Strumigenys louisianae

A highly-variable widely-distributed New World species that is one of the most commonly encountered members of the genus. It also has the lowest chromosome number of any Neotropical ant (2n = 4) and one of the lowest known for any ant (Alves-Silva et al., 2014).

Identification
A member of the Strumigenys louisianae-group. See the description below.

Longino (Ants of Costa Rica) - Apical fork of mandible with two tiny intercalary teeth; one conspicuous preapical tooth, but no other preapical denticles; outstanding setal pairs on sides of head and mesonotum spatulate, outstanding seta pair on humeral angles flagelliform, bent and coachwhip-like; gaster finely granular, opaque; erect setae on gaster strongly spatulate; posterior face of petiolar node rounded in posterior view. [The above applies to Costa Rican populations.] Details of setal characters and gaster sculpture vary geographically.

Distribution
Bolton (2000) - The distribution area of louisianae is vast. Brown (1953a, 1953d, 1961) noted its presence in many southern states of the U.S.A. (Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas), as well as from Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Cuba, Haiti , Puerto Rico, Brazil , Surinam, Colombia, Bolivia and Argentina. The present survey has added localities in Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ecuador and Paraguay.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: United States. Neotropical Region: Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Greater Antilles, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Venezuela.

Habitat
The species prefers synanthropic and/or seasonally dry habitats.

Abundance
It is more abundant in the peripheral parts of its range (Costa Rica northward, southern Brazil southward) than in the center (Panama southward to Amazonian Brazil) (Brown 1961).

Biology
Wilson (1954):

"studied seven colonies of this species from several localities in southern and central Alabama were studied over a period of a little less than a year. As noted in my preliminary paper (1950), the principal food appears to be certain groups of Collembola, although a few other arthropods are taken occasionally, especially if they are dead or injured.

By far the most preferred prey of this species are entomobryoid and symphypleonan Collembola, and these were used to maintain the colonies in the present study. Other arthropods were treated in a somewhat desultory fashion by the ants. When a half dozen or so termites were placed in the food chamber of a nest, they were attacked at once, and although one or two usually succeeded in escaping and hiding under debris, the majority were killed within several hours. Some of the corpses were carried to the brood chambers and consumed, while others were left undisturbed in the food chamber. Psocids and small flies were usually either ignored or half-heartedly attacked by the ants, and those carried to the brood chambers were then only occasionally partly consumed. Japyx were vigorously attacked by the ants, which appeared to have an especial antipathy toward these insects, and like the termites they rarely survived more than several hours in the food chamber of a sizeable colony. Legs and antennae were often consumed by the adults and larvae, but the bodies were almost never disturbed.

Only several mites were accepted over the entire period of observation. Since the debris in the food chambers almost always swarmed with a substantial number of species in several families, the possibility must be considered that Strumigenys regularly accept certain forms but reject the majority. There is some evidence that mites are normally accepted in nature (see below). Symphyla were consistently accepted and eaten, to the extent that they seemed to be preferred almost as much as Collembola. Small ant larvae were also readily accepted, possibly suggesting that the Strumigenys may on occasion behave as thief ants, although no evidence of this was seen in the field.

A spot check of the food-chamber experiments was attempted by placing a Janet nest containing a colony in a terrarium partly filled with fresh humus and leaf litter, which were taken from several areas and replaced periodically. Occasionally bits of wood containing termites were also added. The ants were allowed access to this material through galleries leading to the outside of the nest. Their prey, checked daily over a two-week period, consisted at least of eleven entomobryids, seven isotomids, four mites, and one symphylan. Except for the unexpected large proportion of mites, this sample is consonant with the prey specificity exhibited by colonies confined to the artificial nests.

This species were bolder and more direct in their manner of stalking prey than the other dacetines studied. This trait is perhaps a result of their more efficient mandibles, which are extremely long and supplied with prominent apical teeth. They can be opened to almost a 180° angle and operate very much as miniature animal spring traps. When approaching a collembolan, the worker moves slowly and cautiously spreading its mandibles to the maximum angle and exposing two long hairs which arise from the paired labral lobes. These hairs extend far forward of the ant's head and apparently serve as tactile range finders for the mandibles. When they first touch the prey, its body is well within reach of the apical teeth. A sudden and convulsive snap of the mandibles literally impales it on the teeth, and drops of haemolymph often well out of the punctures. If the collembolan is small or average in size, the ant lifts it into the air and curls its gaster forward in an attempt to sting, a surprisingly awkward motion in this species and the other dacetines studied, for in many catches observed it did not appear that the sting entered the body of the prey at all. Nevertheless, all but the largest Collembola are quickly immobilized by this action, and struggling is feeble and short-lived. Apparently the prey are only paralyzed and not killed outright, since most can be prodded into feebly moving even after they have been carried into the brood chamber.

A great deal of individual deviation from the typical hunting behavior occured in the nests under observation. Sometimes workers were much less stealthy in their approach and seemed almost to charge their prey. Frequently they seized Collembola when these insects blundered into them. Dead Collembola were not stalked but were directly picked up after a brief inspection.

