THE ECOLOGY OF THE ANTS OF THE
WELAKA RESERVE, FLORIDA

(Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

By

ARNOLD F. VAN PELT, JR.

A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE COUNCIL OF

THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Septemter, 1950

BIOLOQf
GEOLOOy
LIBRARY

IP

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

\iimmm

3 1262 08552 2794

TABLE Q^ CONTENZS

Page

Introduetiob..««,««,». ••••••• ••••••••••••••• ••••••••••• 1

Description of the Area«*«»»»«««»»**«««»«**a«*«.«***«*a....« 5

Location and Physical Features.*.***....***.....** 5

The Soils and Yegetation*************.. .........** 7

DefinitioN. .....*•***** *•••••••• ** 9

Methods of Study •••••• • 10

Collecting Uethods and the Recording of Data in

the Field .* 12

RelatiTe Almndanee******************************** 14

The Collecting Stations of the Resenre******** ••*••• l6

SumoEury of the Recognized Stations**************** l6

Description of the Stations****************.....** 17

Ecological Relationships* ••* 2?

Description of the Strata and Nesting Sites******* 27

ATailability of Nesting Sites in Stations* ******** 30

Distribution in Stations************************** 32

Distribution in Strata and Nesting Sites* •• 38

Activity Relationships**************************** 41

Annotated List ********************* ***• 42

Addenda**** ..***•* ****•**•...* 149

Sunmary** •**.*••****•****•**************. a****************** 150

Acknowledgments* ***•*•••*•*••••••••* *••*•••••••••• 153

Uterature Cited******** * ••***• • • 154

INTRODUCTION

This dissertation presonts the results of a study dealing with
ecological relationships of the ants on the Iftiiversity of Florida
Conservation Reeerre^ Welaka, Florida. It is an attmqpt to expand the
knowledge of the nesting habits and behavior of the ants of a limited
area* Although simileur studies on ants had been undertaken previously
in other parts of the United States, especially the middle west, there
still remained the opportunity to study eompr Pensively an area in the
southeastern Coastal Plain, with its influences fr«n both the neotropical
and nearctic faunae*

In studying the ants of the Reserve, it was deeired to 1) as-
certain what ant forms occur on the Reserve, and to determine their
quantitative relationships in each of the situations in which they are
found; 2) classify th^e different situations from a knowledge of the
qualitative and quantitative distribution of the ants in th«i; 3) gather
as much information as possible concerning the life history and habit«
of the ants*

During the study satch interesting information incidental to the
main problna was obtained on various aspects of the ants* biology*
Observations concerning the speed of movMnent, feeding habits, guests and
pcurasites in the nests and on the individuals, and the hours during which
foraging is done are included in the Azmotated List*

The literature bearing on ants of selected regions has been,
for the most part, lists or keys, including only notes as to the nesting
habits of the ants concerned* Several recent papers have d^lt with
the ecological relationships between the ants and the environment of

2*

limited areas t Buren (1944) in Io«a; Cole (1^40) in the Great Smoky
Mountains of Tennessee; Gregg (1944) in the Chicago region; and Talbot
(1934) also in the Chicago region. Those papers deaJLing with Florida
ants have been four state lists (Smith, 1930, 1933t 19^> and HVheeler,
1932) and a key to the ants of the Gainesville region (Van Pelt, 1948).

Ibitil recently, the taxonmny of ants has been based on a
quadrinmiial systmi* About l875t Carlo Emery and Augusts Forel first
recognized infraspeeific units. At that time the taxonomy of the
Kuropean ants, with which these men dealt, was in a period of stability
brought about by the thorough knowledge these men had of their fauna.
They therefore felt no hesitation in marking forms as distinct which
shoved a slight variation. Species were first divided into races by
Forel, and were later termed varieties by Emery in 1885* In I89O,
Emery recognized the subspecies as a second infraspeeific category.
Acceptance of this quadrinomial system was not imnediate, but through
the added influence of W. H. Wheeler, it was in general use by I9IO.

Ev«i though Forel in his rotjtrmia de la Suisse recognized the
possibility that subspecies intergrade and exist in separate ranges,
the concept was embryonic and he failed to carry through with it. Most
other authors disregarded this geographical aspect of subspecies, and
named the infraspeeific forms on the basis of their concept of the
magnitude of the difference between them. Thxxa subspecies were separated
by smaller differences than species, but by larger ones than varieties.
Most of the material studied by Emery and Forel consisted of cabinet
specimens. Lack of sufficient field observation eind data, such as this
dissertation presents, led theaa into making taxonomie errors.

Several authors have made proposals to do away with the cumbersome

quadrinomlal eystem. Wheeler, in 1910, in his book Ants, suggested that
the variety in ant nomenclature is very nearly equivalent to the species
in other groups, such as birds and ntaiomals, and that for ordinary purposes
it would be suffici«it to treat the varietal neune as if it vere speeifie.
In writing generally of an ant, therefore, he used a binoaial system^
but retained the full tsralnology for catalogue listings and the like.

The efforts of Wheeler and other authors irtio were tending away
from quadrinomial nomenclature might have produced more general results
if it had not been for the publication, froa I9OI to 1925* of Bsery's
section on the Formieidae in the Oenera Inaectonan. with its concomitant
authority* In I938 Cr eight on proposed a trinomial systea in which all
of the varieties were to be raised to subspecifie rank* and in 1944
Buren put this idea into practice for the ants of lova*

Finally, in 1950, Creighton published a sanual on the ants of
North America in which he revised his earlier concept by discarding the
category "variety", and by designating as subspecies all iutergrading
forms whieh replace each other geographically* Actually a great maiqr
varieties wore relegated to synonymy because the characters, especially
color, separating them from their most closely related forms, were
found to be invalid* Most of Creighton* s changes involved either syn-
onymizing varieties or raising them to subspecifie rank* His paper
ought to have a wide influence in placing ant nomenclature on a sound
basis* Several points in the present study have been 8iiq>lified, ai^
other obvious mistakes in previous nomenclature rectified by accepting
his trinomial system*

Literature references are given at the end of this dissertation
only for those papers cited in the text* No references to original

descriptions or to papers dealing with aynonamy are listed* The reader
will be able to find these references, along with keys to all Iforth
American ants, in Creighton (1950)*

DESCRIPTIOK CS" THE iREA
Location and Phyaical Featur—

The Unlyersity of Florida Consenration Resarve, irtiare the presant
study was made, ie a 2180 acre tract, located on the east bank of the
St. Johns RiTer, about seventeen miles south of Palatka near the tore of
Welaka in Putnam County, Florida. The Reserve is situated in northeastern
peninsular Florida on a portion of the state known as the Coastal Lowlands
(Cooke, 194518), and is for the most part located on the Pamlico marine
terrace, which is designated by its 25 foot elevation above sea level.
It is approximately in the center of the rectangle formed by the lines
of latitude of 29° and 30°, and those of longitude of 81° and 82°.

The Reserve varies in its topography from flat or very gently
rolling lands covered with pine woods to hilly uplands supporting oak
and pine, and many areas are pock-marked because of the solution of the
underlying limestone. The uplands, with their sand dune appearance, are
evidence that the land was once part of a marine shore line. The sub-
mergences and Mtergenees of the Coastal Lowlands to form Pleistocene
marine terraces, along with the absence of catastrophic movoaents in the
Welaka area, as well as in all Florida, will undoubtedly prove ii^ortant
in consideration of the zoogeographio distribution of the Formicidae.
For a complete discusaion of the geology of this area, as well as other
parts of Florida, see Cooke (1945).

Usually more than half of the annual precipitation falls in
thunder showers during the hottest months, June to September, when rainfall
averages 5 to 10 inches per month. Least precipitation occurs in late
fall and again in early spring, with a monthly average of 1 to 4 inches.

Ihe aimual rainfall averages under 50 inches* The weather station at
Crescent City recorded the total precipitation per month during the
pMTiod of the present study as shown in Figure 1* For ecanplete data on
the eliaate of Florida tram I896 to 1926, see MiteheU and Ensign (1928).

The ten^)erature of the area in which the Reserve is located
averages about 70° Fahrenheit. Freezing tenperatures may occur trcn
November to March^ although frost-free winters have been reported.
Sumaer teiaperatures average 80** to 90**) and are at times recorded above
lOO*'* Teoqperatures may vary greatly within a small area^ for exanqple^
from a dense hammock to an open flatwoods* Figure 1 shows the average
monthly temperature during the period of the present study* The average
length of the growing season is 30O days* The fiz>st killing frost in
fall may ooeur in November or December; the last killing frost in spring
usually occurs in February or Uarch*

The nearest weather station recording relative humidity is
at Jacks oavillet where the nean annual relative humidity for 7 A.lf* is
83^9 iriiile for 7 P*M* it is !(>%* Records from here also indicate only
the general conditions on the Resmrve, since Jacksonville and Welaka are
separated by seventy miles* Moreover, relative humidity varies greatly
within a small area, depending upon the vegetational conditions
encountered* The author has recorded relative humidity below 20^ on
numerous occasions in open areas on hot, sunny days*

The records of tes^erature and rainfall taken from Crescent City^
eleven aiiles to the east, can be used only as general indications of
conditions on the Reserve*

*> *

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8

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T^e Soils and Tagetation
During the simmer of 1948, a soil surrey of the Reserve «as
■ade in order to become acquainted with the soil type* present* This
work was based to a grmit extent on the detailed surrey of the area made
by Laessle (1942). Where neoesKiry» the 8oil«type nomenclature mui
brought up to date (See Map !)• The following discussion of the deri*
ration and texture of parent materials, and of drainage, is based on

LMSsle's paper*

The mineral soils of the area are very probably derirod frooi
marine deposits of fine sand* No clays were found within six feet of
the surface, with the exception of small areas along the St« Johns River*
The organic soil, peaty muck, has been laid down by the aosumulation of
vegetable matter in two extensive areas along the river*

Ghomical analysis of the soils has been carried out only to
a minor extent in nearby eureas, and not at all on the Reserve*

In the rolling areas, and in other areas liiere the land is
not entirely flat, the very sandy nature of the soil permits excellent
drainage* Much of the Reserve, hcvever, is almost completely flat,
and in these areas lateral movement of water is slow or negligible and
the water table is near the surface* In many of the flat areas, an
accumulation of organic matter, called a hardpan, is formed at varying
depths beneath the surface, and in such areas during heavy rains the
ground becomes sup«rsatus«ted* In lower positions within the flatwoods,
organic matter accumulates as a black or dark gray layer at the surface
rather than as a hardpan* In contradistinction to these soils, the soils
of the higher areM, with good interr^ drainage, do not have an organic
hardpan within 42 inches of the surface and contain very little organic

Ifap Is Soil Map of the Resdrre

H St. Lucie fine sand

IXE Lakeland fine sand

cm Blanton fine sand

\ZZ Blanton fine sand, hammock phase

EZI Leon fine sand

SX! Leon fine sand, light colored surface phase

[H] Pomello fine sand

H^ Plumner fine sand

EB Rutlege fine sand

^ Peaty muck, sisanq) phase

I^U Peaty muck, marsh phase

I,. .1111

University of Florida
3nservati0n reserve
M Welaka, Florida

XCMoore yromAirplanGPhobogrophi and Additional Dola
lied ba WBDcVall. AMLcKSsk, and JOi Friou^, Jc. and
Under ths Direction of Or HB5h«rmanA(in^l141

I I I I I I I I I — \ — \ — r

5calc in Teet

1 I r

"1 — r

"T — I — r

"1 1 1 1 \ — T"

6*

matter in the surfaee soil*

The Tegetation of the Res erre (Uap 2) nay be dirided into four
main categories, not including the various types of ruderal areas*
They aret 1) uplands or sandhills; 2) flatwooda; 3) haiamooke; and
4) seasonally flooded areas* On the cistern side of the Resenre there
is a large area of uplands supporting longleaf pine and turkey oak, and
scattered in the southern portion are similar smaller arecus covered with
longleaf pine and bluejaok oak* Various types of flatvoods form a strip,
interrupted by bayheads and higher hammocks, through the center of the
Reserrs* Low haanooks form a strip adjacent to river 8wbibi> azid marsh
which border the St* Johns River*

VEGETATION MAP of the
UNIV. of FLORIDA k

CONSERVATION HE-
SEI\yE,WELAKA,FLA.

■Si'

3 0 C

a B Oa
0 - Ooo,

"o 0 Do'
>a 0 0 Oa

o a 0 0 c B 0

0=00 0 Oq^'

1° 0 0 a a at
^ 0 O 0 fl Q a

o4^er thftn hammocks
P pWu#«U 'Q lo«v.»

P. davsa. - <3. spp-^cJM

locks 5ea5onaHij /looded areas

|aa| Xeric C^3 River- »wam|

g)FlaVwoods I I Rudvra.1 a^ras , OM f.«Ms

O,. .. . L&vwnS .Oir-port etc.

