Ants Collected at Torreya State Park in Liberty County, Florida
Joe A. MacGown and JoVonn G. Hill
uploaded 6 October 2011
While on the 2011 William H. Cross Expedition in the Florida panhandle and parts of southern Georgia, we collected ants at Torreya State Park in Liberty County, Florida. We were only at the park for about 2 hours, and our collecting was done in pine/oak scrub habitat.
During this Cross Expedition, we also collected ants at other localities including Tall Timbers Research Station in Leon County, FL; the Apalachicola National Forest in Leon County, FL; the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve TNC in Liberty County, FL; St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Wakulla Co., FL; the Wade Tract (which is managed by Tall Timbers), Thomas Co., GA; and River Creek Wildlife Management Area, Thomas Co., GA. [complete list of ants collected on 2011 Cross Expedition]. Our primary purpose during these trips is to collect a wide variety of insects (not just ants); therefore, this list does not reflect the level of ant diversity present. But, perhaps it will be of interest to someone. All collections were made from 1 through 5 August 2011.
Torreya State Park
A total of 14 species of ants were collected at Torreya State Park including two introduced species. Introduced species are indicated by an asterisk (*).The most interesting species we collected were Dorymyrmex bossutus, Nylanderia phantasma, and Monomorium viridum, all three of which are strictly confined to relatively undisturbed sandhill habitats in the Southeast.
A list of species collected (Arranged alphabetically by genus)
Camponotus floridanus (Buckley) (pest)
Dorymyrmex bossutus (Trager)
Forelius pruinosus (Roger)
Monomorium viridum Brown
Nylanderia faisonensis (Forel)
Nylanderia phantasma (Trager)
Odontomachus brunneus (Patton)
Pheidole dentata Mayr (pest?)
Pheidole morrisi Forel
*Pheidole obscurithorax Naves (introduced)
Pogonomyrmex badius (Latreille)
Strumigenys louisianae RogerSolenopsis carolinensis Forel
*Solenopsis invicta Buren (introduced, pest)
