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 aphidicola (Walsh)
Lasius americanus Emery
Lasius neoniger Emery
Nylanderia arenivaga (Wheeler)
Nylanderia faisonensis (Forel)
Nylanderia vividula (Nylander) (introduced?, pest)
Nylanderia sp.-02
Prenolepis imparis (Say)
Tribe Plagiolepidini
Brachymyrmex depilis Emery
Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr (introduced, pest)
Tribe Camponotini
Camponotus americanus Mayr (pest)
Camponotus castaneus (Latreille) (pest)
Camponotus chromaiodes Bolton (pest)
Camponotus decipiens Emery (pest)
Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer) (pest)
Camponotus snellingi Bolton (pest)
Camponotus subbarbatus Emery (pest)
Colobopsis mississippiensis (Smith)
Tribe Formicini
Formica biophilica Trager
Formica dolosa Buren
Formica pallidefulva Latreille
Formica subsericea Latreille
Polyergus longicornis Smith
Subfamily Amblyoponinae
Tribe Amblyoponini
Stigmatomma pallipes (Haldeman)
Subfamily Ponerinae
Tribe Ponerini
Hypoponera opacior (Forel)
Ponera exotica Smith
Ponera pennsylvanica Buckley
Subfamily Proceratiinae
Tribe Proceratiini
Proceratium silaceum Roger
Subfamily Myrmicinae
Tribe Myrmicini
Myrmica latifrons Starcke
Myrmica pinetorum Wheeler
Myrmica punctiventris Roger
Tribe Stenammini
Aphaenogaster carolinensis Wheeler
Aphaenogaster fulva Roger
Aphaenogaster lamellidens Mayr
Aphaenogaster treatae Forel
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 Attini
Cyphomyrmex rimosus (Spinola)
Pheidole bicarinata Mayr (pest?)
Pheidole dentata Mayr (pest?)
Pheidole dentigula Smith
Pheidole pilifera (Roger)
Pheidole tysoni Forel
Strumigenys angulata Smith
Strumigenys clypeata Roger
Strumigenys creightoni Smith
Strumigenys dietrichi Smith
Strumigenys hexamera (Brown)
Strumigenys hyalina (Bolton)
Strumigenys laevinasis Smith
Strumigenys louisianae Roger
Strumigenys membranifera Emery
Strumigenys ohioensis Kennedy & Schramm
Strumigenys ornata Mayr
Strumigenys pilinasis Forel
Strumigenys pulchella Emery
Strumigenys reflexa Wesson & Wesson
Strumigenys rostrata Emery
Strumigenys silvestrii Emery
Strumigenys talpa Weber
Trachymyrmex septentrionalis (McCook)
Tribe Crematogastrini
Crematogaster ashmeadi Mayr (pest)
Crematogaster lineolata (Say) (pest)
Crematogaster minutissima (Mayr)
Crematogaster missuriensis Emery
Crematogaster pilosa Emery (pest)
Crematogaster vermiculata Emery
Myrmecina americana Emery
Temnothorax curvispinosus (Mayr)
Temnothorax pergandei (Emery)
Temnothorax longispinosus (Roger)
Temnothorax schaumii (Roger)
Temnothorax tuscaloosae (Wilson)