Sh«ll pit and m»und ' '^

■Sca/c

t At'/entr /&f

t mi/r

Ibp 2t Yegetatioa Map of the Reserve

DEFINITIOKS
The follcrvving definitions of terms are given so that their
in the reiDainder of the dissertation vill be clsart
l^orq '^ Ant fonn is used to designate any category balov subgenus.
Assenblage ^ specjga assenblacy ~ Asseablage is used to designate a
characteristic and distinctive aggregate of ant colonies contained in a
given plant association, stratum, or nesting site* Such an assemhliige
can be separated qualitatively an^or quantitatively ffom any oth«r
assemblage* In this dissertation all assemblages contain more than ons
species, and are consequently species assemblages*

pabita,t — The environsient in which an assemblage occurs la its habitat,
and consequently the habitat of all the ant forms within the assMoblage*
Stratum -• A stratum is one of the vertical levels or layex^ within plant asso*
oiationi* As used here, it is not delimited by the boundaries of any ons
plant association or station, but extends through all of then on the Reservs*
Infesting site — Nest is used to designate the place in which one coloiqf
lives, vrtxereas nesting site indicates all nesting places of similar
structure and c(n!i$>08ition, regardless of plant association boundaries*
All nests in stunqjs, for example, are in one nesting site*
Relative abundance — The term relative abundance is used as a measurs is
indicate the density or abundance of one form in a colleeting station during
a partieular time relative to the abundance of any form in any station over
an equal length of time* It is based on colonies, not individuals*
Station -* An curea chosen as representative of a plant association*
pollection — Applied to each nest observed or collected* In eascMS Were only
wandering individuals we>re seen, they were recorded as a collection on the sup-
position that a nest '*»• nearby} this appUed in most instances to rare ants
whos« casting sites uere not known*

iOm

METHODS or STUDY

liany authors have found close correlation betireen the diatrl*
button of the animals they studied and plant associations* On this basis
they have been able to designate plant associations as the habitats of
distinctive species assemblages* On the other hand, there are found to
be other assemblages associated with strata* These strata may be confined
to only one plant association^ or they may extend through several* They
have also been considered habitats* Thus an ecological hierarchy was
set up with the plant associations as major habitats , and 8trat§ as
minor habitats*

In order to determine if similar relationships could be expressed
for the ants of the Reserve, it was first necessary to make the work on
ants as coiq>arable as possible with the work on solitary animals* It
nist be decided whether the ant individual or its colony will be used as
the biotle unit in dealing with distribution and relative abundance* In
this study the coloi^ in its nest, and not its individuals or their
range of foraging, is considered the unit*

Among the chief reasons for basing the study on the coloagr
rather than on the individual worker ant is that reproduction for the
idiole colony is generally aeeoD^>lished by the queen* In this respect the
workers and soldiers are not coi^lete individttfils, but generally must
depend en the reproductive caste to continue the race* Food is brought
back to the nest by foragex*8, net for their benefit alone, but for the
benefit of the colozqr* There is cooperation among the ants of a colony,
whereas there is esiq>etition among solitary anioals of the same and
different races, and likewise among ant colonies of the same and of
different races* In so far as the processes of living euid perpetuating

11.

the race are eonoeraed, the colony ia more eouqplete than the indiYidual.
It is, for exaoqple, more complete than the queen, vhlch might be suggested
as the type of individual in the ant nest most elosely resooabling a
solitary animal. Using the colony as a basis, therefore, it «as proposed
to determine if distinctive ant assemblages existed, and if so, by vhat
means they could be defined*

la order to delimit ant assemblages, it vas not only necessary
to discover in what situations the ant forms occurred, but it was also
necessary to determine as nearly as practicable the relative abundance
of each form in each situation. So that this could be accomplished, it
«as proposed to visit plant associations (as modified in the following
section) since, l) they occur in repeated, rather uniform stands
characteristic of the Welaka area, and consequently are more readily
recognizable by other workers} and 2) other workers in the Welaka area
and elsewhere have found plant associations to be habitats for their
groups. If a correlation of plant associations and ant assemblages
were found to exist, then the plant associations could be called ant
habitats. If ant assemblages were found to exist ia strata and in
nesting sites, these too could be considered ant habitats.

It eould be postulated that soils, as well as vegetation,
might be a critical factor in determining where an ant form might nest*
In reality, some plant associations occurred on two or more different
soil types so that it was to the point to combine soil type with vege«
tation for the purpose of selecting a collecting site. All such ccmibi-
nations on the Reserve were designated as possible collecting localities*
Several combinations were found to occupy an insignificant area and were
omitted. Within each of the other soil type-plant association combinations

a representative area or station was selected*

12.

Colloeting Methods and the Recordiag of Data in the Field

It w&e known from previous experience that ants as a family
are able to live in a wide variety of nesting places , although certain
ant forms are quite specific in their requirements. Without a fairly
c outlet e knowledge of the ants to be dealt with^ the data, especially
as concerns relative abundance, could very well be invalidated* It
was imperative, therefore, to become acquainted as quickly as possible
with the nesting habits of the ants on the Reserve, and likewise to
become familiar with the plants and terrain involved.

In order to facilitate progress along this line, a preliminary
survey of the ants of the Reserve was begun in October, 194?* sind was
carried on during weekend trips from the University in Oainasville* On
June 18, 19^» residence was established on the Reserve, and concentrated
collecting was begun and continued in the manner described below for
scmewhat over one year* The data from further collecting, carried on
until June, 1950, were used to substantiate the distribution and relativ*
abundance figures already obtained* During the period of concentrated
collecting, observations were cnde on 3576 ncets*

Each station was visited 17 times (with additional special
trips to eollect one particular ant form or one particular nesting site)*
Visits to each station were made as nearly as possible once every month*
They were continued up to (and, in reality^ past) the point at irtiich it
was felt an accurate sample had been obtained, i*e*, the point of
diminishing returns* Equal lengths of time, from 2 l/2 to 3 hours, were
spent at each station* In order to obtain a representative sample from
each station, each type of nesting i^xte was worked for a period of time
proportionate to its abundance in that paz>ticular station* For exan^le.

13.

in longleaf pine flatwoods there is mora opportunity for ants to nast in
the bases of trees than in the open sand, and therefore the former was
collected proportionately longer than th« latter in that association.

Uost of the collections were made by forceps, and some w«:e made
with an aspirator* The daily oollection from each station was supplwaanted
by putting the litter fran approximately two square feet of soil surface
through a Berlese funnel. The litter vas left on the funnel with no
external heat for two or three days until dry*

To san^le the contents of the litter in the field, seTeral
other Berlese-type funnels were built from five-gallon lard cans. The
funnel itself consisted of an inverted light reflector which led to a
hole in the bottom of the canj over the light reflector different MMh
screening or hardware cloth could be placed* To activate the animal*
a few drops of housebold ammonia w«re introduced, and the top placed on
the can* Such funnels were left an hour or less*

Another supplanentary Berlese-type funnel was made from a
household funnel by fastening wire screen over its top and running a
rubber tube from its bottwn into a vial* Small pieces of wood, pieces
of MMs, and other similar objects were placed on this funnel, and a
light bulb, usually sixty watts, was lowared in a reflector over tha
funnel* Other special collecting was accoa^lished by use of molassMi
traps, and a light trap. The ants from these last two funnels, and
from the traps were not figured in the relative abundance*

For each colony collected, the blanks on a field data sheet
(rig* 2) were filled in, exc^t when two or more collections of the
same form were made in identical situations. In these cases, only one
field data sheet was filled in, but tue appropriate relative abundance

IbiiTorslty of Florida Conserratlon Reserve. WelaJca
(except ae noted) 1948-1950

CoU. No.

Det, by AVP Coll. by AVP

Stations Ha I2a I3a I4b I4d Ula II2a II2b II3a Illla
IIZ2a IIHa I7Ia TfZe. I73a
Areas not on Reserves

Forceps Series e Seen Traps

Nesting sites s

A. (Alder soil surface
1. Open sand

a. No erat«r

b. Rudisientary crater
e. Incomplete crater .
d. Complete crater .___

2. In and under litter _

3. Uhder log (sp.;deeay)

4. Iftider and in log (sp.;deeay)
B. On soil surface

5* In fallen log (sp.jdecay)

6. In palmetto log on ground (Bp.;decay)

7» In liying palmetto root/trunk (sp.)

8* In dead stump (sp.^deeay) ,.,^______________

9* In base of living tree (sp.)

10. In litter

C. Grass

U. In base of grass clump (sp.) ___„______

12. Betwewi savgrass blades ,«.________.«

13. In tall grass stem (sp.) ___________________

D. Arboreal

14. Tvig (with only center vood absent) (sp.) ,
15* Small branch (with many passageways) (sp.)
16. Call (sp.|sp. tree) ____._____^___^

X. Other (irii«re found) «_«_________________

F» VuMlering ._____,^____________________________^

Characteristics of nests In shade In sun Diameter of nests
Height of nests _«_________„ No. openings s

Foras presents Hales Females Callows Eggs Larvae Pi^paet
Queen(8) Male Fonale Worker

CoomensalB (sp.) ^

Local abundances abundant eoniBon occasional rare

Amount of activitys very eomiderable considerable modm>ate slow
no movement

Physical factors s Day Nights Bainy Overcast Cloudy Clear

Time __«««__«__ Tenq?. __„.„__„ Relative humidity «._.___^

Disposition of collections AVP Not k«pt Pinned Other ___._,.._

Remarks s (evw )

Fig. 2. — Field data sheet.

14.

ehoeked*

Bach eoXloction was recorded on the field data sheet as follows i
The blanks in the upper left hand eomer of the field data sheet w«r«
filled in with the name of the form taken and the determiner* In the
other corner, the collection number, which combined the date with the
number of a given collection made on that date, was written* The stations
were given code numbers (see p* l6) to save space and facilitate recording
on this sheet and elsewhere* The I*s indicate high areas of sandhills,
scrub, or scrubby flatwoodsj the II* s are the other flatwoodsf the 111*8
are the haranoeks; and the I\r*s are the seasonally flooded areas* On
each sheet the station collected was encircled* On the next line below
the list of stations, the means of collection was indicated* Then the
nesting site was cheeked, and ^ere applicable the species of plant in
which the neet was found, its state of decay, and any other peculiarities
of the nest were listed* The rest of the sheet is self-explanatory*
Remarks of various natures pertaining to the ant in question were written
on the back of the sheet*

Relative Abundance

If on one collecting trip of two and one-half hours to a givMi
station an ant form was collected six times or more, it was considered
abundant; if collected four or five tines, emnmon} two or three times,
occasional; and if collected only once, it was treated as rare in that
locality* The relative abundance data for each collecting trip was
recorded in the field*

A form collected only once or twice in a given day may have
a sporadic occurrence in the area of the station collected, and yet
have a relatively high abundance over a period of time in that station*

15.

Bseau8« of such poesible diserepaneiesy a relative abundance figure
based on the 1? collecting trips was coiiq[>iled for each form in each
station so as to give a truer representation* On this basis, a form is
considered abundant if it was collected in a station forty times or
morei common, if collected thirteen to thirty*nine times; occasional,
if collected two to twelve times; and rare if collected once*

16.

COLLECTINB STATIO^JS ON THE RESERVE
Sunaqary of Recognized Stations
For convenience in referring to the field data sheet, the
plant aseociation-Boil type combinations, or stations, are expressed
by letters and numbers r^resenting the drainage, vegetation, and soil
type of the station* For example. Ha represents a well dreined station
supporting the Pim^s pa Igstr i,s«Quqreu8 laevls association on lakeland
fine sand. The stations chosen aret

!• Well drained arees other than haznnocks

!• fint^a paluotris-Quercus laeris association

a. Lakeland fine sand (Turkey oak sandhills or uplands)
2* £• p^lustris^O. einerea ass*

a* Blanton f« s* (Bluejaek oak sandhills)
3* £• cJausa«-0. rirginiana var, Reainata^q. mvrtifolia-
£• chap^n^^ ass*

a* St* Lueis f* s* (St. Lucie scrub or scrub)
*• SL» virr.iniana var. gendpata-f^. gtYrtifelJA-fS* cftapnanii ass,
1)i* Leon f. s., light colored surface phase (Leon

scrubby flatwoods)
d* Pomello f. s. (Pomello scrubby flatwoods)
II* Poorly drained flatwoods

1. JP. palustris^Aristida stricta ass*

a. Leon f* s* (Longleaf pine flatwoods)

2. £• elllotti ass.

a* Planner f* s* (Plusmsr slash pine flatwoods)
b* Rutlege f. 8* (Rutlege slash pine flatwoods)

Map 3i Distribution of Stations on the Reserre*

Ila. Turkey oak fiandhillB or uplands

I2a. Bluejack oak sandhills

I3a« St. Lucie scrub or scirub

I4b« Leon scrubby flatwoods

Z4d« Pomello scrubby flatwoods

ina. Longlsaf pine flatwoods

Il2a* PluBmer slash pine flatwoods

II2b, Rutlege slash pine flatwoods

II3a, Black pino-fetterbush flatwoods

una* Xeric hanmock

III2a« Uesic hammock

IZI3a. Hydrie hanunock

ITla. RiT«r swai^

IV2a. Bayhead

If3a. Harsh

L-ijJ-cLL-JnT~;

■.j-a-j-i.,jr^~T'

li»^^^tt«tributio^^t«tioi^o^h^j«WT».

17.

3« £• 3 erot Ina-Deamothamnus ass.

a« Plummer f. s. (Black pine-fetterbush flatwoods)
III. Hamnocks (Well drained to nearly saturated)

1. 2» vJrginians ass.

a. Blanton f. s., hazsciock phase (Xerle hamaoek)

2. Wagpolia fffindlflora^Ilex opaea ess.

a* Blanton f. s.^ hanmoek phase (Uesle haianock)

3. SL* nigra»LlQ uidambar-Sabal pa^mfr^-^.^j ass.
a. Rutldge f. 8. (Hydric hammock)

If. Seasonally flooded areas

1. 1^od4.tjtm dls ■^IchuB-ifys sa blflora ass.

a. Peaty muck (River s^jran?))
2* Gror^oni^-Tanala ]}^b es c ens -Mapi o lia virginiaoa ass.

a. Rtrtlege f. 9. (Bayhead)
3* Hyiecgs .lanaicenslg ass.

a. Peaty imiek (Harsh)

P^criotions of the Stations
Turkey oak sandhills
(£• palustria-^. laevis ass.; Lakeland f.s«)
The location of this station (see liap 3) iB in the northeast
portion of the Reserre, betveen Trails 10» 11» and 12. Characteristic
trees are the longleaf pine (£. yalustris ) and turkey oak (Quereua laevis ),

'*' For a fuller discussion of the vegetation and soils of the Res err* as a
whole, and of the stations mentioned here, the reader should see Laessle (1942).
2 The scientific names of pinee are taken from West and Arnold (1946)*

18.

