Abstract
We document the distribution of ants present in North Carolina. We revisit the list of North Carolina ants for the first time since 1962, based on literature records, museum collection and new sampling events across the state. Our results show 53 new species records, including 16 exotic and 4 undescribed species, for a total of 192 species found in North Carolina. Based on our current knowledge, North Carolina possesses the highest species diversity of native ants of any state or territory in eastern North America. Here, we discuss some of the biogeographical explanations for this remarkable diversity. In addition to presenting county-level species distributions in North Carolina, we also offer brief comparisons to species lists for surrounding states. By highlighting species expected to occur in North Carolina, but not yet recorded in the state, we hope to encourage new discoveries and increase the general knowledge of the ant fauna of North Carolina.
References
Atkinson, G.F. (1887) Singular adaptation in nest-making by an ant, Crematogaster lineolata* Say. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 4, 88–89.
Banks, W.A., Adams, C.T. & Lofgren, C.S. (1990) Damage to North Carolina and Florida highways by red imported fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist, 73, 198–199.
Baroni Urbani, C. (1978) Materiali per una revisione dei Leptothorax neotropicali appartenenti al sottogenere Macromischa Roger, n.comb. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomologica Basiliensia, 3, 395–618.
Baroni Urbani, C. & De Andrade, M.L. (2003) The ant genus Proceratium in the extant and fossil record (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Monografie, 36, 1–480.
Bolton, B. (1995) A New General Catalogue of the Ants of the World: 504 pp. Cambridge, Mass.
Bolton, B. (2000) The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 65, 1–1028.
Bolton, B. (2012) Bolton’s Catalogue and Synopsis version: 1 January 2012. Downloaded from http://gap.entclub.org/ on 2nd February 2012.
Boyles, R.P. & Raman, S. (2003) Analysis of climate trends in North Carolina (1949–1998). Environment International, 29, 263–275.
Brimley, C.S. (1938) The Insects of North Carolina. Being a List of the Insects of North Carolina and Their Close Relatives. North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Raleigh. 560 pp.
Brown, W.L. (1949) A new American Amblyopone, with notes on the genus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche, 56, 81–88.
Brown, W.L. (1950) Preliminary description of seven new species of the dacetine ant genus Smithistruma Brown. Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 76, 37–45.
Brown, W.L. (1953) Revisionary studies in the ant tribe Dacetini. American Midland Naturalist, 50, 1–137.
Brown, W.L. (1964) The ant genus Smithistruma: a first supplement to the world revision (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 89, 183–200.
Brown, W.L. (1967) Studies on North American ants. II. Myrmecina. Entomological News, 78, 233–240.
Buren, W.F. (968) Some fundamental taxonomic problems in Formica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the Georgia Entomological Society, 3, 25–40.
Campbell, S.M. (1996) Two scavenger ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) assemblages of xeric, upland longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) stands in the Sandhill region of North Carolina. Master’s thesis Department of Zoology, North Carolina State University, 108 pages.
Carter, W.G. (1962a) Ants of North Carolina Piedmont. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 78, 1–18.
Carter, W.G. (1962b) Ant distribution in North Carolina. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 78, 150–204.
Cole, A.C. (1940) A guide to the ants of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. American Midland Naturalist, 24, 1–88.
Coovert, G.A. (2005) The ants of Ohio (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the Ohio Biological Survey, 15, 1–202.
Dash, S.T. & Hooper-Bùi, L.M. (2008) Species diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Louisianna. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 101, 1056–1066.
Davies, T.S. (2009) The ants of South Carolina. PhD thesis, Clemson University 290 pages.
Davis, R.A. & Zigler, K.S. (2012) Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) communities of the southern Cumberland Plateau. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 105, 484–492.
Dennis, C.A. (1938) The distribution of ant species in Tennessee with reference to ecological factors. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 31, 267–308.
Deyrup, M., Johnson, C., Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. (1989) A preliminary list of the ants of Florida. Florida Entomologist, 72, 91–101.
Deyrup, M. (2003) An updated list of Florida ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist, 86, 43–48.