Nothing resembling concerted or coordinated stalking on the part of several workers was observed. Hunting in general appeared to be rather haphazard, a condition accentuated by the apparent inability of the ants to recognize the presence of insects more than about a millimeter away. Occasionally workers were seen to stalk and strike Collembola which had already been captured by other workers and were being transported to the brood chambers.

Field observations on the food habits of these tiny and secretive ants are understandably meager. At two localites in Alabama, Gulf State Park and Mobile, stray workers were observed carrying entomobryids. On one occasion, in Mobile, a worker was found carrying a small Campodea. As mentioned in my preliminary paper on this species, one nest collected at Tuscaloosa, Ala., contained recognizable insect remains in the galleries; these were identified as belonging to three entomobryoid genera, Entomobrya, Proisotoma, and Isotoma.

Larvae are fed by being placed directly on the prey. As many as ten or more may be piled at first on the same collembolan, and since they are active feeders they may wholly consume a small individual within several hours. The final fragments of the insect are held aloft, ponerine fashion. No case of ingluvial feeding of the larvae by the workers was ever observed, although occasionally workers were seen passing food in this manner."

Brown (1962) - Unaccountably absent from certain well-collected areas within this range, such as parts of the Canal Zone, Trinidad and British Guiana, although plentiful in Costa Rica and at least some localities in Colombia. This species tolerates much drier conditions and will live in plantations and other cultivated situations, so perhaps it is found mostly in habitats outside the primary forest in the central parts of its range.

Deyrup (1997) - Nests are often in rotten wood, colonies were found in Nassau in a pile of rotting coconut husks. Although Brown (1962) found this species tolerant of relatively dry conditions, I have usually found it in mesic forest, swamp forest, or even the edge of salt marshes.

Longino (Ants of Costa Rica) - The feeding habits of louisianae have been studied by Wilson (1950, 1954) and Brown (1962). Workers take live prey, mostly small arthropods in litter and soil. Preferred prey are entomobryoid and symphypleonan Collembola; poduroid collembolans are not taken.

Atchison & Lucky (2022) found that this species, as expected, does not remove seeds.

Nomenclature

 *  louisianae. Strumigenys louisianae Roger, 1863a: 211 (w.) U.S.A. Emery, 1895c: 326 (q.); Haug, 1932: 170 (m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1955a: 136 (l.). Senior synonym of unispinulosa: Emery, 1895c: 326; Brown, 1953g: 28; of laticephala: Smith, M.R. 1951a: 826; Brown, 1953g: 28; of bruchi, costaricensis, cubaensis, guatemalensis, longicornis, obscuriventris, soledadensis: Brown, 1953g: 28; of clasmospongia, fusca, unidentata: Brown, 1961a: 64; of producta: Bolton, 2000: 524; of wani: Bolton, Sosa-Calvo, et al. 2008: 62. See also: Wilson, 1954: 481; Bolton, 2000: 525.
 * unidentata. Strumigenys unidentata Mayr, 1887: 575 (w.) BRAZIL. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1961a: 64.
 * unispinulosa. Strumigenys unispinulosa Emery, 1890b: 67, pl. 7, fig. 5 (w.q.) COSTA RICA. [Also described as new by Emery, 1894k: 58.] Junior synonym of louisianae: Emery, 1895c: 326; Brown, 1953g: 28.
 * fusca. Strumigenys fusca Emery, 1894c: 215, pl. 1, fig. 8 (w.) BRAZIL. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1961a: 64.
 * longicornis. Strumigenys unispinulosa var. longicornis Emery, 1894c: 214 (w.) BOLIVIA. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1953g: 28.
 * obscuriventris. Strumigenys louisianae var. obscuriventris Wheeler, W.M. 1908a: 145, pl. 12, fig. 14 (w.) PUERTO RICA. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1953g: 28.
 * bruchi. Strumigenys bruchi Forel, 1912e: 197 (w.m.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1953g: 28.
 * cubaensis. Strumigenys eggersi var. cubaensis Mann, 1920: 430 (w.) CUBA. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1953g: 28.
 * laticephala. Strumigenys (Strumigenys) louisianae subsp. laticephala Smith, M.R. 1931c: 690, pl. 1, fig. 2 (w.) U.S.A. Haug, 1932: 170 (m.). Junior synonym of louisianae: Smith, M.R. 1951a: 826; Brown, 1953g: 28.
 * costaricensis. Strumigenys (Strumigenys) louisianae subsp. costaricensis Weber, 1934a: 39 (w.) COSTA RICA. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1953g: 28.
 * guatemalensis. Strumigenys (Strumigenys) louisianae subsp. guatemalensis Weber, 1934a: 39 (w.) GUATEMALA. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1953g: 28.
 * soledadensis. Strumigenys (Strumigenys) louisianae subsp. soledadensis Weber, 1934a: 38 (w.q.) CUBA. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1953g: 28.
 * clasmospongia. Strumigenys clasmospongia Brown, 1953e: 2 (w.) BRAZIL. Junior synonym of louisianae: Brown, 1961a: 64.
 * producta. Strumigenys producta Brown, 1953e: 3 (w.) BOLIVIA. Junior synonym of louisianae: Bolton, 2000: 524.
 * wani. Pyramica wani Makhan, 2007a: 6, figs. 11, 12 (w.) SURINAM. Combination in Strumigenys: Bolton, Sosa-Calvo, et al. 2008: 62. Junior synonym of louisianae: Bolton, Sosa-Calvo, et al. 2008: 62.