Bluojack oak (g. cinerea) and live oak (£. virj?:iniana^ are also present,
but are not bo plentiful. Below the widely spaced trees is a scanty
herbaceous vegetation consietin^j in the main of wiregraeses (Aristid^
etricta and Sporobalis gracilj^s). Between these rather dense patches
of wiregraSB there are areas of bare, pale gray sand.

Lakeland fine sand (Ijaessle's Norfolk fine sand, deep phase}
Bjay occur on level or gently sloping areas of uplands, but on the
Fesenre it appears chiefly In the rolling turkey oak sandhills. The
■oil has good drainage, but it is not as excessive as that of St, Lucie
fine ssund and Lakeiwood fine sand. It has more organic natter in the
surface layer than either of the latter soils.

Bluejack oak sandhills

(£■ palustris^Q, oinerea ass.; Blanton f, s.)

This station is located at the Junction of Trails 9 and 13
in the middle of the eastern side of the Reserve, The vegetation is
fiimllsT to that of the turkey oak sandhills, except that bluejaek oak
(£• ciqerea) is the codominant instead of turkey oak, nie pines of
this station are larger and more numerous in a given area than in the
turkey oak sandhills, and there is consequently more pine needle litter.
This litter, along with the wiregrasB and the litter added by the oaks,
forms a complete and sometimes dense mat,

Blanton tine sand possesses good to fair drainage, Althou^
the soil has no organic hardpan, there is a tendency toward one at a
depth of threa feet v-here the soil borders Leoa fine sand*

19.

St* Luei« Scrub
(£• 9latt8a«Q« 8pp. as8.; St. Lucie f. s.)

The area choe«n for this station i& located Just over the Reserve
fence at the end of Trail 13* Part of this area of eorub extends onto
the RetJerve east of Ti-ail IJ, but the larger arsa over the fence warn
chosen as more typical.

laassld pointB out that the patch of scrub in question lacks
certain characteristic plants of the Florida scrub in genertil. Iiqportant
euaong theee are roseoary iCar'atiola ericoides) and the s«gHiphore oaetus
(Qpuntia auBtriai^). A rather dense growth of sand pine (£. clausa)
■akes up the upper story of the station* wliile scrub oaks, along with
several othm* shrubs « comprise a lower layer, ^ong the oaks may be
listed t«in live oak (£• virfeiniana var. ^^ggiijSkJ^) ^^ Chainan*s oak
(^. ehapn^np^i,^ «hile staggerbush iXoXlsau ferruicinea). sav palaetto
(Serenoa reoens). silk bay ^T?iffPlil\ huBiilis). and species of Ilex are
other shrubs found at the station. A few vines and herbs, along with
mosses and lichens are also to be found. It is pointed out by lAessle
(1942 129) that '*in spite of the xeromorphio nature of the scrub
vege»ationy with its small, heavily cutinized, often revolute, and
hairy leaves.... coa^^aratively mssic conditions are found....'* in
scrub baeuuse of the olo^e, loi^', and consequently dense growth.

St. Lucie fine sand is characteriiitic of higher areas where
drainage is excessive or neariy so. iJrg,anic zaatter has opportunity to
resiain only in the fxrst inch of the profile* Below this the rainwater
leaches it rapidly through tho Itu'ge piaj^'ticl&fi of what perhaps were
ancient dune sands, to giv@ a loose^ white sand*

20.

Leon SRnibby flntwoods
(£• spp» ass, I Lson f« s., light colored »»trfaee phase)

This station is located bertvreen frails 9 RW* 13 in the middle
portion of the eastern side of the Reserve, The vegetation is like that
of the St. Luoie scrub, except thot the sand pine and the silk bay, as
well as certain other plants, are abse?^t» A few trees of longleaf pine
may be present as relics,

Leon fine sand, light colored surface phase (Laessle's Leon
fin© sand, scrubby phase) holds a position between Poiaello fine sand and
8t, Luoie fine sand on the one hand, and the typical Leon fine sand on
the other. It is better drained than the latter and more poorly drained
than the former. The hardpan is usually within thirty to fortytwo inches
of the light gray or almost white surface,

Poraello scnibby flatwoods
iSL» °PP* a,S8,j Pomello f, 8* )

The patch of this scrubby flatwoods studied is located one
hundred j'ards west of the highway, and about 1/4 mile northwest of the
fire tower. The vegetation is very much like that of the Leon scrubby
flatwoods, Xaessle (1942i30) sums \jp the differences between the two
as follows* "I am able to detect no fundamental vegetational differenee
,,,, except that there is a noticeable difference in the gpreater height
attained by the shrubs [of the Pomello soil] and the longleaf pins
always seoms lacking there,**

Pomello fine sand (Laessle*s St, Lucie fine sand, flat phase)
is more poorly drained than St, Luoie fine sand, and better drained than
Leon fine sand. It differs from Leon fine sand, Ught solored surfaes
phass, in drainage as noted above» and ia pesssssiag no hardpaa within
forty-two inehss of the surfaes*

21.

Longlaaf pine flatwoods
(£• palustri3"A« stricta ass.} Loon f, 8«)

This station is located between Trail 4 and the highway, about
3/8 mile from the fire tower. The vegetation is dominated by somewhat
scattered) Isurge longleaf pines; small longleaf pines are quite abundant*
Saw palmetto, gallberry (Hex glabra), and fetterbush (Desmothamnuq
lueidgs), as well as other shrubs, are found here* The ground coto*
consists largely of wiregrass (^* strieta). but much indian grass
(Sorghajtrum secundum) is present* Since fire has been kept out for
several years now, the shrubs, especially those mentioned above, are
growing profusely, and wiregrass is being forced out*

These flatwoods, iriiieh are fire subelinax for this region,
grow on Leon fine sand* It is higher than Plummer fine sand and Rutlege
fine sand* The soil has a gray or salt-and»pepper surface becoming lighter
dewn to a brownish black hardpan consisting of fine sand particles cemented
together with organic matter* Below the hardpan, at twenty-eight to
thirty-four inches from the surface, the sand is only partially emented
with organic matter, and becomes lighter brown with depth*

plunmier slash pine flatwoods
(£• olliotti ass*; Plunmer f* s.)

The loMition of this station is a little less than 1/4 mile
southwest of the fire tower* It siqpports the dominant slash pine (£•
elliotti) and a few longleaf and black pines* Saw palmetto and other
shrubs 8u*e present, along with several grasses, among them Andropogon*

Plummer fine sand, found in many cases between longleaf pine
flatwoods and the lower hydric heamocks, is a gray to light gray soil*
It contains a brown stained fine sand, usually at about three feet*

22.

Rutlege slash pine flatvoods
(£• •mottl ass.j Rutlege f. s.)
This station is north of Trail 3 and just west of the highway.
The Tegetaticn, dosiinated by slash pine (£• slliottiK a£d oooposed of
scattered trees of longlcaf pine (£• calustris) and hlaek pine (£.
serotina). is siadlar to that of Plmomer slash pine flatwoods. Its
shrubs consist of fettarhush fDym^->^'f^;^|]7»n^p Igcidja). saw palnetto
(gerenoa reaena). and othsrs* Bsoauas of laok of fire, these shruha
have beeoaie donso, and ore in mxay places shading out the ground
layer of short grasses*

The surface ten inches of Rutlege fine sand (Laessle*s
Portsmouth fine sand) contain imaeh organic loatter and are dark gray
or black* The station is low, and in tines of heavy rain the soil
nay become supersaturated*

Black pine«fetterbu8h flatvoods
(£• serotina-Desmothaanua ass.j Plumer f* s*)
This station is about l/A mile east of the junction of Trails
6 and 8, on the south side of Trail 6» necur the middle of the west side
of the Reserve* The trees of the area are widely scattered black pine
(£• garotina). but thickets of fetterbush are fairly dense between the
pines* Among these thickets are open areas with little or no litter in
^lich the most inportant plants are the broma sedge (Andropogon) and
shorter grasses* The thiekets th ens elves eure on areas raised a few
inches above the lover, open soil, presenting available space for nests
iriien the lower areas become teoqporarily supersaturated during the
rains*

23«

Although the soil of this station (designated St* Johns fine
sand by Laessle) may not bo tjrpical Plumner fine sand, it is placed under
that heading. The lack of a hardpan within the eighteen to twenty-foiar
inch level suggests Plunmer rather than the best alternative, St, Johis
fine sand. Over the surface of the very flat area, the organic matter
is tightly packed,

Xeric hammock
(Q, YJrKini^na ass,; Blanton f, s,, hammock phase)
Located in the only large area of live oak on the Reserve, this
station extends between Trails 6 and 7 from near their Junction for about
a quarter of a mile. The dominant tree is live oak (£• virgJaiana),
There are also numbers of blue jack oak (^, cinerea) and laurel oak (£•
laurifoli^). and some cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto), A few trees of
longleaf pine (£, paluatris) and loblolly pine (£, tagd^) are present.
Chapman's oak, as well as other shrubs, wild grapes (Yitis spp,)^
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus guinguefolia), and grasses of the genus
Panic up make up part of the rest of the flora. Because of the well-
Spaced large trees, the area is quite op«i, except in those clumps lAere
scrub oaks, with other lamer vegetation, have grown together to form
more or less dense thickets,

Blanton fine sand, haimaock phase, has a profile much like that
of the typical Blanton fine sand. The soil at this station is higher
than that of the surrounding Leon fine sand flatwoods,

Itoeic haxonock
( Magnolia grandiflora-lldx opaca ass,; Blanton f, s,, hammock phase)

nils station is next to tho river, just south of Orange Point,
The area supports a denser growth than the xeric hamaock. The top

24.

canopy allovre comparatively littl« sunlight to filter through* and conse-
quently the litter is moist much of the time. While it is not mature
enough to represent a typical climax association, it does support bull
hay ^^iffiyAiha m-andiflora) and American holly UjLSS Sa&SSi)t along with
Various large oaks and pignut hickory (Hicoria Klabra)* Saw palmetto
and staggerbush (Xolisma ferruginea) are abundant. Among the Tinee are
aouppernong ^Muscadina rotnndifolia), S^j^gs JiSBSMi* ^^ Virginia
creeper. Few herbs are present. As in the xeric hamaocky the soil type
here is Blanton fine sand, haamock phase.

Wf^rim haaanoek
(A* Jt^FFft-Id^uidambar-Sabal jsaJasl^ ass.i Rutlege f. s.)

nie site of this station is 1/8 mile west of the junction of
Tnils 6 and 8 at Orange Point, between the meeic haoBock Just described
and the lower river swamp. As the name of the association indicates,
water oak (&• nigral, sweetgusa (Liauidambar stvraciflua), and cabbage
palmetto (Sab^l palmetto) are common. Also prevale»it are swaa^ red
bay (TTiifif^ pubescans) and Florida elm (Ulmus floridana) . I^rge relic
•lash pines are also to be found infrequently. Poison ivy (yoxicodendron
radicans) and blaspheme vine (Smilax ^aurifolia) , and the shrubs waz
myrtle (Cerothamnus oeriferus) and saw palmetto are not uncommon. In a
lower layer, o^'W^^ app* «"f« *o *« found. The ground, which at times
becomes very wet to saturated, supports patches of sphagnum. The Rutlege
fine sand is much the same as deeeribed under Rutlege slash pine flatwoods,
It supports a c«i?>aratively denae growth, the top canopy of irtiich is
brokm in only a few places.

25.

RiTW SWUBp

QUtt ll£]L2£a «Bs.; PMty wMk)
This station is located just north of UuA Springs* Dominant
aaong the tr»«8 ^rtii^ form a fairly thick eanqpy are bald cypreas
(1'^9^A\ff i^£Mc2£s)» miter tupelo (Rvaea biflora), red oaple (2]iJ:3esc
X]||iOB)» <^^ cabbage i»laetto. The shrube buttontnish (C(aiggJ£S|2}S£
oecidentaliaK Salix longisee. and vaz sortie are present, along with
ear oral vines, and only fav herbs. The peaty Back is high in organie
■aterial from the decoBq>ositioa of det^is, and is consequently dark
brovn or black* There is standing water at this station almost all year,
SKcept just before the susater rainy season* The water isolates hOBBoeks,
forved by the root systems of trees and raised a foot or more abore the
lowest level of the ground*

Bayhead

The bayhead tssed for this station is about 3/^ sdls south of
the gate to Tirail 3 on the east of the hitfnay* Dominant in this station
are the broadleared ev«>greens, loblolly bay (Qordonia laaianthus)* swasq)
red bay (TMft^ft PttVy9«ff)f a»d «hite bay (y||g|a^ft T?TBAB^^)« A few
shrubs, chiefly wax oyrtle, are supported, as well as blasphsme wine and
poison ivy* The dense canopy allows little herbaceous growth, but
sphagnuB patches occur* This bayhe«d is formed in a depressimi of the
leagleaf pine flatwoods ^rtd-ch surrounds it* As its name suggests, bayhsads
head up iiMipient streams which find their way to the riyer, and cones-
quratly maintain standing water at almost all seasons, ascspt pwhaps just
bsfore the sunssr rainy season* Certain portions, especially toward ths
edge, remain conparatiTcly dry, but the Rutl^e fine sand is always moist*

26.

liarah
(i|f^iy9<4S ,1f|^;|''-«f»B-'« ass. I Peaty muok)

Th« araa of this station is betwoen Trails 2 and 3f noar Hud
Springs. It supports a growth of dominant saw grass (Uariscus J^smi^SBSiiS) *
seattsred buttonbush, and Saitittaria. along with ssvsral othsr snallar
plants* The saw grass is in most parts of ths station so thick that not
nsach, if any, plant llfs exists besides the saw grass.

