Ants are among the most numerous of creatures on the planet and consequently, they greatly impact the lives of man. They affect us directly by invading houses, biting and stinging people, raiding food supplies, damaging structures, killing animals, and being an all around nuisance. But, ants aren't all bad, and indeed they probably do more good than harm. For example, ants move and aerate large quantities of soil, disperse the seeds of herbaceous plant species, bring nutrients to the soil, kill large quantities of other insects (including pest species), aid in the natural decay process of both dead plants and animals, and perform numerous other activities. Ants can be found in all terestrial habitats, such as deserts, tundras, rainforests, swamps, fields, etc. The food they eat is quite varied with some species eating such things as seeds, nectar, honeydew (secreted by other insects), and fungi, while many other species are simply carnivorous. Ants are morphologically varied as well and range in size from less than 1 millimeter to about 40 millimeters.

Surprisingly, and despite the high numbers and great importance of ants, they are still a very troublesome group to identify and classify. The family Formicidae has been a taxonomic nightmare for the last century and only became somewhat more clear in 1950 with the publication of W. S. Creighton's Ants of North America. There is hope on the horizon, however, as there are many people currently working with Formicidae in one aspect or another. Some of this research will undoubtably help us better understand the ant fauna of the southeastern United States.

Initially, the goal of the MEM was to study the ants of Mississippi, but then we realized that we had many records from collections in Alabama, so we expanded our goals to include that state. Additional collections and MEM museum records from other southeastern states, especially Arkansas, Georgia, and Louisiana, but to lesser extents in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina, have given us records from the entire southeastern region. With these records and collections, coupled with published species lists of ants from the region, lists of ants for each southeastern state and the entire region have been compiled. The most extensive survey work by the MEM began in 2001 and is ongoing. However, there are specimens housed in the MEM from the early 1900's through the present.

The ultimate goal will be published lists of ants for both Alabama and Mississippi and this website, which is devoted to the ants of the Southeast. At this time the web site includes lists of known species from the Southeast; photos of most species; keys to subfamilies, genera, and species of ants found or possible in both Alabama and Mississippi (this will be updated to include all southeastern species); diagnostic drawings; collecting information; a glossary; publications about ants by the MEM; and links to other ant sites on the web.

This web site is a work in progress and should be treated as such. Any constructive comments, both editorial or otherwise are welcomed and should be directed to Joe MacGown: jmacgown@entomology.msstate.edu.