Deyrup, M. & Cover, S.P. (2004) A new species of the ant genus Leptothorax from Florida, with a key to the Leptothorax of the Southeast (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist, 87, 51–59.
Deyrup, M. (2006) Pyramica boltoni, a new species of leaf-litter inhabiting ant from Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dacetini). Florida Entomologist, 89, 1–5.
Deyrup, M. & Cover, S.P. (2009) Dacetine ants in Southeastern North America (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Southeastern naturalist, 8, 191–212.
Deyrup, M., Prusak, Z. & Davis, L. (2011) Ants of Florida on Antweb.org. Available from http://www.antweb.org/florida.jsp (Accessed on December 2nd 2011).
DuBois, M.B. (1986) A revision of the native New World species of the ant genus Monomorium (minimum group) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of Kansas Science Bulletin, 53, 65–119.
DuBois, M.B. & Davis, L.R. (1998) Stenamma foveolocephalum (= S. carolinense) rediscovered. Sociobiology, 32, 125–138.
Ellison, A.M., Gotelli, N.J. Farnsworth, E.J. & Alpert, G.D. (2012) A Field Guide to the Ants of New England. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut.
Emery, C. (1894) Beiträge zur Kenntniss der nordamerikanischen Ameisenfauna. (Schluss.) Zoologische Jahrbücher Abteilung für Systematik Ökologie und Geographie der Tiere, 8, 257–360.
Fisher, B.L. (2002) Antweb. The California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA. http://www.antweb.org/ (Accessed on December 6th 2011).
Forel, A. (1899) « No title ». Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique, 43, 438–447.
Forel, A. (1900) Ueber nordamerikanische Ameisen. Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Arzte, 71, 239–242.
Forel, A. (1901a) Sketch of the habits of North American ants. - I. Psyche, 9, 231–239.
Forel, A. (1901b) Sketch of the habits of North American ants. - II. Psyche, 9, 243–245.
Forel, A. (1922) Glanures myrmécologiques en 1922. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 30, 87–102.
Francoeur, A. (1973) Révision taxonomique des espèces néarctiques du groupe fusca, genre Formica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Mémoires de la Société Entomologique du Québec 3: 1–316.
Francoeur, A. (1974) Notes for a revision of the ant genus Formica. 1. New identifications and synonymies for some Nearctic specimens from Emery, Forel and Mayr collections. Entomological News, 85, 257–264.
Francoeur, A. (2007) The Myrmica punctiventris and M. crassirugis species groups in the Nearctic region, pp. 153–185. In Snelling, R. R., B. L. Fisher, and P. S. Ward (eds). Advances in ant systematic (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): homage to E. O. Wilson – 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 80.
Francoeur, A. (2008) Liste des espèces de fourmis (Formicides, Hyménoptères). Document Faunique, 1, 10 pages.
Francoeur, A. & Béique, R. (1966) Les formicides (Hyménoptères) de Provancher. The Canadian Entomologist, 98, 140–145.
Gibbs, M.M., Lambdin, P.L., Grant, J.F., & Saxton, A.M. (2003) Ground-inhabiting ants collected in a mixed hardwood southern Appalachian forest in eastern Tennessee. Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science, 78, 45–49.
Graham, J.H., Krzysik, A.J., Kovacic, D.A., Duda, J.J., Freeman, D.C., Emlen, J.M., Zak, J.C., Long, W.R., Wallace, M.P., Chamberlin-Graham, C., Nutter, J.P. & Balbach, H.E. (2008) Ant community composition across a gradient of disturbed military landscapes at Fort Benning, Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist, 7, 429–448.
Guénard, B. & Dunn, R.R. (2010) A new (old), invasive ant in the hardwood forests of eastern North America and its potentially widespread Impacts. PlosOne, 5, e11614.
Guénard, B. & Lucky, A. (2011) Shuffling leaf litter samples produces more accurate and precise snapshots of terrestrial arthropod community composition. Environmental Entomology 40, 1523–1529.