The peaty muck of this station is corered with water almost
all year. A foot or a foot and a half of water aocuaailates during the
Sumner rainy season. Itolike the river swaa^t, the ground here is eon9>letely
covered with water, and there are no saturated, emergent hucraoeks.

27-

fiCOLOaiCAL RELATIONSHIPS
By means of repeated colleotlug trips to the stations, it vas
found that each contained a charaoteristic and distinctive asBttablage of
ant foraot* The stations therefore represent ant habitats. It was also
discovered that certain strata and nesting sites (as defined, p* 9)
contained distinctive assflmblages. These could also then be considered
ant habitats*

ffy9r4,BtJrO'^ 0^ tft«! Strata §4^ ^^*^m sitf

The strata found to be significant in designating assoaoblages
in the present study are< 1) subsurface or subterranean; 2) surface
or ground) 3) grass or herbaceous; and 4) shrub or arboreal* Iw^luded
in the first stratum are all those nests vhich occur in sand, leather
they are under logs, litter, or some other cover, or are in the open
with no cover* Nests in the surface strattm are those which occur in
any of the follovingi litter, fallen log, palmetto root on ground,
under mat of palmetto root or trunk, dead stus^, base of living tree,
and grass cltaiQ)* niose nests i^ich are built in and under logs are
included in the stratum in which their largest portions were found* For
exaiiQ)le, if a colony has its largest part in a log rather than in the
sand under the log, the nest is recorded in the surface strattat* The
herlMiceous stratum consists of two nesting sites, namely, in tall grass
stems (includes ltfBr^"*?!tf V <^^ ^ '^^ between sawgrass blades* The
shrub or arboreal stratum includes small branches, twigs, or galls*

The nesting sites recognised in these four strata are cub
follows t

28,

A« Subterranean Stratum

1* Open sand — Ihoss nesta which wars found in sand with no
aovar. Thasa wara diTidad into four typeat 1) no eratar ~ any neat
built in tha open with no crater of acuid pellets on the surface around
the nest opaningi 2) rudimentary crater -~- those nests in lAich a mound
or string of saveral or many openings aaa built in seemingly unorganised
fashion; 3) inooinplete crater -« those nests in which the crater of
aand pellets was not built in a complete circle} and 4) complete crater ■»
a nest with a cozq>lete circle of sand pellets around the neat opening*
Zaeoaqplata craters are probably only unfinished cooplsta craters.

2. In and under litter — indicates situations in which a
nest may be either in and under litter or iMrely under litter. Host of
the nests in this category ware actually under litter. A majority of
the nests which extended from the sand into litter were probably only
in litter temporarily.

3. Iteder log — those nests in sand with the nast opening?
under a log.

4. Itoder and in log <— those nests with portions of the
eolony both under logs and in logs.

B. Surface Stiratum

5. |p fallen logs — includes all logs except those of

palmetto.

6. PaLaatto loes on ground •— with their scaly structure,
offered a distinct nesting site, iriiich eren though rarely found was
usually inhabited.

7. In living palmetto r»«* "T ^VAVit "" *»» living palmetto
roots and on the bases of palmetto trunks, nests occur in tha dabris

29.

beneath the mat and between the bases left by fallen fronds.

8 and 9« Neata ja dead stunrps. and in the bark at the
of liy^tj; trees — usually occurred in the moist first four inches above
the soil surfaoa.

10. In }j.ttey -• those nests built in and on fallen leaves,
especially live oak* This type of nest occurred most often in nesie
haimnock on oak leaves which had fallen so that the convex surface was
next to the ground. The ants lived on the inverted, concavs surface,
and the colony was covered by one or more leaves. Th±B was a favorite
nesting site of Paratrechina i^yvala (Mayr), and although other ants,
such as Pheidole dentata Mayr, were found in it, they nested there only
seldom. Other nests in this category were taken in the lower areas of
the Reserve from piles of pine needles supported by low vegetation*

11. Nests in the bases of grass cliffipg are built mostly between
the appressed blades of grass and in the roots. Various ants occur in

this nesting site, usually in low areas such as Rutlege slash pine flatwoods,
but again Paratrechin^ i^rvqla (ifayr) is most abundant. Nests of this
kind are especially numerous during the wat season. Although this cat^ory
was first placed in the herbaceous stratum, its close relation to other
nesting sites in the surface strptian makes it nec«»sary to place it in
the latter stratum.
C. Herbi|ceou3 Stratuip

12. Btytween sawpyass blades — this category is very much like
the last in that the ants nest between appressed blades. Vhere sawgr&ss
occurs, however, there is standing water most of tho year, and nests cannot
extend into the roots. Paratrechina parvula (Mayr) is a oajor inhabitant
of the sawgrass too.

30,

13* T^\1 FtHi"" f^fff "~ Ilost of the tall grass in irtiieh ants
!!▼• is of the genus Andropogon. Other tall grasses do not allov enough
room for the ant to more within the stem. One of the fov inhabitants of
the tall grass stems is Pseudcanmiia pallida F. Smith, but it is found
there abundantly. Also included within this category are the flower
stalks of sawgrass, although the occurrence of ants within them is not
great*
D. Arboreal Stratua

14* Twigs •»• those branches flroa which the center core of
wood is absent, providing only enough ro<»i for the ant to crawl through*

15* Small branches — those branches which have multiple
passageways, or which retain only the bark and a rery little of the wood*

16* Oalls — Nests in galls seem to be made only after the
gall insect has emerged* The ants always use the opening made by the
emerging gall insect as a nest opening, but some galls showed additional
epebiags quite evidently made by the ants*

A miseelXaaeous category, *other**, is used for nests in pine
cones, fern roots, under stones, and other such places which are of
little consequence for nesting en the Reserve*

4Tailab3,Uty o^ n^\^^ Si,%ee ^ 8^tj,9ns

Table I shows the relative abundance of places to nest in the
Tariotts statiotti* This abundance is purely subjective, based on the
field aaq>erienee of the author, and is used to indicate the abundance of
a giVMi place to nest in a given station relative to that of the same
place in another station* The column '*Litter" serves a double purpose
in designating the availability of nesting places both in litter and in
amd under litter* Likewise, the coluDm "Broadleaved or pine legs*

M

M
■<

\

o

< 5

3

qsjnqi

pBeqi[«g

AOVAS iZOATO

][ooniis«t( oxjpJ^

3[9eiyB«q otmh

iioooavq ot^mx

•■■J ©u-fd ifovra

•««j •9»i^ni

•■ttj uo*q
qnaos

II l|IIPil<IOII

I<OIbSiiC44I I tool

o

% Pi < % tAO < t 9 t O K> *

o <i o •

oiooo 10:000

t

(tiootfasoasoo * < itf 1

1 <eS0Soi«O'< t ea ai ei 1

(K^OflCOfltiOO lOpiSO 1

O
Qg^OflSuOOtf lOOSO I

o o fl^ o«

o

a; •< o ee o <«

< a: I 1000

o
1.

ix:<oi 1000$ I 101:00
oo^^i 100 I I locopi:

4»

O

s
3 -4

to M

I

1-4

i

9 a>

t> S a,

• • «
n > h 3

• •OS*

O4 n »4

• »

• •

• ■

it

a
tt
m

t

O CO

«^

<o O

31.

indicates tho availability of places to nest in and under logs, under
logs, end in fallen logs. The table therefore indicates the availability
of the nesting sites in the stations.

In pai*ts of hydric hanmock and bayhead^ litter not only covers
the whole surface area^ but it is also thick» sometimes reaching a
depth of six inches or more* Ants that lived under litter were found to
be at a minimum^ being replaced by ants living in litter and in the maze
of roots and decaying logs buried in litter. Litter is eomnon or abundant
in almost every station except swEUop and marsh. Here the availability
of nesting sites in litter is cut down by the seasonally standing water.
In stations such as xeric hanmock and turkey oak» where the tree, shrub,
and herb growth is widely spaced, large patches of beure sand are present.

X«eg9 are not abundant on the Reserve, except in hydric hamnock
and river swamp, because of the logging operations being carried on. In
the wwampp however, most of the logs are under water for the best part
of the year, and consequently offer no nesting places. The column
"Living trees and shrubs'* indicates the abundance of the possible nesting
places in the basos of trees and shrubs. Nesting sites are found almost
always in the bases of pine trees, rather than in the bases of broadleaved
trees.

"Orass clufl^** shows the abundance of c1uqq)S of grass, including
the bases of the tall grasses. '*Tall grass plants" denotes .^ndropogon.
The staaw, in which the ants live, die in the winter, aitd although some
reoain suitable for nesting sites throughout the year, there is a tendency
for this nesting site to disappear seeuionally*

32.

plstrlbution of Ant yorms In Stationa

Table II shows the distribution of ant forms in stations on

the Reserva. In geneiral, they preferred the higher and more open areas

in ^ich to nest. Xeric hasDiock and turkey oak contained the largest

number of forms with 43 and 42 respectively. The next 11 stations held

SBKiller and smaller numbers of foz'ms, the numbers diminishing by one to

three per station. The blaek pine^fetterbush flatwoods supported only

17 forms, and the number dropped to 11 in marsh. The number of foras

per station is as followsi

xeric hanmock -• 43

turkey oak ~ 42

bluejack oak — 33

scrub ~ 30

mesic hanmock — 30

longleaf pine flatwoods — 29

hydric hammock — 27

Leon scrubby flatvoods — • 27

Pomello scrubby flatwoods — 25

bayhead ~ 24

Pluianer slash pine flatwoods — 22

riyer swan^) « 21

Rutlege slash pine flatwoods *- 20

black pine-fetterbush flatwoods — 17

marsh ~ U

The mean number of forms collected in one station is 26.7» a figure

lying between hydric hanraock or Leon scrubby flatwoods and Pomello scrubby

flatwoods, near the middle of the list.

The difference of 9 forms between the first two stations and

the next highest probably indicates an aspect of the unnaturalness of the

Reserve. IShere there should be logs under what are natural conditions

in ether portions of the state, the timber has been removed on the Reserve

before it fell. Longleaf pine flatwoods and mesic haantock should contain

more fallen logs than they do, with a correspondingly greater number of

log-inhabiting forms. In Gainesville, a more typical mesic hammock.

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with 39 forms, contained the highest number of ants collected in any
plant association worked*

Turkey oak and xerio hammock offer the greatest opportunity
for nesting in open sand. They are therefore able to attract those ants
which prefer or nnist haTo nesting sites in open areas. At the scune time
they offer dry or moist litter, a few logs, and arboreal sitoB*

Two factors should be mentioned in regard to longleaf pine
flatwoods. First, the logging operations remove many logs i^ieh would
provide nesting sites, end pertuips attract a greater number of species
to the area. Second, fire is eonsoientiously kept out of the Reserve.
Am a eonsequenes, there is a dense growth of shrubs in the flatwoods and
litter is becoming deeper over the whole area.

(tely 17 forms were taken frwa black pine-fetterbush flatwoods.
Since the station offers very little diversity of nesting sites, it
excludes most of the other ants found on the Reserve. During the summer
months it has standing water after every heavy rain) this tends to limit
the ants to those irtiieh can withstand periodie subraerD*aee.

The low number of forms in marsh can also be traced to the
small number of available nesting sites in that plant association. For
all but a few months of the year there is standing water. There are no
trees, but only scattered shrubs to offer small branches and twigs, nie
great majority of the nesting sites are between the appressed blades of
sawgrass*

The number of eolleotions made (the numbo* of nests eollected)
in each station is as follows t

3*.

tuz^ay oak — 425

xarie hammock ~ 373

black pine-fettorbush flatwoods •« 307

■asie hanmock ~ 295

Loon Bcrubby flatwoods — 280

hydrie hasnaoek -^ 245

scrub — 226

blue jack oak — 224

longlsaf pine flatwoods ~ 219

Pomello scrubby flatwoods — 2l8

■arsh -- 184

Pluoaner slash pine flatwoods — l66

river swaiq) — 166

bayhead — 128

Rut lege slash pine flatwoods — 120

The mean number of collections made in one station is 238*4, a figure

lying between hydrie hamaock and serub*

It will be noted that turkey oak and xeric hasmoek are at the
top of the list with the greatest number of eollections, as well as with
the greatest numb^ of forms* nils eo^hasizes that these two 8tatioi»
are best suited to the ants for nesting situations* In this chart also,
the higher and more open areas are at the top of the list* In this
eonneetioB, the open blaek pin»-fetterbush flatwoods was next to lowest
in the number of forms taken from it, but it is third lAien the number of
collections is considered* niis indicates that black pine-fetterbiUBh
flatwoods is particularly favorable for the few ant forms occurring there*
The opposite trend is shown by bluejack oak» irtiieh is relatively low in
number of collections, but high in number of ant forms j such a trMtid Indl-
eates that suitable nesting sites are diverse, but scarce*

In genwraX, those placMi in which the moisture and litter are
intermediate are in the middle of the list* Last on the list are the
seasonally flooded areas and the slash pine flatwoods* Harsh, iriiieh las
the fewest number of forms, is more toward the middle of the list la
mmbers of collections* Bayhead and the slash pine flatwoods, on the

other hand, are lower oa the present list*

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Fig. 3» — Suitability of tha stations
for ants, tased on the number of ant fozva
per station weighted against the number of
collections per station* The stations fall
into three groups separated by the solid
black lines. In general, the hi^er» mor«
open areas are highest in number of forms
and number of collections per station; the
lower, wetter areas have the least of eaoh|
and the more mesie situations occur in th*
middle group on the graph*

The "x* represents the intersection of
the average number of forms and the aversige
number of collections per station* Those
stations to the right of the dashed line are
more suitable than average for ants, «hil«
those on the left are less suitable*

35.