Type Material
Bolton (2000):
 * Strumigenys louisianae. Syntype workers, U.S.A.: Louisiana (location of types not known).
 * Strumigenys unidentata Mayr, 1887: 570 (in key), 575. Lectotype worker (designated by Brown, 1961: 68), BRAZIL: Santa Catarina [examined].
 * Strumigenys unispinulosa Emery, 1890: 67, pl. 7, fig. 5. Syntype workers and queen, COSTA RICA: Alajuela [not seen].
 * Strumigenys unispinulosa var. longicornis Emery, 1894a: 214. Holotype queen, BOLIVIA: Cantoni di Coroico, Chilumani Yungas (Balzan) [not seen].
 * Strumigenys fusca Emery, 1894a: 215, pl. 1, fig. 8. Holotype worker, BRAZIL: Amazonas, Manicore [not seen].
 * Strumigenys louisianae var. obscuriventris W.M. Wheeler, 1908: 145, pl. 12, fig. 14. Syntype workers, PUERTO RICO: Utuado and Coamo Springs (W.M. Wheeler) [examined].
 * Strumigenys bruchi Forel, 1912b: 197. Syntype workers and males, ARGENTINA: La Plata (Bruch) [examined].
 * Strumigenys eggersi var. cubaensis Mann, 1920: 430. Syntype workers, CUBA: Cienfuegos, 1917 (W.M. Mann) [examined].
 * Strumigenys louisianae subsp. laticephala M.R. Smith, 1931: 690, pl. 1, fig. 2. Syntype workers, U.S.A.: Mississippi, Longview (M. R. Smith) [examined].
 * Strumigenys (Strumigenys) louisianae subsp. soledadensis Weber, 1934a: 38. Syntype workers and queen, CUBA: Soledad, Cienfuegos, Harvard Bot. Gdns, 11, 15 and 29.viii. 1933 (N.A. Weber) [examined].
 * Strumigenys (Strumigenys) louisianae subsp. guatemalensis Weber, 1934a: 39. Syntype workers, GUATEMALA: Zacapa, 13.xii.1911 (W.M. Wheeler) [not seen].
 * Strumigenys (Strumigenys) louisianae subsp. costaricensis Weber, 1934a: 39. Syntype workers, COSTA RICA: Cartago, 15.xii.1911 (W.M. Wheeler) [examined].
 * Strumigenys ciasmospongia Brown, 1953d: 2. Holotype and paratype workers, BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro, Petropolis, viii.1922, nr. 5884 (T. Borgmeier) [examined].
 * Strumigenys producta Brown, 1953d: 3. Holotype and paratype workers, BOLIVIA: Beni, Rurrenabaque, x.1921, Mulford BioI. Exp. (W.M. Mann) [examined].

Taxonomic Notes
Bolton (2000) - As mentioned in the introduction to the Strumigenys louisianae-group, louisianae, as presently constituted, is an extremely variable species. It is in need of a detailed investigation that is beyond the scope of the current study. There is considerable variation in distribution, density and intensity of sculpture on the alitrunk, postpetiole and gaster; in relative dimensions of head, mandible and scape; in shape and relative and absolute size of spongiform appendages; in shape, size and density of cephalic ground pilosity; in length and shape of gastral pilosity; and in colour, though this may be altitude-related as in many other dacetines. Brown (1953a, 1961) concluded that all the variation was indicative of a single extremely plastic species, but I suspect that this may not be the case.

