Ant Species of Missouri

This checklist was compiled by Dr. James Trager. Subfamily and genus classification follows Bolton (2003) with the following exception: Acanthomyops is provisionally returned to a subgenus of Lasius, a change that will likely be formalized with the next revision of this group. Species nomenclature follows Bolton (1995), except in the Formica pallidefulva group, as Trager, et al. (2007) where F. incerta is resurrected from synonymy, in Aphaenogaster which follows Umphrey (1996), and in the Tetramorium caespitum group which follows Schlick-Steiner, et. al. (2006).

An introduction to the ants (Formicidae) of the tallgrass prairie is an excellent introduction to prairie ant ecology and the tallgrass prairie ant fauna. The checklist found on this site is slightly outdated but still provides a useful list of ant species one would expect to encounter in a visit to a Missouri tallgrass prairie habitat.

Printable PDF - Missouri species list


Subfamily Amblyoponinae

Amblyopone pallipes

Subfamily Dolichoderinae

Dolichoderus mariae
Dolichoderus plagiatus
Dolichoderus taschenbergi

Dorymyrmex flavus
*Dorymyrmex grandulus
Dorymyrmex medeis (=smithi?)

Forelius pruinosus

+Tapinoma melanocephalum
Tapinoma sessile
Tapinoma
n. sp.


Technomyrmex albipes

Subfamily Ecitoninae

*Neivamyrmex carolinensis
Neivamyrmex nigrescens
Neivamyrmex opacithorax

Subfamily Formicinae

Brachymyrmex depilis

Camponotus (Camponotus) americanus
Camponotus (Camponotus) chromaiodes
*Camponotus (Camponotus) novaeboracensis
Camponotus (Camponotus) pennsylvanicus
Camponotus (Colobopsis) impressus
Camponotus (Colobopsis) mississippiensis
Camponotus (Myrmentoma) caryae

Camponotus (Myrmentoma) decipiens
Camponotus (Myrmentoma) discolor
Camponotus (Myrmentoma) nearcticus

Camponotus (Myrmentoma) subbarbatus
Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) castaneus

Formica (cinerea complex) montana
Formica (exsecta
group) exsectoides
Formica (neogagates
group) neogagates
Formica (neogagates
group) vinculans
Formica (pallidefulva
group) incerta
Formica (pallidefulva
group) pallidefulva
Formica (pallidefulva
group) dolosa
Formica (pallidefulva
group) n. sp.
Formica (rufa-microgyna
group) difficilis
*Formica (rufa-microgyna
group) knighti
Formica (rufa-microgyna
group) obscuripes
Formica (rufa-microgyna
group) obscuriventris
*Formica (rufa-microgyna
group) prociliata
Formica (rufa-microgyna
group) postoculata
Formica (rufa-microgyna
group) querquetulana
Formica (sanguinea
group) creightoni
Formica (sanguinea
group) pergandei
Formica (sanguinea
group) rubicunda
Formica (sanguinea
group) subintegra
Formica (subsericea
group) argentea
Formica (subsericea
group) subsericea

Lasius (Acanthomyops) claviger
Lasius (Acanthomyops) interjectus
Lasius (Acanthomyops) latipes
*Lasius (Acanthomyops) murphyi
*Lasius (Cautolasius) flavus
*Lasius (Cautolasius) nearcticus
*Lasius (Chthonolasius) subumbratus
*Lasius (Chthonolasius) speculiventris
Lasius (Chthonolasius) umbratus
Lasius (Lasius) alienus
Lasius (Lasius) neoniger

Paratrechina arenivaga
+Paratrechina bourbonica
Paratrechina faisonensis
Paratrechina parvula
Paratrechina terricola

Polyergus lucidus longicornis
Polyergus lucidus lucidus
Polyergus lucidus montivagus
*Polyergus breviceps
Polyergus umbratus
(?)

Prenolepis imparis

Subfamily Myrmicinae

?Aphaenogaster ashmeadi
Aphaenogaster carolinensis
Aphaenogaster fulva
Aphaenogasater lamellidens
Aphaenogaster mariae
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis
Aphaenogaster treatae
Myrmicinae (continued from bottom of previous column)

Aphaenogaster
N16

Aphaenogaster
N19

Aphaenogaster
N22


Crematogaster ashmeadi
Crematogaster atkinsoni
Crematogaster cerasi
Crematogaster laeviuscula
Crematogaster lineolata
Crematogaster missuriensis
Crematogaster pilosa
Crematogaster punctulata

Monomorium minimum
+Monomorium pharaonis

Myrmecina americana

Myrmica americana
Myrmica brevispinosa
*Myrmica fracticornis
Myrmica incompleta
*Myrmica latifrons
Myrmica lobifrons
*Myrmica pinetorum
Myrmica punctiventris

Pheidole bicarinata
Pheidole dentata
+Pheidole megacephala
Pheidole morrisi
Pheidole pilifera
Pheidole tetra
Pheidole tysoni


Protomognathus americanus

*Pyramica abdita
*Pyramica angulata
Pyramica clypeata
*Pyramica dietrichi
Pyramica filirhina
*Pyramica laevinasis
Pyramica missuriensis
Pyramica ohioensis
Pyramica ornata
Pyramica pergandei
Pyramica pilinasis
*Pyramica pulchella
*Pyramica reflexa
Pyramica rostrata
*Pyramica talpa

+Solenopsis invicta (eradicated?)
Solenopsis molesta
*Solenopsis tennesseensis
Solenopsis texana
*Solenopsis xyloni

*Stenamma brevicorne
Stenamma diecki
Stenamma impar
Stenamma meridionale
Stenamma schmitti

Temnothorax ambiguus
Temnothorax curvispinosus
Temnothorax floridanus
Temnothorax longispinosus
Temnothorax pergandei
Temnothorax schaumi
Temnothorax texanus

+Tetramorium bicarinatum
+Tetramorium
sp. E
+Tetramorium tsushimae


Trachymyrmex septentrionalis

Subfamily Ponerinae

*Cryptopone gilva

Hypoponera opacior

Ponera exotica
Ponera pennsylvanica

Subfamily Proceratiinae

Proceratium croceum
Proceratium pergandei
Proceratium silaceum


* Denotes species that have been collected within 10 miles of the Missouri line in Iowa or Illinois or that have reliable collection records in adjoining states (preferably two or more of the eight adjoining states). It is very likely these species occur in Missouri.
+ Signifies an introduced species, among which only Tetramorium sp. E and T. tsushimae live outside of heated buildings.
? Denotes a doubtful published record.

return to list of states

Bibliography:

Bolton, B. 1995. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and classification of Formicidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 71: 370.

Schlick-Steiner, Birgit C., Florian M. Steiner, et al. 2006. A multidisciplinary approach reveals cryptic diversity in Western Palearctic Tetramorium ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (1): 259-273

Trager, J.C, J.A. MacGown, M.D. Trager. (in press, 2007). Revision of the Nearctic endemic Formica pallidefulva  group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute.

Umphrey, G. 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.


This page was last modified on March 3, 2007

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