Ipser, R.M., Brinkman, M.A., Gardner, W.A. & Peeler, H.B. (2004) A survey of ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Georgia. Florida Entomologist, 87, 253–260.
Ivanov, K. (2011) Ants of Ohio on Antweb.org. Available from: http://www.antweb.org/ohio.jsp (Accessed on December 2nd 2011).
Johnson, C. (1988) Species identification in the eastern Crematogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Entomological Science, 23, 314–332.
Johnson, C. (1989a) Identification and nesting sites of North American species of Dolichoderus Lund (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insecta Mundi, 3, 1–9.
Johnson, C. (1989b) Taxonomy and diagnosis of Conomyrma insana (Buckley) and C. flava (McCook) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insecta Mundi, 3, 179–194.
Kjar, D.S. (2009) The ant community of a Riparian Forest in the Dyke Marsh Preserve, Fairfax County, Virginia, and a checklist of Mid-Atlantic Formicidae. Banisteria, 33, 3–17.
Laskis, K.O. & Tschinkel, W.R. (2008) The seasonal natural history of the ant, Dolichoderus mariae, in northern Florida. Journal of Insect Science, 9, 1–26.
Lessard, J.P., Dunn, R.R., Parker, C.R. & Sanders, N.J. (2007) Rarity and diversity in forest ant assemblages of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Southeastern Naturalist, 1, 215–218.
MacGown, J.A. & Forster, J.A. (2005) A preliminary list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alabama, U.S.A. Entomological News, 116, 61–74.
MacGown, J.A., Brown, R.L. & Hill, J.G. (2005) An annoted list of the Pyramica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dacetini) of Mississippi. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 78, 285–289.
MacGown, J.A. & Hill, J.G. (2010) A new species of Pyramica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mississippi, U.S.A. Florida Entomologist, 93, 571–576.
MacGown, J.A., Hill, J.G. & Skvarla, M. (2011) New records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) for Arkansas with a synopsis of previous records. Midsouth Entomologist, 4, 29–38.
Mac Gown, J.A. (2011) Ants of Alabama on Antweb.org. Available from: http://www.antweb.org/alabama.jsp (Accessed on December 2nd 2011).
Mac Gown, J.A. (2012a) Ants of Mississippi on Antweb.org. Available from: http://www.antweb.org/mississippi.jsp (Accessed on April 6th 2012).
Mac Gown, J.A. (2012b) Ants (Formicidae) of the southeastern United States. Available from: http://mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu//Researchtaxapages/Formicidaehome.html (Accessed on January 10th 2012).
Mackay, W. & E.E. Mackay (2002) The ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston. 400 pp.
Martelli, M.G., Ward, M.M. & Fraser, A.M. (2004) Ant diversity sampling on the Southern Cumberland Plateau: a comparison of litter sifting and pitfall trapping. Southeastern Naturalist, 3, 113–126.
Mitchell, C.E., Turner, M.G. & Pearson, S.M. (2002) Effects of historical land use and forest patch size on myrmecochores and ant communities. Ecological Applications, 12, 1364–1377.
Nuhn, T.P. & Wright, C.G. (1979) An ecological survey of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a landscaped suburban habitat. American Midland Naturalist, 102, 353–362.
Nuhn, T.P., Wright, C.G. & Farrier, M.H. (1992) Notes on the biology of the ant Paratrechina faisonensis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 108, 11–18.
Oliver, J.B., Vander Meer, R.K., Ochieng, S.A., Youssef, N.N., Pantaleoni, E., Mrema, F.A., Vail, K.M., Parkman, J.P., Valles, S.M., Haun, W.G. & Powell, S. (2009) Statewide survey of imported fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) populations in Tennessee. Journal of Entomological Science, 44, 149–157.
Oosting, H.J. (1942) An ecological analysis of the plant communities of Piedmont, North Carolina. American Midland naturalist, 28, 1–126.
Orr, D.M., & Stuart, A.W. (2000) The North Carolina atlas: portrait for a new century. University of North Carolina Press, Chapell Hill, 461 pp.