Because of the consistency of the character combination used above to diagnose the species, and its duplication in the type-series of producta, I have added this name to the synonymy of louisianae. I have removed Strumigenys infidelis from Brown's synonymy and reinstated it as a valid species because it lacks flagellate hairs at the pronotal humeri.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 1.8 - 3.4, HL 0.46 - 0.70, HW 0.38 - 0.54, CI 71 - 92, ML 0.23 - 0.48, MI 50 - 70, SL 0.24 - 0.45, SI 63 - 85, PW 0.24 - 0.36, AL 0.45 - 0.74 (includes all measurements made by Brown, 1953a, 1953d, 1961; 35 more measured to provide values omitted from these papers). Mandible without a denticle proximal to the preapical tooth. With head in profile postbuccal groove a narrow and deeply incised notch. Apicoscrobal hair short and stiff, remiform. Cephalic dorsum with a single pair of short standing hairs, close to occipital margin. Pronotal humeral hair fine and flagellate; mesonotal standing hairs remiform. Ventral surface of petiole without trace of spongiform tissue.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Achury R., and A.V. Suarez. 2017. Richness and composition of ground-dwelling ants in tropical rainforest and surrounding landscapes in the Colombian Inter-Andean valley. Neotropical Entomology https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-017-0565-4
 * Alayo D. P. 1974. Introduccion al estudio de los Himenopteros de Cuba. Superfamilia Formicoidea. Academia de Ciencias de Cuba. Instituto de Zoologia. Serie Biologica no.53: 58 pp. La Habana.
 * Almeida Filho A. J. de 1984. Notas sobre Strumigenys louisianae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) e sua ocorrencia no Nordeste do Brasil. Quid (Teresina) 5: 133-139.
 * Annotated Ant Species List Ordway-Swisher Biological Station. Downloaded at http://ordway-swisher.ufl.edu/species/os-hymenoptera.htm on 5th Oct 2010.
 * Atchison R. A., J. Hulcr, and A. Lucky. 2018. Managed fire frequency significantly influences the litter arthropod community in longleaf pine flatwoods. Environmental Entomology 20(10): 1-11.
 * Bolton B., J. Sosa-Calvo, F. Fernández, and J. E. Lattke. 2008. New synonyms in Neotropical myrmicine ants. Zootaxa 1732: 61-64.
 * Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
 * Booher D., J. A. MacGown, R. M. Duffield, and S. P. Hubbell. 2012. Density and Dispersion of Cavity Dwelling Ant Species in Nuts of Eastern US Forest Floors. Entomological Society of America annual meeting Knoxville, 2012.
 * Brown W. L. Jr. 1961. The neotropical species of the ant genus Strumigenys Fr. Smith: miscellaneous concluding studies. Psyche (Cambridge) 68: 58-69.
 * Brown W. L. Jr. 1962. The neotropical species of the ant genus Strumigenys Fr. Smith: synopsis and keys to the species. Psyche (Cambridge) 69: 238-267.
 * Brown W. L., Jr. 1953.  Three new ants related to Strumigenys louisianae Roger. Psyche (Cambridge). 60: 1-5.
 * Brown W. L., Jr. 1953. Revisionary studies in the ant tribe Dacetini. Am. Midl. Nat. 50: 1-137.
 * Campbell J. W., S. M. Grodsky, D. A. Halbritter, P. A. Vigueira, C. C. Vigueira, O. Keller, and C. H. Greenberg. 2019. Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis) and woodland ant responses to repeated applications of fuel reduction methods. Ecosphere 10(1): e02547.
 * Chacon de Ulloa P., A. M. Osorio-Garica, R. Achury, and C. Bermudez-Rivas. 2012. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del Bosque seco tropical (Bs-T) de la cuenca alta del rio Cauca, Colombia. Biota Colombiana 13(2): 165-181.
 * Clemes Cardoso D., and J. H. Schoereder. 2014. Biotic and abiotic factors shaping ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) assemblages in Brazilian coastal sand dunes: the case of restinga in Santa Catarina. Florida Entomologist 97(4): 1443-1450.
 * Clemes Cardoso D., and M. Passos Cristiano. 2010. Myrmecofauna of the Southern Catarinense Restinga sandy coastal plain: new records of species occurrence for the state of Santa Catarina and Brazil. Sociobiology 55(1b): 229-239.
 * Clouse R. 1999. Leaf-Litter Inhabitants of a Brazilian Pepper Stand in Everglades National Park. The Florida Entomologist. 82: 388-403
 * Colby, D. and D. Prowell. 2006. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Wet Longleaf Pine Savannas in Louisiana. Florida Entomologist 89(2):266-269
 * Cuezzo F. 1999. Nuevas citas de hormigas de las tribus Dacetini y Basicerotini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para la República Argentina. Rev. Soc. Entomol. Argent. 58(3/4): 209-210.
 * Cuezzo, F. 1998. Formicidae. Chapter 42 in Morrone J.J., and S. Coscaron (dirs) Biodiversidad de artropodos argentinos: una perspectiva biotaxonomica Ediciones Sur, La Plata. Pages 452-462.
 * Dash S. T. and L. M. Hooper-Bui. 2008. Species diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Louisiana. Conservation Biology and Biodiversity. 101: 1056-1066
 * Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
 * Del Toro, I. 2010. PERSONAL COMMUNICATION. MUSEUM RECORDS COLLATED BY ISRAEL DEL TORO
 * Del Toro, I., M. Vázquez, W.P. Mackay, P. Rojas and R. Zapata-Mata. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Tabasco: explorando la diversidad de la mirmecofauna en las selvas tropicales de baja altitud. Dugesiana 16(1):1-14.
 * Deyrup M. 1997. Dacetine ants of the Bahamas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bahamas Journal of Science 5(1): 2-6.
