List of ants of Kansas

Pheidole pilifera minor and major workers. Scale: 1mm.

Over 100 species of ants can be found in the Midwestern state of Kansas.

Kansas ants

Kansas ant species include common ants and ones with wings. Some Kansas ants create mounds that are a common sight - Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, Formica subsericea, Formica montana, and Formica planipilis.[1]

Ants of the subfamily Dolichoderinae are frequently found in Kansas. Dolichoderinae ants may be the only ants that can survive in Kansas' harsher environments.[2]

Ants of the former subfamily Ecitoninae (now Dorylinae) mostly go unnoticed in Kansas because they can not tolerate direct sunlight. Neivamyrmex nigrescens and Neivamyrmex opacithorax are the most commonly found ants of this rarely seen subfamily.[3]

Crematogaster punctulata and Monomorium minimum of the subfamily Myrmicinae are frequently found in Kansas while many others are not as abundant.[4]

The only ant of the subfamily Ponerinae that is found in all of Kansas is Hypoponera opacior. Despite Ponera pennsylvanica not being found statewide, the species is also commonly found in Kansas along with Hypoponera opacior.[5]

Ants of the subfamily Formicinae are the second most abundant species in Kansas, right after Myrmicinae ants. Ants in the genus Camponotus and Formica are the most commonly found in this subfamily.[6]

Kansas ants as pests

Ants that are commonly called pests are red imported fire ants, acrobat ants, big-headed ants, carpenter ants, cornfield ants, harvester ants, larger yellow ant, little black ants, mound ants, spinewaisted ants, and thief ants.[7] It is known that these pest species can survive through Kansas' less harsh winters.[8]

List

References

  1. D. BuBois, Mark (April 1994). "Introduction". Checklist of Kansas Ants. The Kansas School Naturalist.
  2. D. BuBois, Mark (April 1994). "subfamily dolichoderinae". Checklist of Kansas Ants. The Kansas School Naturalist.
  3. D. BuBois, Mark (April 1994). "subfamily ecitoninae". Checklist of Kansas Ants. The Kansas School Naturalist.
  4. D. BuBois, Mark (April 1994). "subfamily myrmicinae". Checklist of Kansas Ants. The Kansas School Naturalist.
  5. D. BuBois, Mark (April 1994). "subfamily ponerinae". Checklist of Kansas Ants. The Kansas School Naturalist.
  6. D. BuBois, Mark (April 1994). "subfamily formicinae". Checklist of Kansas Ants. The Kansas School Naturalist.
  7. Entomologists (June 2009). "Structural Pests - Ants" (PDF). Kansas State University.
  8. "Fire ants a bigger, more dangerous pest problem than chiggers". Topeka Capital-Journal. 9 August 1999.
  9. D. BuBois, Mark (April 1994). "Checklist of Kansas Ants". The Kansas School Naturalist.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/19/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.