Since some of the etationB differ in their positions on the
lists more or less considerably, the number of forms per station and the
number of collections per station are weighted in Figure 3 to obtain the
over-all suitability of each station as a nesting situation. The numbers
and letters near each point on the graph indicate the station which that
point represents. It will be noted that three major groups are shown,
separated on the graph by the solid black lines. The group lowest in the
number of species and the number of collections per station cotxtaius all
of the seasonally flooded areas plus the slash pine flatwoods. Plumaer
slash pine flatwoods is higher than Rutlege slash pine flatwoods in
number of species and in number of collections, bearing out its closer
resemblance in the field to longleaf pine flatwoods.

The middle group contains mesic euid hydric haioaock, bluejaok
oak, scrub, and all of the flatwoods, including scrubby flatwoods. It
is possible that the thick stand of pine in the bluejack oak area is
responsible for its relation to the longleaf pine flatwoods on the graph.
The last group, xeric hammock and turkey oak, is outstanding for the large
number of species and collections made in its two stations.

The "x** in Figure 3 represents the point at which the mean
number of collections per station Intersects the mean number of forms
per station. Those stations to the right of the dashed line are more
suitable than average for ants, while those on the left are less suitable
than average.

Plant succession as depicted by Laessle for the Reserve (1942«95)
is shown in Figure 4. Three psanmoseres are recognized! 1) active dunes
or strongly wave-washed sands, leading eventually to serubj 2) residual
sands neither strongly wind-sorted nor wave-sorted, with rolling

1
I

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1

36.

topography^ laading to the sandhills of turkoy oeOc and blusjaek oak} and
3) wuhad and sorted marine sands, with flat topography, leading to
longleaf pino flatvoods. The hydrosaree lead, on the one hand, through
successive stages to bayhead, and on tha ttthdr, through similar stages
to marsh. The relationships of the blaok pine-fatterhush fl^tirocds are
obscure, but it is possible that they oriffinate in ouch the earn* way as
the longleef pine flatvoods, and that bayheod vagetetion replaces the
flatvood? fr<nn the lower port3.ew>. The trancition fron hydric hansuock
to mesic haoraock is alec pcesible, but Laeeelc had bot obB^nred such a
replaoenent on the Reserre* It vill be noted that longleaf pine flatwoods
may be replaoed by either scrubby flatwoods or slash pine flatwoods,
d^ending upon whether succession takes place in the higher or the lofwcr
portions. Laessle rseognizes three fire subcllraaxest 1} scrub} 2) the
sandhills) and 3) longlecLf pine flatwoods. The clioax is aesic hannock.

In general, those stations near aaeh other in succession are
found near each other on the graph (Fig. 3)» Thia situation is probably
a refleetion of the moisture conditions in the various associations.
The ermxpB on the graph could be celled xerte, nesic, and hydric, with
little overlap. The graph shows that the hydric situations have the least
number of species and collectioas per staticm, while the xeric situations

have the most.

Another iaportant relation is plotted in Figure 5« Ths solid
blaek line shows the number of ant forms occupying one station, tha
number occupying two stations, etc. The dashed line shows the naaber of
forms per given nunber of stations for those forms collected more than
once} and the line of dashes and dots, for those ooUected more than twice.

Note that only in the first case is there a large number of

15r

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10

_l I I 1 I _J 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 L

5 10 15
Nuinber of Stations

Fig* 5* ~* Ntaoib«r of ant forms confined to a given ntmber of
stations. The figure shovs that 14 forms » or 19%s vere confined to one

station when all forms collected are considered ( -) (N • 71)* ThiM

number drops to 5 forms, or Q%, iriien those forms collected only once are

not included ( ) (Na'62), and to 3 forms » or $%, when only thos*

forms collected more than twice are considered ( ) (M « $(t). The

graph tends to becose level at 2 or 3 forms for the higher musber of
stations.

37i

tvnm (about 1^) taken ia one station. In the case of those ants which
were collected more than onee» only 5t ^^ ^%t *^^ confined to one station*
Of those forne ooHeeted more than twice, only 3 ants, or about $%f are
limited to one station* As this procedure is continued, the number of
ants in only one station tends to beecane smller and will finally reach
zero at elsren celloetioaB*

The dashed line graph baB a peak whore the number of stations
equals two* In graphs excluding ant forms eoUeoted two times or less,
three timee or less, etc*, the peak moves over to three stations* The
cause of this peak is obscure, but it may indicate that the ants of the
Res enre will, in most oases, be found to occupy at least three stations
irtien enough collections are made*

It can be pointed out that the graphs do not dip strongly as
the number of stations is increased* They tend toward a straight line
at two to throe forms per given number of stations.

The 19% of the ant forms taken in only one station is ceiqparabls
to the 205S of the ant forms of the Chicago region that Talbot (193^) took
in one plant association* Likewise, Gr^tg (19^^^) showed about 2A% of the
ant fonw of the same region confined to one plant association, but Cole
(1940), in the Great Smoky Mountains, found about 48^ of the ants con-
fined to one plant association* His high percentage may in part have
been caused by the differing altitudinal levels of his plant associations*

Neither Talbot nor Cole mentions the number of times each ant
form was collected* Even though Gregg gives relative abundance figures
for each species, those apply to the irtiole area worked, rather than to
his plant associations* On the basis of the figures he presents, however,
none of the ants collected in only one plant association was coomon or

38.

abundanto When his ants were found to be cosmon or abundant they were
always eoUeeted in more than one plant asBOoiation* This also holds
true for the Reserre* Only those collected rarely or occasionally were
confineil to one station* Xhis fact makes it plausible to suggest that
in their distribution, ants do not show as much dependence upon stations
based on plant associations as other animals*

It is interesting to note ttet only three of the fonoi listed
by Tfeilbot as confined to one plant association were found in but one
plant association by Gregg ten yeaz« later* In view of this fact and
in consideration of the obserrations made during the present study, it
becomes quite clear that even after a thorough investigation of a given
area has been coaq[>leted, continued collecting in that area will increase
the number of stations in which certain of the ants are found* This csji
also be used in stqpp(vt of the contention that ants are not as restricted by
factors in plant association-soil type combinations as aro other animals*
Ptli»^n^«t4oft <^fi ^ha Strata ant^ ^ft^ Sj,^?s

Ihe ant forms collected on or near the Reserve were found to

have the following distribution as to strata i

subterranean stratian •» 38
Burfaee stratum ~ 3d
herbaceous stratum — 11
arboreal stratim *- 16

The subterranean Axti surface strata contained a majority of the ant forms

on the Reserve with a total of 58 in the two* Only I9 forms nested in

the herbaceous and arboreal strata*

Table III shows this relationship* Of the total of 75 ants,

1 fom was found only in buildings, while for 10 others no definite

nesting site data were ^thered* A few collections were made which nay

T A B L B in

DISTRIBUTION OF ANT WORMS IN STEIATA

Found only In on* stratum — *
Preferred stratum — P
Additional strata — x
N • 64

S P S C I S S Subter- Surface Her** Arbore-

ranean baoeous al

1. Xeiton nigreeeens........ •••••• x } - •

2. E. opacithorax. ••••••••••• x f • -

3* Amblyopone pallipes«»«««*««*»»« •

4, Proeeratium croeeum*.«.»«***»«« *
5« P*f near 8ilaceum«« •••••• ••••••

6. Euponera gilYa«»«a»**«»«. •••••• •

7* Ponera ergatandria««.«. ••••••••

8* P. opaoioep8««.».«.«««««.,««««» •

9* P« trigone <^pacior«... ••••••••• x

10, OdontomachisB hafimatoda

ineularis..*. •••••••••••• P X •» •

11» PseudoinynBa brunnea* ••••••••••• - •• X P

12. Pe. pallida. ..••• ••••••••• - « F x

13* Pogonooyrmex badiuB...»...«*«»» * « • .

14. Aphaenogaster ashmeadi* •••••••• • • <• -

15* A. floridana«»...«««.. « • «• .

16. A* fulya.......... ••••• X r «• -

17* A* lamellidene ••••••••• - • • x

18. A. macro8pina»..»««»«.«...««««« • » • •

19* A. texana*«». •■•••••••••••••••• • • • .

20. A. treatae ••••••.••• * • * -

21. Pheidole dentata..»**...*.»«.«« x F • x

22. Ph. dentigula.... •••••••••..••• x F • -

23. Ph., near floridana*. •••••...•• x F • ■>

24. Ph. metallescen8.»«.»«««*»»***« P X • *

25* Pfa* morriei..... •••••• • • « -

26. Ph. pilifera « • • -

27* Cardioeondyla ameryi«»**««**««* f * • *

28* G. nuda minutior ...•••.••. - X • >

29* C. vroughtoni bimaculata....... • F X •

30. Crenatogaster minutiesioa

miS8ouriezs9i8.. .......••• x F «* x

31* 6r. ashmeadi.. ...... ....•.•...• - X « P

32, Cr. eoaretata ▼emioulata - • • ♦

33* Cr. laeviuseula*. - X X P

34. Cr, lineolata •• x F • x

35* MonomoriuB florieola..**,.*...* • •» « f

36. M. minimum.. ...•..•••••••••..•• • «• * •

37* Solenopsis geminate.. ....•••«•• P X • *

TABLE III (ooat.)

P S C I E S

Subter-
anean

Surfaee

H»r-
baoeouB

Arbore-
al

38* Solenopsis »!£&•••••••••••••••••

39* S, globularia littoralia. •••••••

40* S, miButiBsima ?••••••••••••••••

■41. S* Bole8ta«.,«.«..«..««.»«.«*««*
42* S« pergandel******.*..**********

43. S. pieta..««*«...» • ••

44* Ifyrmeeina amerieaiia»»»»««««»**««
45* Leptothorax pergandei floridanus
46. L* texaniui davlBi.,..,,«»«,«*»,»
47« Tetramorium guineenee.. •••••••••

48. StrtB&igeuys louisiaaae*** •••••••

49* SmithistruBa bunki*. •••••••

50* Sm* elypaata«««««««»«»*««»«*»«**
51* Sk» oreightoai««.««««*«*«««««««*
52« 5a« dietriehi...**»»«««**.**.«««
53* Sm* omata».«*««»«*«»««a««««*««*
54* Sm. pulohella»*«*«»**««««*«**«*»
55* Sm* talpa.«.»***»**«»««»*»*»*»**
56* Traehynyrmex septentrionalis

seaiBole. ••••••• ••••••••••

57* Doliehoderus pastulatus •••••••••

58* Jrldoaynaeix. humilis*.. ••••••••••

59* I* pruino8us».««.««..«*«««««*««*
60* Doryaynaex pyramiouB flaTopeetuff
6la D* pyrasiicu8*«.»«»»«*««*»«»«o**«
62« T&pinona sessile****************
63* Braehystyxvex depilis************
64* CaapoBotus eastaneus************
65* C* soeios***********************
66* C* nearetieui**.****************
67* C* (Colobopsis) spp*************
68* C* abdoainalis floridanus*******
69* Paratrechina longieomis*. ******
70* P* aroQiTaga********************
71* P* parrula**********.***.*.*****
72* Prenolepis iioparis**************
73* Fomiea archboldi***************

74* r* pallidefulva*. •*•• •

75* '• sehauTussi*******************

X

P
?
T

z

X

z

p

z

p
t

X

p

X P

In buildingji

* •

z P

« ••

* m

X
X

P
P

X

39*

or may not have been colonies} they are Indicated with a question mark*
The 10 aztts for i4iieh no data were obtained and the ruderal form, along
with the questionable collections, were not included in arriTing at the
distributional data on page 38* The number of ants concerned was therefore
64. A single "x" indicates that the form was collected too few times
for a preference to be recognized in Table III.

Distribution according to nesting sites was as fellows t
Subterranfan stratum

open sand ->• 21

no craters — 12

rudimentary craters — 7

iiic(nq)lete craters — 6

complete craters — 13
under logs ~ 10
in and/or under litter ~ 31

There were 34 forms irtiich lired under eorer of either logs or

litter* Nests of 9 forms were found under and in logs.

Surface stratum

in litter — 13

in fallen log •» 32

in palmetto log on ground — 9

in living paljnetto root/trunk •~* l6

in dead stump — 22

in base of living tree ~ 19

in base of grass clunp — 7

Herbaceous stratum

between sawgraas blades •
in tall grass stems -- 9

Arboreal stratum

twig ~ 11

saall branch •— > 14

gall — 3

40.