 * Deyrup M., C. Johnson, G. C. Wheeler, J. Wheeler. 1989. A preliminary list of the ants of Florida. Florida Entomologist 72: 91-101
 * Deyrup M., L. Davis, and S. Buckner. 1998. Composition of the ant fauna of three Bahamian islands. Proceedings of the seventh symposium on the natural history of the Bahamas. 23-32. Bahamian Field Station, San Salvador, Bahamas
 * Deyrup M., L. Deyrup, and J. Carrel. 2013. Ant Species in the Diet of a Florida Population of Eastern Narrow-Mouthed Toads, Gastrophryne carolinensis. Southeastern Naturalist 12(2): 367-378.
 * Deyrup M., and J. Trager. 1985. Strumigenys rogeri, an African dacetine ant new to the U.S. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 67: 512-516.
 * Deyrup, M. and J. Trager. 1986. Ants of the Archbold Biological Station, Highlands County, Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 69(1):206-228
 * Deyrup, M. and S. Cover. 2009. Dacetine Ants in Southeastern North America (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Southeastern Naturalist 8(2):191-212
 * Deyrup, Mark A., Carlin, Norman, Trager, James and Umphrey, Gary. 1988. A Review of the Ants of the Florida Keys. The Florida Entomologist. 71(2):163-176.
 * Dias N. D. S., R. Zanetti, M. S. Santos, M. F. Gomes, V. Peñaflor, S. M. F. Broglio, and J. H. C. Delabie. 2012. The impact of coffee and pasture agriculture on predatory and omnivorous leaf-litter ants. Journal of Insect Science 13:29. Available online: http://www.insectscience.org/13.29
 * Dias N. S., R. Zanetti, M. S. Santos, J. Louzada, and J. H. C. Delabie. 2008. Interaction between forest fragments and adjacent coffee and pasture agroecosystems: responses of the ant communities (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Iheringia, Sér. Zool., Porto Alegre, 98(1): 136-142.
 * Drose W., L. R. Podgaiski, C. Fagundes Dias, M. de Souza Mendonca. 2019. Local and regional drivers of ant communities in forest-grassland ecotones in South Brazil: A taxonomic and phylogenetic approach. Plos ONE 14(4): e0215310.
 * Emery C. 1890. Studii sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 22: 38-8
 * Emery C. 1894. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. VI-XVI. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 26: 137-241.
 * Favretto M. A., E. Bortolon dos Santos, and C. J. Geuster. 2013. Entomofauna from West of Santa Catarina State, South of Brazil. EntomoBrasilis 6 (1): 42-63.
 * Fernandes, P.R. XXXX. Los hormigas del suelo en Mexico: Diversidad, distribucion e importancia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Fontanla Rizo J.L. 1997. Lista preliminar de las hormigas de Cuba. Cocuyo 6: 18-21.
 * Fontenla J. L., and J. Alfonso-Simonetti. 2018. Classification of Cuban ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) into functional groups. Poeyana Revista Cubana de Zoologia 506: 21-30.
 * Fontenla Rizo J. L. 1997. Lista preliminar de las hormigas de Cuba (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Cocuyo 6: 18-21.
 * Forster J.A. 2005. The Ants (hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alabama. Master of Science, Auburn University. 242 pages.
 * Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
 * Galkowski C. 2016. New data on the ants from the Guadeloupe (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bull. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux 151, 44(1): 25-36.
 * General D. M., and L. C. Thompson. 2011. New Distributional Records of Ants in Arkansas for 2009 and 2010 with Comments on Previous Records. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 65: 166-168.
 * General D., and L. Thompson. 2008. Ants of Arkansas Post National Memorial: How and Where Collected. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 62: 52-60.
 * General D., and L. Thompson. 2008. New distributional records of ants in Arkansas. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 62: 148-150.
 * General D.M. & Thompson L.C. 2008. New Distributional Records of Ants in Arkansas for 2008. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science. 63: 182-184
 * Grodsky S. M., J. W. Campbell, S. R. Fritts, T. B. Wigley, and C. E. Moorman. 2018. Variable responses of non-native and native ants to coarse woody debris removal following forest bioenergy harvests. Forest Ecology and Management doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.02.010
 * Guénard B., K. A. Mccaffrey, A. Lucky, and R. R. Dunn. 2012. Ants of North Carolina: an updated list (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3552: 1-36.
 * Hill J.G. & Brown R. L. 2010. The Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Fauna of Black Belt Prairie Remnants in Alabama and Mississippi. Southeastern Naturalist. 9: 73-84
 * Hill, J.G. 2006. Ants collected at Okatibbee Lake, Lauderdale County, Mississippi
 * INBio Collection (via Gbif)
 * Ipser R. M. 2004. Native and exotic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Georgia: Ecological Relationships with implications for development of biologically-based management strategies. Doctor of Philosophy thesis, University of Georgia. 165 pages.
 * Ivanov K., L. Hightower, S. T. Dash, and J. B. Keiper. 2019. 150 years in the making: first comprehensive list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Virginia, USA. Zootaxa 4554 (2): 532–560.
 * Johnson C. 1986. A north Florida ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insecta Mundi 1: 243-246
 * Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
 * Kempf W. W. 1958. The ants of the tribe Dacetini in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, with the description of a new species of Strumigenys. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Studia Entomologica (n.s.)1: 553-560.
 * Kempf W. W. 1961. A survey of the ants of the soil fauna in Surinam (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Studia Entomologica 4: 481-524.
 * Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
 * Kusnezov N. 1953. La fauna mirmecológica de Bolivia. Folia Universitaria. Cochabamba 6: 211-229.
 * Kusnezov N. 1978. Hormigas argentinas: clave para su identificación. Miscelánea. Instituto Miguel Lillo 61:1-147 + 28 pl.
 * Kusnezov, N., and R. Golbach. "Lista de las especies argentinas de la tribu Dacetini Hymenoptera, Formicidae." Acta Zoologica Lilloana 10 (1952): 423-426.
 * Kusnezov, N. "Lista de las hormigas de Tucumán con descripción de dos nuevos géneros (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)." Acta Zoologica Lilloana 13 (1953): 327-339.
 * Lapola D. M., and H. G. Fowler. 2008. Questioning the implementation of habitat corridors: a case study in interior São Paulo using ants as bioindicators. Braz. J. Biol., 68(1): 11-20.
 * LeBrun E. G., R. M. Plowes, and L. E. Gilbert. 2015. Imported fire ants near the edge of their range: disturbance and moisture determine prevalence and impact of an invasive social insect. Journal of Animal Ecology,81: 884–895.
 * Longino J. T. 2013. Ants of Honduras. Consulted on 18 Jan 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/longinollama/reports/ants-of-honduras
 * Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
 * Longino J. T., J. Coddington, and R. K. Colwell. 2002. The ant fauna of a tropical rain forest: estimating species richness three different ways. Ecology 83: 689-702.
 * Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
 * Lubertazzi D. and Tschinkel WR. 2003. Ant community change across a ground vegetation gradient in north Floridas longleaf pine flatwoods. 17pp. Journal of Insect Science. 3:21
 * MacGown J. A., J. G. Hill, R. L. Brown, T. L. Schiefer, J. G. Lewis. 2012. Ant diversity at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Oktibbeha, Noxubee, and Winston Counties, Mississippi. Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Bulletin 1197: 1-30
 * MacGown J. A., J. G. Hill, and M. Deyrup. 2009. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Little Ohoopee River Dunes, Emanuel County, Georgia. J. Entomol. Sci. 44(3): 193-197.
 * MacGown J. A., J. G. Hill, and R. L. Brown. 2010.  Native and exotic ant in Mississippi state parks.  Proceedings:  Imported Fire Ant Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, March 24-26, 2008: 74-80.
 * MacGown J. A., and R. L. Brown. 2006. Survey of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Tombigbee National Forest in Mississippi. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 79(4):325-340.
 * MacGown, J.A and J.A. Forster. 2005. A preliminary list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alabama, U.S.A. Entomological News 116(2):61-74
 * MacGown, J.A. and R.L. Brown. 2006. Observations on the High Diversity of Native Ant Species Coexisting with Imported Fire Ants at a Microspatial Scale in Mississippi. Southeastern Naturalist 5(4):573-586
 * MacGown, J.A. and R.L. Brown. 2006. Survey of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Tombigbee National Forest in Mississippi. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 79(4):325-340.
 * MacGown, J.A., J.G. Hill, R.L. Brown and T.L. 2009. Ant Diversity at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Oktibbeha, Noxubee, and Winston Counties, Mississippi Report #2009-01. Schiefer. 2009.
 * Macgown J. A., S. Y. Wang, J. G. Hill, and R. J. Whitehouse. 2017. A List of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Collected During the 2017 William H. Cross Expedition to the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas with New State Records. Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 143(4): 735-740.
 * Maes, J.-M. and W.P. MacKay. 1993. Catalogo de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Nicaragua. Revista Nicaraguense de Entomologia 23.
 * Mann W. M. 1920. Additions to the ant fauna of the West Indies and Central America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 42: 403-439.
 * Menozzi C. 1927. Formiche raccolte dal Sig. H. Schmidt nei dintorni di San José di Costa Rica. Entomologische Mitteilungen. Berlin-Dahlem. 16: 266-277.
 * Mentone T. O., E. A. Diniz, C. B. Munhae, O. C. Bueno, and M. S. C. Morini. 2011. Composition of ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at litter in areas of semi-deciduous forest and Eucalyptus spp., in Southeastern Brazil. Biota Neotrop. 11(2): http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v11n2/en/abstract?inventory+bn00511022011.
 * Moody J. V., and O. F. Francke. 1982. The Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Western Texas Part 1: Subfamily Myrmicinae. Graduate Studies Texas Tech University 27: 80 pp.
 * Moreau C. S., M. A. Deyrup, and L. R. David Jr. 2014. Ants of the Florida Keys: Species Accounts, Biogeography, and Conservation (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Insect Sci. 14(295): DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieu157
