Ants of Konza Prairie
The tallgrass prairie of North America is a formerly ubiquitous habitat with a relatively unexplored ant community. The Konza Prairie, a Long Term Ecological Research site in central Kansas, should be an ideal starting point for such research. As a small step toward that goal, below I include photographs of species that have been collected in and around Konza Prairie, based on correspondence with the myrmecologist James Trager, of the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The ants of Konza are an interesting mix of cold- and warm-climate genera, but much remains to be learned of what species are there, and what they are doing. In particular, given the habit of tallgrass prairie to burn, it would be interesting to know more about how ants, which tend to be thermophilic, respond to these periodic disturbances.
The taxa are sorted by subfamily. Click on each thumbnail to get a bigger picture. I recommend you print these out on a printer (preferably color) and take them with you as "flash cards" to help in identification.
subFamily Formicinae
These ants have one segment (the petiole) joining the mesosoma with the gaster, and have an acidipore, a "nozzel", typically fringed with hairs, from which formic acide is sprayed. Many of these ants, when collected, will smell of pungent vinegar.
Genus Camponotus
The "wood ants" are large, relatively slow moving ants that often nest in trees or fallen logs. They are found throughout the world, are highly diverse, and their taxonomy is still problematic. Workers are dimorphic, with large headed (and rare) majors, and small headed (and common) minors. These are pictures of majors. Note the smoothly arched dorsum of the mesonotum, and differing color patterns among the species
Camponotus castaneus
Camponotus nearcticus
Camponotus pennsylvanicus
Genus Formica
Formica are a mid-sized, long-legged, and active group. They are cool climate specialists, nest in the ground, and colonies often have several thousand workers. Note the dorsum of the mesonotum had a strong constriction, and species differ in the distribution of color, and also their pilosity (or hairiness).
Formica incerta
Formica pallidefulva
Genus Lasius
Lasius are small, soft often subterranean ants that are cold climate specialists. The species are often difficult to tell apart, based on the number of teeth in their mandibles, and number and distribution of hairs. The posterior part of the mesonotum in this group tends to be abbreviated compared to the Formica, rather resembling a thin rhombus. They often have large colonies, with multiple nest entrances.
Lasius neoniger
Genus Paratrechina
Paratrechina are small to mid-sized, long-legged and fast-moving ants. They are warm-climate species. Species are distinguished based on color and pilosity (hairiness).
Paratrechina terricola
Subfamily Dolichoderinae
The dolichoderines share with the Formicines the presence of a single segment connecting the mesosoma and the gaster. Unlike the formicines, at the tip of their gaster they have a slit, not an acidipore, from which a variety of noxious compounds are excreted. Many dolichoderines thus have a characteristic "blue-cheese" smell.
Genus Dorymyrmex
The Dorymyrmex are currently a taxonomic mess, with considerable variability in form from site to site. The genus is a warm climate specialist, and often produces large colonies with multiple nest entrances. The workers tend to be small and rapid. Note the single upward facing "tooth" on the posterior dorsum of the mesosoma. The superficial similarity in all but color of these two species gives you some idea what the systematists are up against. Characteristics of queens, far underground, may hold the key to how many species of Dorymyrmex occupy a site.
Dorymyrmex flavus
Dorymyrmex insanus
Genus Tapinoma
The other common Dolichoderine, Tapinoma is mid-sized, rapidly moving warm climate specialist. Tapinoma's colonies occupy impermanent, often moist, nest sites (e.g., a pile of leaves) and can often be seen moving their brood from place to place. This species is found throughout southern North America.
Tapinoma sessile
subfamily Myrmicinae
The myrmicines differ from the formicines and dolichoderines by having two segments joining the mesosoma and gaster--the petiole and postpetiole.
Genus Aphaenogaster
The Aphaenogaster are large, long-legged and thin, and are found throughout eastern North America. They have small colonies and may be quite common, especially in wooded habitats. They are often important in seed dispersal. The two species below can be distinguished by the length of the spines on the posterior dorsum of the mesosoma.
Aphaenogaster fulva
Aphaenogaster tenneseensis
Genus Crematogaster
This genus is distinguished by a gaster that is heart-shaped when viewed from above, and that is often carried raised above the body. Unlike the other myrmicines, that have a true sting pointed , Crematogaster stings are spoon shaped, and dab noxious compounds. Crematogaster colonies typically exceed 1000 workers, and can be found in soil and sometimes rotten logs.
Crematogaster lineloata
Genus Monomorium
Monomorium are tiny, black, soil-nesting ants that are warm climate specialists, and often active in the heat of the day. They can recruit large numbers from colonies which typically exceed 1000 workers. A characteristic behavior is to monopolize a piece of food by raising their gaster's and broadcasting an aerosol "mace". Their taxonomy is not well-worked out.
Monomorium minimum
Genus Solenopsis
The Solenopsis include two subgenera, the fire ants and the thief ants, the latter which is represented on Konza. The thief ants are tiny and often associated with other ant species, whose nests they raid for brood.
Solenopsis molesta