Only 11 ant forms were found in over 6 of the possible l6
nesting sites. The highest nianber of nesting sites (14) was occupied
by Camponotus abdominalis floridanus. Next highest was 12 nesting
sites occupied by Pheidole dentata and Faratreohina parvula. It will
be noted that these three ants are the same that occupy all of the stations*
With the exception of Pheidole dentata* which occupies only 3 strata,
they occupy all 4 strata also. I^qfitotjiorax MSSE&^iS^ floridanus, which
occupies U nesting sites, is the other sint found in all strata* The
distribution of these ants in stations, strata, and nesting sites points
to a direct correlation between the number of stations occupied and the
number of strata and nesting sites occupied*

Figure 6 shows the relation between the nusiber of stations
occupied and the number of nesting sites occupied for each ant collected
more than three times* It is a scatter diagram in iii^ich the number of
stations any given ant form occi^ies is plotted against the number of
nesting sites that form occupies* An examination of this figure shows
that a large number of forms are limited to from 2 to 5 stations and
from 1 to 3 nesting sites* The diagram shows that the number of stations
occtq)ied by any form increases faster than the number of nesting sites
oeeupied, indicating that the ants are more likely to be confined by
nesting sites than by stations* However, the diagram goes to substantiate
the premise of the preceding paragraph, in that as more stations are
occupied, more nesting sites are also occupied*

2

C

•1
O

Oi
c+
(B
c4-

H-
O

CO

*p

O0 "

'

»

•

•

•

•

»«

«

o o

«

10

0

o

«
o

o
o

o

o
o

o

5

OQ

o

O OO

i

OO

o o
OO oo

OO o

__l 1

•

o

1

1 1

N=52

5 10 15

Number of Nesting Sites

Fig. 6, ~ Scatter diagram to show the relationship between
the number of stations occupied and the number of nesting sites occupied
for each ant form collected more than three times. The number of forms
involved is 52»

41,

Activity Rolatioiishapa

The speed of inovement of each ant form varies to eome extent
with changes of temperature and relative humidity. During the course of
the present study, this "amount of activity* was estimated subjectively
for individuals. The speed ^a&e then correlated with teo^)erature and
relative humidity readings taken it the ground surface.

The data on this subject collect ad during the field work proved
to be complex vhen all of the ant forms were studied together^ and in
many cas3S when merely one form was considered. Some ants chose one
extreme in physical factors in ^ich to forage, whereas other forms chose
the opposite extreme. In general, the diuriaal foragers displayed a
raederate amount of activity in thoir above-ground activities when the
twnperature was above 20**C, If, on the previous night, relative hijmidity
was high and the tan5>erature low (below 10®C.), the ants were slower to
resume activity the subsequent day. At the other extreme, activity has
been observed from nests of Camponotus abdominalis floridaims at 53**C,,
and most of the ants have be«n seen foraging at temperatures above
30«-35®C.

Seasonal variation in the fox^aging habits of several forme has
also been observed, Jftiny ant foms remain in their nests during periods
of cold. On the other hand, during the winter months many forms will
remain idle for a short period even though the temperature roaains mild,
and no frost appears at night, A notable exception is Pheidole dentata,
irtiich can be seen foraging even on chilly days.

42.

ANNOTATED LIST

In the following annotated list, the discus aion of erery ant
form has been arranged so that topics appear in the same order. Any
points of taxonnsgr iriiioh are felt to be iiiq;>ortant are discussed first*
The distribution through plant assoeiatioas, strata, and nesting sites,
are listed next* Comparisons are made with the ant*s distribution in
QainesYille or other regions, or with another ant on the Reserve which
nay replace it in some of the plant associations, if such a diseussioB
is felt necessary for a better understanding of the habits of the ant*
Notes as to its life history are followed by others on its activity*
Miscellaneous remarks are added in a final paragraph*

As indicated in the introduction, the taxonooy of the ants in
the present study is based on Cr eight on* s recent work (1950) in which he
reduced the quadrinomial system, prevalent until 1950 in the family
Formicidae, to the triamnial system used in the dynamic view of nomenclature*
Aqy departure frcmi the names irtiieh Creighton uses is explained in the
text of the Annotated List iinder the ant concerned* Some forms were
found during the study which could not be definitely identified* Such
forms that were recognizably different are listed, and cwmaents are made
concerning their taxonomic status*

In presenting the life history data, an att«Bpt was made to
determine an average number of workers present in a flourishing colony
of each ant form* In some cases this has been iBq[>os8ible, or has been
derived frma the counting of only one nest* In addition, the seasonal
appearance of imoatTtres, males and females is indicated for each form*

Measurements have all been made from the lateral view* Total
length is the sum of the distances frcKB the base of the mandibles to the

43.

baok of the head, frou the most anterior part of the pronotum to the

Wm« of the propodeuD through the abdoiaiaaX pedicels , and from the

anterior to the posterior of the abdora^* All aeasorements were the

shortest straight lines covering the given distances.

Fourteen ant forms vere taken during the present study iiAiich

had not been recorded from Florida* They cure as follevst

ProoeratiuBU near silaceum
Aphaenogaster treatae

ffrffi^o^e girUfarft

^rematoaaster coarctata venoiculata

Solanopsis minutissiaa ? (see annotated list)

^^yp^cinft americana

Leptothorax texanus davisi

SmithistrusB buaki.

S#^istyMft 9j.ype^^

Sp^^hi^^rVBW or«t^fihtor^4

?afi,tifia-^rtfBa p^^ch^as
Smi^s^rtfffi ^ftlpft

f^r^tr^chj^ flcsaten

Several ant forms taken in the Gainesville Region were not
found during the present study en the Reserve. These are as follows i

Svsphincta per^and^i

Ponara coarctata pennsvlvanicus (lit.)

Leptoj^Mtyf ^^oitfjata ff^qr^

Prffmtofflat^r ml'^H^i.QgJfffi minutissim (det. 1)

Leotothorax bradlevl

Iteoto'toorax 'irtieelT^

Tetranorium ? 1,^,1? ^mm (^i'^* ^t'^^ Sanford, Jacksonville)

laslus alienus aawricanus

F9pp-c^ schaufussi dolosa (lit.)

Oth«r ants taken in Welaka, but not in Gainesville aret

At^b^yopon^ P^UJiP??
Procaratiiatf. near silaoftm
Proceratlua croceum
Ponera ercatandria
Aphaenogaster n^^yytn^^
Aphaenogaster treatae

44.

Ph»idol« dentlgula

Phaidole pilifera

Cardiocondyla wroughtoni blmaculata

Solenopaie Binutissima. ?

Myrmacina aaerioaaa

Leptothorax texangs daviai

Smithiatruiaa bunki

Smithistruaa clypeata

Smi-^^iatr^^niw dlatriohl

Smlthiaiinuiia oraata

Smithistruaa pulohalla

Smithietruma talpa

Formica archboldi

The folloving ants, taken within seventy miles of the Res enre» hare

been cited in the literatures

Pheidole megacephala (St. Aug.) (not listed by Crei^ton, I950)

Pheidole anastaaii (Sanf ord)

Leotothorax eurvispinoaua (Jacks onTille} pinned specimen}

yetFffltorJrWff i^^taTTSanfordj Jacksonville)

?l

45.

WAMJLJ FORMIC UMI

Subfamily Dorylinae

Ec3,ton nifr^eena (Crwson)
On July 5» 1948, the single collection of nigreeeena BBide on
the Resenre was recorded for mesic hamnock. The nest was under litter
vhieh had gathered in the center of the base of a stump rotted so that
only the rim was left standing. The nest extended into the etus^)* but
the major portion vas in and under the moist litter in the stui^ and in
the nearby chambered sand.

All of the workers were huddled in a tight ball. No activity
vfts obeenred luitil the workers were disturbed^ but then the workers ran
hurriedly in all directions. No indiriduale of the reproductive eaeto
ware seen* even though the nest was dug into, and returned to later.

Cole (I94O138) made some obeenrations concerning the nesting
habits of this ant in the Or^t Smoky Ifountains. Two colonies he found
there "were bmeath large, flat stones, loosely applied to the soil, in
open grassy areas.... Deep within the soil the ants occupied large brood-
filled chambers coixBtrueted around iiabedded and partially deeayed tree
roots. ...The soil, enrso at ehamber level, was dry and fim."

I. opaeithorax was found occasionally in longleaf pine flatwoods.
ill nests were under the bark and loose wood of stumps or logs, and extended
into nearby littM*. All lof^ frcn which this ant was taken were longleaf
pine (Pinus oalustris). In stumps the ant oeciq>ied all available spaee
under the bark and all suitable crevices; in logs the ant nested in a

Ai.

length of soveral feet of wood*

One nest in a stua^) was estimated to contain between 40,000
and 50»000 workers. These numbers were obtained by placing all of the
ants in vials, counting the number in one Tial, and measuring this vial
against all the others*

Numerous individuals of Beiton were taken at the openings of

a nest of Solenopsis "jlntiTt* ^ ^^* x^"<^ one and one-half feet from a

■tuiip in which the colony of opacithorax was located. The Sciton nMt

abutted a nest of Braehypfrrpex depjlis. and partially occupied a nest

of Crematogaster laevigscula in the stuoqp. Groups of Eciton were also

taken Arom teraite galleriee in the stucq). Leptothorax pergandei

floridanus and Aphaenogasteip macrospinq were found wandering near the

stunq). The following animals were taken through the Bwlese funnel from

the litter of the Soiton nestt

beetle larvae

round worms

heads and thoraces of Odontomachus haematoda insulari^

Solenopsis molesta

Proceratium T^'^fW

dealated female of a species of Solenopsis (Diplorb«*y^fyj||)

wasp of the family Bethylidae 7

From another nest the following were takent

Brachymyrmex depilis

diplopols
A large portion of a colony with its nest litter was plaeed in
a large lard can emd brought into the laboratory. To prevent the escape
of the individuals, the lard can was plaeed on a platform surrounded by
water. Tery few workers, however, were observed v&ndering on the platform,
although workers carefully placed the dead or injured individuals in a
pile outside of the lard e&n on the platform*

47-

Subfamily Ponerinae

Aablyopone palllp aa (Haldaa&n)

Prefvious to Brown's paper (1949), pallipes vas considered a
species of StigmatonflBa. Brown, however, has giren reason to place
Stigngxtomga as a subgenus of Amblyopone* It is treated as such in this
paper*

One collection of Atablyononf was nade during April in bayhead*
Several ants were gathered in moist litter near and in t&m roots. A
careful examination of the roots and litter nearby revealed no additional
specimens.

Cole (1940;36) has the following to say concerning this species
in the Greet Saeky Mountains! "The nest consists of one or two openings
beneath or beside a stone or under the topmost forest litter* Almost
perpendicular galleries connect with small subterranean chambers never
far beneath the surface* •••These ants are nowhere abundant in the P&rk
but 8e«n to occupy rather circumscribed areas where environmental
oonditlons, particularly ':i<^i8ture and deep shade, are favorable* Colonies
were most numerous in second-growth pine woods •**

The collection on the Reserve, made on April 22, 1949» yielded
one nale^ The workers are vary reclusive, and quickly find crevices in
idiich to hide* Their color blends with that of the soil and duff*
Haskina (1928) has reported on the behavior and habits of this ant*

48.

isssasaiim SEsissm (Roger)

£• croceian was eoUeeted occasionally in longleaf pine flatwooda^
and rarely in bluajaek oak. All of its nests were taken in t he surfac*
stratus fron fallen longleaf pine logs* These logs were either neist or
vet* iri.th the wood pulpy or soft and s^)arabl* between the annioil rings*
Ihe neats extended teeard the center of the leg.

Two colonies were counted. One contained 24 workers, 12 uallowB,
and 1 male. The other, seeoingly complete, had only 3 workers. Ther«
was a queen in eaeh of these nests and no innatures were noted. The
Bale was teiken on ffoveraber 23, 1949, It was found about two feet fr<w
the nest, and sinee no other males ware takw., it is possible that a
flight had recMxtly taken plaee. Woricers of erocei^ were sluggish in
their noreoients, while the ns.le was alert and nored quickly.

Cole (1940136) indicates that his single eoUeetion of this
species in tho Great Smoky Ifotxntains was rnde in a wet, dense area of
nixed core hardwoods. Re adds that the leg in v^ieh the ants were found
was oasily broken apart into firm, wet piecee. The nest was "well toward
the center of the leg, in the more firm core wood* and had "snail
galleries and chaaihers chiefly with longitudinal penetration. In ?11
the nest corered a length of [only] about 4 inch as ....The colony was
rather small, being codecs ed of about 30 workers.* In the Chicago area,
Cregg (1944t46o) records the preeenee of this species beneath dung.

Proeeratium. near Si2S&am ^^^^
Fr<MB Emery's redescription of Proeeratiuat sllaceuau the fom
dealt with here se«BS to be close to this latter species. Horever,
M. R. Smith, to idiom speeimeaa vera sent, would not place the form

49.

beyond genua. In cm atteo^t to revise the genus he found (in litt«)
that "The previously mentioned characters for separatini^ the two species
did not appear dependable and I could not discover any nev charactez*8
that were any good either*" Thus the form is given an uncertain taxo-
nomie status*

One collection of this form was made on October 17* 1948, from
the base of a slash pine* The colony was nesting in bark buried under
the soil surface* Six individuals w«re taken* As in £• crocetan. the
workers are sluggish in their movements*

Euponera gJlva (Roger)

Eupooera ailva was confined in its distribution to the moist
or wet hanmoek areas. It was taken once in mssie haamoekt axMi occasionally
in hydrie haoBoek*

Its nesting sites were in fiallen logs* A typieal nest extended
for two and me-^ialf inches in debrlB under the bark of a log* Speeimena
have al«e been taken from litter, and firom the delMris deeoa^osing between
the rootlets in and under the litter*

A nest from hydrie hasaoek eoutalaed 26 workers and one queen*
The ^gs, larvae (which are well equipped with body spikes )» and piqMie
were ebswred in seiwrate places in the aests, with the pupae usually
■ore toward the eurfaee, or toward the outside in It^ nests* Sinee so
f«w nests were semi, no further life history data were obtained*

Although the ants are slew in their BMyvameats most of the time,
they are quick to find eoacealment* Their elusiveaees is iaereased by
their color which is similar to that of the wood iriiere they live, and by
their ability to hide motionleee la enrery narrow creviee*

50.