 * Morini M. S. de C., C. de B. Munhae, R. Leung, D. F. Candiani, and J. C. Voltolini. 2007. Comunidades de formigas (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) em fragmentos de Mata Atlântica situados em áreas urbanizadas. Iheringia, Sér. Zool., Porto Alegre, 97(3): 246-252.
 * Munhae C. B., Z. A. F. N. Bueno, M. S. C. Morini, and R. R. Silva. 2009. Composition of the Ant Fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Public Squares in Southern Brazil. Sociobiology 53(2B): 455-472.
 * Nuhn, T.P. and C.G. Wright. 1979. An Ecological Survey of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Landscaped Suburban Habitat. American Midland Naturalist 102(2):353-362
 * O'Keefe S. T., J. L. Cook, T. Dudek, D. F. Wunneburger, M. D. Guzman, R. N. Coulson, and S. B. Vinson. 2000. The Distribution of Texas Ants. The Southwestern Entomologist 22: 1-92.
 * O'Neill J.C. and Dowling A.P.G. 2011. A Survey of the Ants (hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Arkansas and the Ozark Mountains. An Undergraduate Honors, University of Arkansas. 18pages.
 * Oliveira Mentone T. de, E. A. Diniz, C. de Bortoli Munhae, O. Correa Bueno and M. S. de Castro Morini. 2012. Composition of ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at litter in areas of semi-deciduous forest and Eucalyptus spp., in Southeastern Brazil. Biota Neotrop 11(2): 237-246.
 * Osorio Rosado J. L, M. G. de Goncalves, W. Drose, E. J. Ely e Silva, R. F. Kruger, and A. Enimar Loeck. 2013. Effect of climatic variables and vine crops on the epigeic ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Campanha region, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. J Insect Conserv 17: 1113-1123.
 * Pacheco, R., R.R. Silva, M.S. de C. Morini, C.R.F. Brandao. 2009. A Comparison of the Leaf-Litter Ant Fauna in a Secondary Atlantic Forest with an Adjacent Pine Plantation in Southeastern Brazil. Neotropical Entomology 38(1):055-065
 * Parys K. A., M. L. Gimmel, and S. J. Johnson. 2013. Checklist of Insects Associated with Salvinia minima Baker in Louisiana, USA. Check List 9(6): 14881495.
 * Perez-Gelabert D. E. 2008. Arthropods of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti): A checklist and bibliography. Zootaxa 1831:1-530.
 * Reyes, J. L. "Inventario de la colección de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba." Boletín de la Sociedad Aragonesa 36 (2005): 279-283.
 * Rosa da Silva R. 1999. Formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) do oeste de Santa Catarina: historico das coletas e lista atualizada das especies do Estado de Santa Catarina. Biotemas 12(2): 75-100.
 * Rosa da Silva R., and B. Cortes Lopes. 1997. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Atlantic rainforest at Santa Catarina Island, Brazil: two years of sampling. Rev. Biol. Trop. 45(4): 1641-1648.
 * Rosado J. L. O., M. G. de Gonçalves, W. Dröse, E. J. E. e Silva, R. F. Krüger, R. M. Feitosa, and A. E. Loeck. 2012. Epigeic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in vineyards and grassland areas in the Campanha region, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Check List, Journal of species lists and distribution 8(6): 1184-1189.
 * Ross H. H., G. L. Rotramel, and W. E. LeBerge. 1971. A synopsis of common and economic Illinois antsm with keys to the genera (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Illinois Nat. history Surv. Biol. Notes 71: 1-22.
 * Rowles, A.D. and J. Silverman. 2009. Carbohydrate supply limits invasion of natural communities by Argentine ants. Oecologia 161(1):161-171
 * Salinas P. J. 2010. Catalogue of the ants of the Táchira State, Venezuela, with notes on their biodiversity, biogeography and ecology (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Amblyioponinae, Ponerinae, Proceratiinae, Myrmicinae, Ecitoninae, Formicinae, Pseudomyrmecinae, Dolichoderinae). Boletín de la SEA 47: 315-328.
 * Santos Lopes J. F., N. Martins dos Reis Hallack, T. Archanjo de Sales, M. Silva Brugger, L. F. Ribeiro, I. N. Hastenreiter, and R. da Silva Camargo. 2012. Comparison of the Ant Assemblages in Three Phytophysionomies: Rocky Field, Secondary Forest, and Riparian ForestA Case Study in the State Park of Ibitipoca, Brazil. Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/928371
 * Santos M. S., J. N. C. Louzada, N. Dias, R. Zanetti, J. H. C. Delabie, and I. C. Nascimento. 2006. Litter ants richness (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in remnants of a semi-deciduous forest in the Atlantic rain forest, Alto do Rio Grande region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Iheringia, Sér. Zool., Porto Alegre, 96(1): 95-101.
 * Santschi F. 1930. Quelques fourmis de Cuba et du Brésil. Bulletin. Société Entomologique d'Egypte. 14: 75-83.
 * Santschi F. 1931. Contribution à l'étude des fourmis de l'Argentine. Anales de la Sociedad Cientifica Argentina. 112: 273-282.
 * Santschi F. 1931. Fourmis de Cuba et de Panama. Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro). 1: 265-282.
 * Silva F. H. O., J. H. C. Delabie, G. B. dos Santos, E. Meurer, and M. I. Marques. 2013. Mini-Winkler Extractor and Pitfall Trap as Complementary Methods to Sample Formicidae. Neotrop Entomol 42: 351358.
 * Silva R. R., R. S. Machado Feitosa, and F. Eberhardt. 2007. Reduced ant diversity along a habitat regeneration gradient in the southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Forest Ecology and Management 240: 61-69.