Pearse, A.S. (1946) Observations on the microfauna of the Duke Forest. Ecological Monographs, 16, 127–150.
Peck, S.L., McQuaid, B. & Campbell, C.L. (1998) Using ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as a biological indicator of agroecosystem condition. Environmental Entomology, 27, 1102–1110.
Radchenko, A. & Elmes, G.W. (2010) Myrmica ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of the Old World. Fauna Mundi, 3, 1–789.
Ramsey, H. (1941) Fauna of pine bark. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 57, 91–97.
Rowles, A.D. & Silverman, J. (2010) Argentine ant invasion associated with loblolly pines in the Southeastern United States: minimal impacts but seasonally sustained. Environmental Entomology, 39, 1141–1150.
Shafale, M.P. & Weakley, A.S. (1990) Classification of the Natural Communities of North Carolina, Third Approximation. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
Smith, M.R. (1931) A revision of the genus Strumigenys of America, north of Mexico, based on a study of the workers (Hymn.: Formicidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 24, 686–710.
Smith, M.R. (1934a) A list of the ants of South Carolina. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 42, 353–361.
Smith, M.R. (1934b) Ponerine ants of the genus Euponera in the United States. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 27, 557–564.
Smith, M.R. (1936) Ants of the genus Ponera in America, north of Mexico. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 29, 420–430.
Smith, M.R. (1939) The North American ants of the genus Harpagoxenus Forel, with the description of a new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 41, 165–172.
Smith, M.R. (1947) A study of Polyergus in the United States, based on the workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). American Midland Naturalist, 38, 150–161.
Smith, M.R. (1951) A new species of Stenamma from North Carolina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 53, 156–158.
Smith, M.R. (1952) North American Leptothorax of the tricarinatus-texanus complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 60, 96–106.
Smith, M.R. (1955a) An unusual ant collection record. Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society, 50, 28.
Smith, M.R. (1955b) Remarks concerning the types of five species of ants described by Roger or Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society, 50, 98–99.
Smith, M.R. (1957) Revision of the genus Stenamma Westwood in America north of Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). American Midland Naturalist, 57, 133–174.
Smith, M.R. (1962) A new species of exotic Ponera from North Carolina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Hymenopterologica, 1, 377–382.
Snelling, R.R. (1988) Taxonomic notes on Nearctic species of Camponotus, subgenus Myrmentoma. Pages 55–78 in Trager J. C. Advances in myrmecology. E. J. Brill, New York. 551 pp.
Snelling, R.R. (1995) Systematics of Nearctic ants of the genus Dorymyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 454, 1–14.
Snelling, G.C. & Snelling, R.R. (2007) New synonymy, new species, new keys to Neivamyrmex army ants of the United States. Pages 459–550. In Snelling, R. R., B. L. Fisher and P. S. Ward. Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Homage to E.O. Wilson - 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 80.
State Office Climate of North Carolina. Accessed on December 2nd 2011. http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/climate/ncclimate.html
Steiner, F.M., Schlick-Steiner, B.C., VanDerWal, J., Reuther, K.D., Erhard, C., Stauffer, C., Suarez, A.V., Williams, S.E. & Crozier, R.H. (2008) Combined modeling of distribution and niche in in invasion biology: a case study of two invasive Tetramorium ant species. Diversity and Distributions, 14, 538–545.
Taylor, R.W. (1967) A monographic revision of the ant genus Ponera Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pacific Insects Monographs, 13, 1–112.
Thompson, C.R. (1989) The thief ants, Solenopsis molesta group, of Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist, 72, 268–283.
Toennison, T.A., Sanders, N.J., Klingeman, W.E. & Vail, K.M. (2011) Influences on the structure of suburban ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) communities and the abundance of Tapinoma sessile. Environmental Entomology, 40(6), 1397–1404.
Trager, J.C. (1984) A revision of the genus Paratrechina of the continental United States. Sociobiology, 9, 51–162.
Trager, J.C. (1988) A revision of Conomyrma from the southeastern United States, especially Florida, with keys to the species. Florida Entomologist, 71, 11–29.