Smith (193^»562) records g, gllva from MiBsisBippi, Alabaiw.,
and Teunassae* His obeervatiomt on the nesting sitae coincide vith the
aboT«» He states that its nests "in sane instances contain as many as
from one to several hundred workers and often as many as ten or more
dealated queens". He remarks further that Creighton has found fully
developed males and a winged female on June 20 in southern Alabama*

£20213 ermtandrta Forsl
Mention needs to be made of a number of small specimens of
£• eraatandria collected on the Reserre* These vorkers are in all
measuroments more dlnsinutiTo than specimens taken in Dade Ceuiity» Florida^
and are likewise smaller than other ergatandria taken on the RsBerre*
Viile the latter specimuns fit the description of £• ergatandria vhicb
Smith gives (I936i425), the smaller workers from the Reserve differ in
total body length. Smith lists the body length as 2.3-2.9 mm«t ths
smaller workers on the Reserve measure only 2.0»2.1 mm. Moreover^ the
ventral portion of the petiolar tooth is smooth in the larger specimens,
and serrate in the smaller specimens. Smith (in litt.) says that he
has noted much variation in the workers of ert^tandria. and considers
all of the specimens from the Reserve as of that species. The smaller
speoimens have been found only in mosio and hydrio hammocks, whereas ths
larger specimens were spread mainly over drier areas. Both variants
will be treated together in the following discussion.

£. ergatandria colonies were taken occasionally in hydric hammock
and mesic hammock; and rarely in turkey oak, blusjack oak, and black pine-
fetterbush flati^ooda. A typical nest was taken from under the moss near the
base of a Uving oak troa in hydric haamock. No life history datawre obtained.

51.

Poaera opaclcgps mtyr
A disctission concarning the variation in tha shape of the
patiolar scale in Ponera triitona opaoi,or and in this form can be found
under ^, trigona Qpe^clor« Many of the nests of opaoiefps, espeeially
in laarsh, contained one to sersral individuals vhieh are erideotly
aberrant vorkers* These inseets have large, compound eyes^ comparable
to those of the queon^ and the petiole is sore slender than that of the
nonoal vorker* It is perhaps significant that queens vers not found in
nests vhieh contained these aberrant foraos.

This species prefers the wet or flooded areas of the Res enre«
It has been taken abundantly in marsh; comnonly in hydrie haxmoek and
river sisaB?)| and rarely in Rutlege slash pine flatiroods, bayhead, and
xeric haiOBiock* If the ciiaracters now used to separate £• opaoiceps
frooB £• tyistona opactor prove to be misleadins, as some workers believe^
the specimons taken in xeric hasanock and assigned to £• opaeieyps nay
be extroeie variations of £• trigona opacior» a form which prefers high,
dry areas* £• opaciceps occurs almost oxclusively in the wetter portioBB
of the Reserve, 9,nd tends to r^lace £• trigona ooacior there. In the
Gainesville region, £• ooaciceps was taken in longleaf pine flatwoods
where there are more fallen logs than /the sarae plant association on the
Reserve* Decause of its preference for lyet areas, it ought to occur alBO
in at least the lotrar portions of moeie hanmoek*

Most oft^ this ant nests in the bases of sawgrass plants
between the appressed leaves. Uany times the ant can be found in the
mt or saturated moss-coverwi stun^ of the plants where there is tut
intermingling of roots in the decoHjioBing, appressed leaves and wet
debris* The other nesting sites, in order of preference, arei

52.

1. flBLllon logs

2* dead atuiq)*

3* bases of liring traes (under moss and litter at water

surface)

4. in Utter (wet)

5* palmetto roots on ground

6* under mat of palmetto roots

7* under mat of palmetto trunks

In general, the nests are wet to saturated and built in debris. Host of

the nests, especially those in savgrass, are at the water surfacsf or

just above or below it* (2^ this latter ease, the tight growth of the

plant parts seems to keep the water from the nest*) In situations which

are less wet, the insect continues to simulate the above-mentioned nesting

conditions in its choice of wet, pulpy wood of logs, or tiie debris found

under the bark of logs or stunps.

Of 5 nests counted, the number of workers varied from 15 to 84,
with an average of 40 per nest* Each of these nests contained from one
to three of the absrrant workers described above, and none contained a
queen* lanature ferns probably occur in all months, but tram September
through November very fsw were noticed in the nests* Females are produced
tram September to November, and males from October to November*

This is a fiuit moving and evasive ant which blends with the
color of its surroundings* It is much less active in winter months,
although this is the pmriod winged forms are in the nest*

Poneara trigona ooacior Forsl
From am examination of the speeimemB of this form and of £•
opacieeps in the Museum of Coiiq)arative Zoology, there appears to be a
great deal of overlapping variation in the two forms* It seems clear
that, in the museum collection, the character of the shape of the

5^.

petlolar seal*, vhieh is used by Smith (193^) to separate the two torroBf
is not distinotive* Many of the specimens labelled as one form are more
like the description of the othor form* The specimens of opaciceps and
of triiKona opacior collected from the RMerve, howetrerf fall into two
distinct classes on the basis of the petlolar scale* Perhaps the shape
of the petiolar scale will be shown to be dependent on the environment
of the nest, and therefore of no use as a key character* On the other
handy it is possible that the specimens in the M* C* Z* have been mis-
identified*

In all respects except total length, the Welaka specimens agree
with Smith's description (I936) in urtiich he cites the length of workers
of ,opacio]r as 2-2*3 im* Workers from the Res enre measure 2*4^2*7 m*
in total length*

£* trigona opacior tends to prefer the higher, drier plant
associations* It wblb taken commonly in xeric haimnock; occasionally to
commonly in turkey oak; occasionally in bayhead and Plunmer slash pine
flatwoods, in all well-drained areas except Pcaaello scrubby flatwoods,
and in the hammocks; and rarely in the other flatwoods stations * No
oollections have been made from Pomello scrubby flatwoods or the seasonally
flooded areas of the river swehq) and marsh* Cole (1940t37) points out
that in the Great Smoky Mountains the ant does not nest in dense wet woods,
but prefers rath«r open areas irtiere the soil is able to contain an
appreciable amotmt of moisture*

A majority of the nests of this ant occupied the surface stratum*
The several nests recorded from semd, moreover, did not extend more than a
few inches into the sand, but were mostly under litter* The nests in the
surface stratum were ustally associated with debris, although some nests

,?■»•

wero found with little or no debris. Sereral of the neets taken in fallen

lege vere found under the t&rk against fairly hard vood. The order of

preference of nests in the surface rtratuiB is as follovat

1» fallen logs

2» dead atuoqpB

3* hases of living trees

4. litter

5* palmetto roots on ground

6* under mat of palmetto roots

7* under mat of palnetto trunks

Of four nests taken from wood» the number of workers varied
from 7 to 21» with an average of 13* None of these nests sontained queens,
lanature forms have been found in all months, liales have been observed
in flight in Deeamber and February. Mo information has been obtained
eoneerning females.

£. trir.ona opacior is relatively fast iMving, and characteristic-
ally evasive. Individuals ars diffioult to see because they are very
nearly the color of the wood or litter surrounding their nests. They
immediately seek the first available crevice in irtiich to hids.

Kwts are occasicnally found in the same logs and stumps as nests of
Odontomachus h"irW*9^fl insularia.

Qdontomaehus haematodm j,^TS^;arj,? GusriB
0. ^yifl|fffi-t,n^ jyyj«t^;i«yp|p iB a widespread an* on the Rs8«rve» and
is well represented in nearly aU of the stations except marsh, whsre it
has not been found. It occurs abundantly in black piae-fstterbush flatwoods
and mesic hanoek; cosnionly to abundantly in turkey oak and hydric hammock|
soBBonly in Leon scrubby flatwoods, longlsaf pine flatwoods, Pluamer slash
pine flatwoods, xerie hammock, river swamp and bayhead} and occasionally
in bluejack oak, scrub, Pomello scrubby flatwoods, and Rut lege slash pine

flatwoods.

$5m

A majority of its nests have been found in sand, almost alnaye
under litter or logs. The remainder of the nests were taken in the surface
stratum* Where there are suitabls logs or stuiops preseot^ this ant shows
no preference between vood and sand* How^rer, on the Reservey beoausa
of the existence of relatively few suitable logs or stunts, the most favored
nesting site was in sand uiMler litter* In the Saiaaeville region most
of the nests of 0* bawaatoda i^nsularii; were teUcen in logs*

In order of preference to the ant the nesting sites in irtiich

0* IfitaBatoda Insularis was found in Welaka arei

1* under litter

2* under logs

3* in and under logs

4* in dead 8tuiq>s

5* in fallen logs

6* under mat of palmetto trunk

7. in Utter

8* in bases of living trees

9* open sand or with very light litter

Host nests in logs and stui>Q>s were in wood of an advanced stage of decay,

although nests were found in wood in all stages* There was no preference

between pine and broadleaved wood, but all nests were wet or moist*

Charred wood was not rejected* Uany of the nests in logs and stuiq>8, and

under logs, ramified into chambers in the nearby sand* In the black pine*

fetterbush ansoeiation, several nests were found among the roots of

fetterbush*

On several occasions 0* haesatoda insularis has been found in

the same stump or log with Ci^ppQri^t^s aji^ominalis ^lor%ia,p.y»f but the

association probably depends on a e(»mon suitable nesting site* Both of

these ants sometimes extend their nests into sand n«ur the wood which

contains the major portion of their eoleniw* Both, moreover, live under

logs, but 0* baematoda ^r^ai^lwriB smnetimes lives in sand alone* The

56*

ehambers of thaso large ants ara nevw very deep, and usually appear to
be rsady-aade caritles into which the ants mored* They have not specialised
in excavating to the degree that the true crater fonas haTo* Ibny ef
the passagafvays, toO| seem to have been constructed by aone ether agent
than the workers, since they are in most cases much too large for the size
of the ant* The portions of the neets in sand, moreovar, are coBBnoalj
•Imported by hums and leaf litter*

Large nests of 0* hawiatoda it^a^laris have not been seen on the
Reserre* One nest, perhaps slightly smaller than average, contained 20
vorkers and 3 eallow workers* ^Bmatures have been observed in the nests
in all months, but not during cold periods* On ntaierous occasions male*
have been taken in flight and in the nests from Hay through early August,
but no infomation has been gathered concerning the females*

Ihen the soil is saturatwi during the suasBer raii^ season,
the workers often bring theijp ijiinaturee to the surface and place them
under leaves* Single workers also can be seen resting under the cov«r
of a leaf during these periods, as well as during the colder months of

the year*

Biis ant is one of the most conspicuous in a majority of th«
plant associations on the Reserve* It is quite active above ground,
especially during the warmw months, and large workws, foraging alone,
are «on»oiay seen* In the cold periods, however, activity, both above
ground and in the nest, is reduced to a minirniaa, and its absenoe abov«
ground is quite noticeable*

0* ^^matodi^ irja^^if^p^B is known to feed on insects* Wheo
large insects are caught, several workers cooperate in carrying the intact
bodies to the nest opening* Workers have been attracted to the peanut
butter and oatoeal bait used in mammal traps .

57.

Insects nThich have been found living near £• haematoda insular is
in the same log or stun^ aret

Camponotus abdominalis floridanus

Paratrechina parvula

Ret iculitermee ( f lavipee? ) (Isoptera)

In several instances mites have been found clinging to workers*
They have been found on all parts of the body* but especially on the head,
gaster, and propodeum*

Foraging workers have been found in association with several
other species of ants* Neither the Odontomachus nor the other ants were
much disturbed* In one instance an Odontomachus worker was very inquisi*
tive eonceraing the activities going on within the crater of a nest of
YrachymyriBex aeptentrionalig saainole* The worker repeatedly ran to the
nest opening with waving antennae, but neither the visitor nor the
Traohvmvnaax gave much attention to the other*

Subfamily Pseud CHnyrminae

Pseud omvTtna byi;^nnea F* Smith
£• brunnea nests were taken oecasionally in turkey oak, Leon
scrubby flatwoods, Pcxnello scrubby flatwoods, mesic hsujimock, hydric
hammookf river swamp, and marsh; and rarely in scrub, Rutlege slash
pine flatwoods, x«rie hEimmock, and bayhead* The ant shows a preferenee
for river swan^, hydric hajranock, and the dense Pomello scrubby flatwoods*
On the other hand, it has been collected only once in any type flatwoods
other than the scrubby flatwoods* £* brujmea thus replaces P* pallida
in the wet or seasonally flooded areas, iriiereas £* pallida replaces

58.

brunnea in the flatwoods areas. The difference can 1}« attributed to the
fact that pallida is able to live in tall grass stems, idiereas brnnnea
is not* lforeoT«r, brunnea prefers the more dense* wet woods, and Da^ida
the more open areas.