 * Silva R.R., and C. R. F. Brandao. 2014. Ecosystem-Wide Morphological Structure of Leaf-Litter Ant Communities along a Tropical Latitudinal Gradient. PLoSONE 9(3): e93049. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0093049
 * Silva T. S. R., and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. Using controlled vocabularies in anatomical terminology: A case study with Strumigenys (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Arthropod Structure and Development 52: 1-26.
 * Silvestre R., C. R. F. Brandão, and R. R. Silva da 2003. Grupos funcionales de hormigas: el caso de los gremios del cerrado. Pp. 113-148 in: Fernández, F. (ed.) 2003. Introducción a las hormigas de la región Neotropical. Bogotá: Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, xxvi + 424 pp.
 * 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. 1932. An additional annotated list of the ants of Mississippi (Hym.: Formicidae). Entomological News 43: 157-160.
 * Smith M. R. 1936. A list of the ants of Texas. Journal of the New York Entomological Society 44: 155-170.
 * Smith M. R. 1937. The ants of Puerto Rico. Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico 20: 819-875.
 * Soares, S.M. and J.H. Schoereder. 2001. Ant-nest distribution in a remnant of tropical rainforest in southeastern Brazil. Insectes Sociaux 48:280-286
 * Solomon, S.E. and A.S. Mikheyev. 2005. The ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) fauna of Cocos Island, Costa Rica. Florida Entomologist 88(4):415-423
 * Spiesman B. J. and G. S. Cumming. 2008. Communities in context: the influences of multiscale environmental variation on local ant community structure. Landscape Ecol. 23: 313-325
 * Suguituru S. S., D. R. de Souza, C. de Bortoli Munhae, R. Pacheco, and M. S. de Castro Morini. 2011. Diversidade e riqueza de formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) em remanescentes de Mata Atlântica na Bacia Hidrográfica do Alto Tietê, SP. Biota Neotrop. 13(2): 141-152.
 * Suguituru S. S., M. Santina de Castro Morini, R. M. Feitosa, and R. Rosa da Silva. 2015. Formigas do Alto Tiete. Canal 6 Editora 458 pages
 * Suguituru S. S., R. Rosa Silva, D. R. de Souza, C. de Bortoli Munhae, and M. Santina de Castro Morini. Ant community richness and composition across a gradient from Eucalyptus plantations to secondary Atlantic Forest. Biota Neotrop. 11(1): 369-376.
 * Toennisson T. A., N. J. Sanders, W. E. Klingeman, and K. M. Vail. 2011. Influences on the Structure of Suburban Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Communities and the Abundance of Tapinoma sessile. Environ. Entomol. 40(6): 1397-1404.
 * Torres J.A. 1984. Niches and Coexistence of Ant Communities in Puerto Rico: Repeated Patterns. Biotropica 16(4): 284-295.
 * Torres, Juan A. and Roy R. Snelling. 1997. Biogeography of Puerto Rican ants: a non-equilibrium case?. Biodiversity and Conservation 6:1103-1121.
 * Ulyssea M.A., C. E. Cereto, F. B. Rosumek, R. R. Silva, and B. C. Lopes. 2011. Updated list of ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) recorded in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil, with a discussion of research advances and priorities. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 55(4): 603-611.
 * Van Pelt A. F. 1948. A Preliminary Key to the Worker Ants of Alachua County, Florida. The Florida Entomologist 30(4): 57-67
 * Van Pelt A. F. 1956. The ecology of the ants of the Welaka Reserve, Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). American Midland Naturalist 56: 358-387
 * Van Pelt A., and J. B. Gentry. 1985. The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Savannah River Plant, South Carolina. Dept. Energy, Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC., Report SRO-NERP-14, 56 p.
 * Vittar, F. 2008. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la Mesopotamia Argentina. INSUGEO Miscelania 17(2):447-466
 * Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
 * Weber N. A. 1934. Notes on neotropical ants, including the descriptions of new forms. Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro) 4: 22-59.
 * Wetterer J. K. 2014. Geographic distribution of Strumigenys louisianae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews 7: 159170.
 * Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler J. 1989. A checklist of the ants of Oklahoma. Prairie Naturalist 21: 203-210.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1908. The ants of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 24: 117-158.
 * Wheeler W. M., and W. M. Mann. 1914. The ants of Haiti. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 33: 1-61.
 * Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1985. A checklist of Texas ants. Prairie Naturalist 17:49-64.
 * Whitcomb W. H., H. A. Denmark, A. P. Bhatkar, and G. L. Greene. 1972. Preliminary studies on the ants of Florida soybean fields. Florida Entomologist 55: 129-142.
 * Wood D. L., and C. L. Brennan. 2013. First vouchered record for Strumigenys louisianae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Illinois. The Great Lakes Entomologist 46(3-4): 235-237.
 * da Silva, R.R. and R. Silvestre. 2004. Riqueza da fauna de formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) que habita as camadas superficiais do solo em Seara, Santa Catarina. Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo) 44(1): 1-11