pergandei (Emery)
           Temnothorax longispinosus (Roger)
           Temnothorax schaumii (Roger)
           Temnothorax tuscaloosae (Wilson)

Tribe Myrmecinini
Myrmecina americana Emery

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