Trager, J.C. (1991) A revision of the fire ants, Solenopsis geminata group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Myrmicinae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 99, 141–198.
Trager, J.C., MacGown, J.A. & Trager, M.D. (2007) Revision of the Nearctic endemic Formica pallidefulva group. Pages 610–636 in Snelling, R. R., B. L. Fisher and P. S. Ward. Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Homage to E.O. Wilson - 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80.
Trager, J.C. (2011) Ants of Missouri on Antweb.org. Available from: http://www.antweb.org/missouri.jsp (Accessed on December 2nd 2011).
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.
Van Pelt, A. (1962) Concerning the sparse ant fauna of Mount Mitchell. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 78, 138–141.
Van Pelt, A. (1963) High altitude ants of the southern Blue Ridge. American Midland Naturalist, 69, 205–223.
Van Pelt, A. & Gentry, J.B. (1985) The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Savannah River Plant, South Carolina. Department of Energy, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, SC. Report SRO-NERP-14, 56 p.
Wang, C., Strazanac, J. & Butler, L. (2000) Abundance, diversity, and activity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in oak-dominated mixed Appalachian forests treated with microbial pesticides. Environmental Entomology, 29, 579–586.
Ward, P.S. (1985) The nearctic species of the genus Pseudomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Quaestiones Entomologicae, 21, 209–246.
Wetterer, J.K. (2008) Worldwide spread of the longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Hymenoptera; Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 11, 137–149.
Wetterer, J.K. (2010a) Worldwide spread of the pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis (Hymenoptera; Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 13, 115–129.
Wetterer, J.K. (2010b) Worldwide distribution of the membraniferous dacetine ant, Strumigenys membranifera (Hymenoptera; Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 14, 129–135.
Wetterer, J.K. (2011) Worldwide spread of the yellow-footed ant, Nylanderia flavipes (Hymenoptera; Formicidae). Florida Entomologist, 94, 582–587.
Wheeler, W.M. (1904a) The ants of North Carolina. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 20, 299–309.
Wheeler, W.M. (1904b) The American ants of the subgenus Colobopsis. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 20, 139–158.
Wheeler, W.M. (1915) Some additions to the North American ant fauna. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 34, 389–421.
Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. (1987) A checklist of the ants of South Dakota. Prairie Naturalist, 19, 199–208.
Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. (1988a) A checklist of the ants of Montana. Psyche, 95, 101–114.
Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. (1988b) A checklist of the ants of Wyoming (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insecta Mundi, 2, 231–239.
Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. (1989) A checklist of the ants of Oklahoma. Prairie Naturalist, 21, 203–210.
Wheeler, G.C. Wheeler, J. & Kannowski, P. (1994) Checklist of the ants of Michigan (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Great Lakes Entomologist, 26, 297–310.
Whitehead, D.R. (1981) Late-Pleistocene vegetational changes in Northeastern North Carolina. Ecological Monographs, 51, 451–471.
Wilson, E.O. (1952) Notes on Leptothorax bradleyi Wheeler and L. wheeleri M. R. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomological News, 63, 67–71.
Wilson, E.O. (1954) The ecology of some North American dacetine ants. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 46, 479–495.
Wilson, E.O. (1955) A monographic revision of the ant genus Lasius. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard College, 113, 1–201.
Wilson, E.O. (1974) The soldier of the ant, Camponotus (Colobopsis) fraxinicola, as a trophic caste. Psyche, 81, 182–188.
Wilson, E.O. (2003) Pheidole in the New World. A dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. 794 pp.
Wing, M.W. (1968) Taxonomic revision of the Nearctic genus Acanthomyops (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station Memoir, 405, 1–173.
Wray, D.L. (1950) Insects of North Carolina: Second Supplement. North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Raleigh. 59 pp.
Wray, D.L. (1967) Insects of North Carolina: Third Supplement. North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Raleigh. 181 pp.
Yoshimura, M. & Fisher, B.L. (2012) A revision of male ants of the Malagasy Amblyoponinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with resurrections of the genera Stigmatomma and Xymmer. PLoS ONE, (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033325)7:e33325.