Ants of the Navajo Reservation

 A Field Guide to the Ants of the Navajo Reservation''' '''

Contributors
 * Gary Alpert
 * Beverly Maxwell
 * David Lubertazzi
 * Stefan Cover
 * Marek Borowiec
 * Naomi Pierce
 * Arnold Clifford

The Navajo Reservation covers more than 26,000 square miles, making it larger than 10 of the 50 states within the United States. Navajo land is located between the mountains of Colorado and Utah and the low deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. This region includes a diverse range of habitats from high mountains at more than 10,000 feet, down into deep canyons, numerous mesas, tributaries of the Colorado River and lower elevation semi-arid deserts. The Navajo Ant Project is dedicated to the discovery of the ant biodiversity on this fascinating land and to integrating traditional Navajo cultural values with the modern scientific method. Ya'at'eeh (Hello).The Navajo Ant Project's goal is to integrate traditional Navajo cultural values with the modern scientific method as it explores the ant biodiversity on the Navajo Reservation.

The Navajo Ant Project is the first comprehensive scientific field study of the distribution and abundance of ants on Navajo Nation land. Harvard University collaborators are contributing expertise in teaching, ant identification, field work, insect photography and experimental design. They are collaborating with Navajo students and Navajo teaching staff to conduct and publish research on the biodiversity of ants. Special habitat areas of interest have been selected as field sites for the study of ant diversity. Different elevations, soil types and plant communities have been chosen to maximize the potential to collect a diverse number of ants. The Navajo ant research team will use the latest in Global Information System (GIS) technology and field collecting techniques to study the role of native ants in the ecology and conservation of biodiversity.

We hope to motivate and encourage Navajo people to study and appreciate the diversity on their lands and to protect and to cherish these resources for future generations. List of ant species found on the Navajo Reservation (24 genera and 100 species).

To everyone who is interested in Navajo ants.

Ants and Navajo culture
Ants are an important symbol in Navajo culture and tradition.

Life history, cycle, ant categories (sting, bite), foraging (seeds, raid)
 * Basic ant biology | Behavior

Equipment. Where to start where to go and what characters to see, polymorpholoy. Photography to see upclose.
 * Photographing and Collecting Ants

Sandy, woodland, elevation, nest craters, mesas, Grand Canyon, Plants.
 * Geography and Habitat

Using a key (genera, species), Important traits.
 * Identifying ants

Key to Ant Genera of the Navajo Reservation
Use this illustrated key to the twenty-four ant genera known from the Navajo Reservation. At each genus page you will find a separate key to species.

Aphaenogaster

 * Aphaenogaster huachucana Creighton, 1934

Brachymyrmex

 * Brachymyrmex depilis

Camponotus

 * Camponotus hyatti

Crematogaster

 * Crematogaster depilis

Dorymyrmex

 * Dorymyrmex bicolor

Forelius

 * Forelius mccooki

Formica

 * Formica altipetens
 * Formica argentea

Formicoxenus

 * Formicoxenus hirticornis

Hypoponera

 * Hypoponera opacior

Lasius
See Key to Lasius species of the Navajo Reservation


 * Lasius americanus

Leptothorax
See Leptothorax of the Navajo Reservation
 * Leptothorax crassipilis

Liometopum

 * Liometopum apiculatum

Monomorium

 * Monomorium cyaneum

Myrmecocystus

 * Myrmecocystus flaviceps

Myrmica

 * Myrmica brevispinosa


 * Myrmica species 1

Neivamyrmex

 * Neivamyrmex nyensis

Pheidole

 * Pheidole bicarinata

Pogonomyrmex

 * Pogonomyrmex californicus

Polyergus

 * Polyergus mexicanus

Solenopsis

 * Solenopsis molesta

Stenamma

 * Stenamma californicum

Tapinoma

 * Tapinoma sessile

Temnothorax

 * Temnothorax andrei

Veromessor

 * Veromessor lobognathus