Almost all of the colonies of brunnea have been collected in
the arboreal stratum* Nests have been equally divided between true twigs
and small branches* A single eolleotion from the herbaceous stratum was
made six fact above the ground in a flower stalk of a sawgrass plant*

Two large nests of this species were taken, one with 79 workers
and 1 queen, the other with 79 workers and 8 queens. Other nests contained
18 workers and 1 queenj 9 workers and no queeni and 7 workers and no
queen* A mating flight occurred on June 17, 1950, and winged forms were
observed in previous years from June through September* Zmoature foras
occur in the nests almost all year, and usually there are a large moaber
of larvae, i*e*f 30 to 65 large larvae and many more small ones*

£* brunnea is agile and is able to disappear easily on the
other side of a ta'anch* It seems to prefer foraging when taaQ>erature8
and huaddity are high*

Pseudeayraa p^^U<?ft r* Sndth
lAitil Oreighton*8 paper (1950), £* pallida and £* flavidula
were recognized as separate species on the basis of the presence or
absence of black spots on the base of the abdomen in fiavidula* Creighton
has synonymised flavidula. since he has found that a nest series of
sufficient length will contain individtails with and without black spots
on their gasters* Nest series from the Reserve also have shown thee*
characteristics*

59.

£• pa-l^i<ift vias found in sight statione. The black pine*
fottorbush association afi'ords & great amny |j^ffi'^7tf"fi"n steizv which are
euitable nesting places for i^Uida. Aa a eonsequenoey the ant ia
found ebundantly in this station* It occui'S ccnoaonly in lougleaf pine
flatvoods end Leon scrubby flatwoods; occasionally in the sandhill areas
and the slash pine flatwoods { and i^arely in xerio haasock*

Because of its preference for tall grass stems as nests, Jg*
pallida was found most often in the herbaceous stratum, but was also
taken arbor eally. It «us absent from the other strata*

The nesting sites of pallida were almost always true twigs or were
twig-like* All but a £&b collections were made from tall grass; a few
others were made trom the twigs of pine and scrub oaksi and the ant can
often be found nesting in the stems of planted bamboo* bereral collections
were made from twig-like small branches*

Of 12 colonies taken, the number of workers Taried from 5 to
25» averaging U* Of these colonies 7 contained no queens* (These small,
queenless aggre^tes may really be sections of a larger group centered
around a queen* See ^-Tfro*i?fir'*"tir aahmeadi and C* pinutis ^ima ini8Bouriengia)i
Eggs, lanrae, and piqpae are present in all months, with a peak of abundance
indicated in Augist* Winged forms were taken from the nests f^(Mn August
through Novambor* No nest contained both males and females*

This agile ant has a knaek of disappearing b^ind a grass stem
or a twig whwi disturbed* IS^ien a nest is broken open, many of the ants
will roaain perfectly still u&til touched* Normally they exhibit a
Boderate to considerable above-ground activity* Sevoral workers were
found, evidently foraging, within a eoeoon of a dead bagworu (Thvridoptervx
leforais Haworth) hanging frnai a fetterbush*

6o.

Th« «8eB» larra*, and ptquia of this ant are usually more or
leas eegregated* A typical nest contained eggs and some larrae in the
base of a grass stem, other larger larvae near the middle, and pupae and
a few eggs near the top of the stem* Uany times the queen is found near
or at the top of the stalk*

As the Andropogon dies in the fall and the stems become drier
and less habitable, tb« ants are forced down near or into the bcuie of
the stems, or into portions of stems that hare been broken from the
plant but which are still supported by Tegetation* Their abundance
becomes somewhat less until the spring growth of grass creates new
nesting sites. In this respect these ants, like Paratrechina panrula
in B»r8h, show a seasonal Tariation in oceurrMice which is dependent on
the seasonal variation in occurrence of the nesting site plant*

It might well be pointed out that the aature of the Pinus
serptiflfi-Desmothaninty^ association, which this ant occupies in the most
abundance, gives an advantage to these grass stem ants in the sunner.
Just as it creates a disadvantage for the ant when the Andropogon dies
in the winter* During the height of the rainy season from early July
into August, the water level my reach within inches of the soil surface,
or even exceed it. Deep burrowing forme «4iich cannot withstand prolonged
periods of submergence will ba kept at a minimum or eliminated. A few
forms, such as Jfrldomrrjaeix. nfuinost^ and Formica SESfefesMit **'* withstand
the submergence of their lower galleries, and undotjbtedly fluctuate the
depth of their galleries -cTith tho rise and fall of the water table* The
grass stem ants, on the other hand, reoein relatively unaffected by the
water level change, are free of cw^etition for their nesting site, and
at the same time are adapted to prociure the above-'ground food supply*

61.

Subflcuaily Ntprtnieinae

Pogonomvnaex badius (Lair.)

£• ^<^ius is one of the most restricted ants of the Reserve
as far as occurrence in plant associations is concerned* It requires
open areas in which to build its dome-shaped mound, and only a fev
situations suitable in this respect occur in the stations studied in
the present probleo* Xeric haamock is preferred and nests are found there
cooDonly* £• badius nests vere taken oecasionally to commonly in turkey
oak, and occasionally in bluejaek oak* liany nests are found on lavns,
around gardens* and in firelanea* All of its nests were complete, domed
craters* Charaoteristieally, the areas around the openings of the nests
are always bare of vegetation in well-established colonies* ilaay of
thMs areas are edged with charred pieees of wood, seeds, twigs, ai^ other
debris* The charcoal rim of many of these mounds is a conspicuous feature
of the nosts* Iray (1938)9 giving an account of the suit in North Carolina,
Bientions that nests in that region have the same features* Ue also gives
a description of the internal structure of the nests*

Observations were made on a nest of this active ant beginning
in August, 1949* The nest, which was situated in a lawn, had been moved
perhaps three feet imnediately prior to the first observation* Surface
tao^erature, t«iqperature at three inches, relative humidity, and the
number of workers wiergiug fr<m the nest within a period of two minutes
were recorded daily for 6t30 A*M*, llOO A*M*, 2t30 P*U*, and 5t30 P*M*
Activity of the colony above ground never began before 8t30 A*U* and was
usually consisted within a few minutes of 5*30 P*M* In Febz>uary, 1950«

62.

th« neat opening was again moved, this time only a foot* In each of
these instances of changing the site of the nest opening, it is possible
that some of the old chambers and galleries were continued in use*

Table IT shows the number of PoRononavrmex badius that emerged
trom. the nest during a warm period in August on four successive days,
and during four days of a cold period in November* On August 12, no
ants were seen above ground* Although the teBq>erature this day was mild,
the relative humidity reoiained at 100j( and most of the day was rainy*
Other colonies have been noted to continue excavation during very light
rain, but when the drops became constant, activity stepped* The ants
show a tendency to avoid high humidity, although as can be seen on
August 14, activity continued during 100% humidity* Conversely, lower
humidities are correlated with the greatest activity* However, whMi
the humidity becomes very low and temperature very high (50°C* or more)
In June and July in midday, a eeesatioa of above-ground activity occurs*

The tttiperature at three inches below the surface was first
recorded on August 14* During the rest of August, while these temperatures
were being taken, the ants opened and closed their nest at a three inch
temperature of about 27*'C*, as indicated in the table* In Movember,
however, most of the tw^eraturee were below 2? C*, and opening began
at a three inch temperature of about 10^*, rti«reas closing started at
about 16 "C* Thresholds of surfsce teo?)orature8 were more obscure*

Besides the effect of the tamperature on the opening and closing
of the nest, high humidity, as indicated above, seems to retard the opening
and speed the closing* The ants are slow to start work on mornings with
a good deal of moisture in the air. In the evenings, ifeen the humidity
rises, they are usually well along in their closing operations when it

T A B LX I?

OF POGONOiaRHB ACTIVE DURUIS A WARM AND DURINS A COLD PERIOD

date

time

3"

» at
sur.

rel. hUBu

no. iu
2 min.

ranarks

8/12/49

0830

21°C,

lOOjf

0

overcast

1130

19

100

0

raiay

1430

20

100

0

j^iJ^

1730

19

100

e

rainy

8/13/49

0830

24.5

87

0

cloudy

1130

39

57

118

vizMlyy eleer

1430

41

42

152

cleeur

1730

22

94

•

windy, olear

8/14/49

0830

25*C.

38

46

e

clear

1130

30

39

50

180

opened 0945

1430

35

40

51

235

clear

1730

31

24

100

204

raiiqr

1800

30

23

100

180

clear

I830

29

23

100

«8

1900

27

23

100

4

1920

27

23

100

0

•unset

8/15/49

0830

27

36

35

128

actiYity etarte at O83O

U30

33

49

25-

288

clear

1430

35

37

35

150

clear

1730

32

30

62

136

closing starts at I73O

IV17/49

0830

10

18

45

48

clear, activity sluggish

U30

l&

25

35

i»

moderately active

1430

20

27

37

n

moderately active

1730

18

10

75

X

sluggish

1735

18

9

83

0

11/18/49

0830

8

10

55

9

U30

13

18

25-

44

clear, sunny

1430

19

24

25-

n

1715

16

8

65

d

sundown, clear

11/19/49

0830

7

10

75

d

dear

1130

U

17

25-

^

sunny

1430

18

21

25-

m

activity moderate

1730

16

6

89

3

closing starts at I715

1750

15

5

100

e

sunset

12/20/49

0830

8

12

65

0

clear, sunny

1130

13

27

25-

100

quite active

1430

19

30

25-

49

1730

17

U

97

M

closing starts at 1730

1745

15

9

100

0

63.

raaehes 100%* In addition, closing seems to b» inflaonesd by the inoreasing
darkness, and the nest vas usually closed by sunset* Controlled laboratory
experiments would hare to be carried out to determine the lsq>ortance of
each of these physical factors on colony activity*

A typical closing operation vas carried out as follovst Cex^tain
of the workers started the procedure by picking up pellets of sand lying
on the mound, and carrying then to the nest opening* Some carried this
sand between their mandibles, and others pushed the pellets between their
hind legs* Once at the opening, the workers packed the sand into the
orifice wall* The whole procedure was not concentrated, and loany indi-
▼iduals lost interest in their work* Little by little, however, the opening
was made smaller* S«ae of the ants brought pieces of grass and small
twigs instead of sand, and these acted as supports* During this whole
activity, other ants were bringing pellets to the surface* When the
opening was finally closed, there renained a snail area (two inches in
diameter) cleared of sand pellets which surrounded the pile of sand at
the opening* Although the outside was dosed, movement of the sand at
the place of the opening indicated that the ants were still packing sand
into the passageroy from the inside* The pile of sand over the opening
sometimes became very large, reaching on one occasion a height of one-half
inch, and a diameter of one-half inch* This turret contained no passageroy.
The nest was closed in a similar fashion every night, and in rainy weather
sometimes remained dosed all day*

In early December, the ants broke through the mound, over a
period of days, in nine place*. Within a few days aU of the holes were
plugged and the ants were emerging from the original opening* However,
AS has been noted, in February the ants closed their original opening.

64.

and used a nev one approzinately a foot from the former. Since the latter
opening was in Ia«n» the £ints vent about their charaeterietie habit of
cutting the grass around the opening and corering the shoots left standing
vith sand.

A mating of the males and feiaales from the same nest took place
at about lOiOO A»M« on June 20, 1950* While some workers vere carrying
on the normal nest activitiae of bringing seed husks and sand pellets to
the surface and carrying seeds below, others were attending the mating
indiriduals* These males and females were two feet to one side of the
nest opening, in an area about two feet in diameter* The males ran very
speedily over the ground, or else flew for short periods six inches to a
foot above the mating area* They were probably equal in abundance to
the combined numbers of females and workers within the area*

Three or four males approached a given female at one time* Within
a matter of seconds one of the males had entered into copulation with the
faoale* The period of copulation lasted up to one and one*half minutes*
Each female mated with three or four different males* Because the males
were so ytaj quick in their movoaents, it was difficult to tell whether
a given male mated more than once*

During the matings, the fast moving workers could be observed
pulling at the males ?^erever they happened onto one* niey pulled thaa
asay from the females, even during mating, and iriiea a male wandered back
tewurd the nest opening, he was carried or pulled away* Probably the
same stiBBilus was involved in all of these activities*

After each mating, each female stroked her antennae with her
forelegs, and examined the tip of her abdomen with her mouthparts* Whsa
several matings had taken place, each female began a slow flight upward*

65.

Th© males, irtiieh had been flying swiftly around the mating area, gradually

flmr avay also*

The folloving seeds have been taken froa nests of PogoBoinvnnoa^

laadiusi Amoelopsis arboraa , Phytolacca riid.da, Pinus sp., Cenehrus

«r»«?i''Vf?y (sandspur), Sabal palmetto (cabbage pala), Diodella teres

(buttonveed), and centipede grass*

The ants were able to carry all of these seeds, except thos*

of the cabbage palm* One of the latter seeds presented sonevhat of a
problem, although the ants were able to carry it for short distances
in their mandibles* When they had transported it to the mound, however,
several ants began digging under it with their forelegs until a crater
was formed with the seed in the center* When the seed was removed for
identification, the crater was becoming deeper and the ants were making
no progress* It was observed that ants can carry seeds for at least
lew feet* Cole (1932il44), hovjever, noted that PogonoMyrmaiX occidontalis
in the western United States carries seeds for as much as 0*7» 0*4, l*35t
and 0*25 miles*

Aahaenogaster asbraeadi Emery

^ ashmeadi prefers the aroas of the Roserve which offer
xeromesic conditions in the subterranean stratum* It is found occasionally
to commonly in xerie haaenock and Leon scrubby flatwoods; occasionally in
bluejaek oak, scrub, and mssic hammock; and rarely in tartcey oak and
bayhead*

A* ^tphmeadi is confined to the subterranean stratum* In all

^ Determinations of all seeds were made by A* H* Laessle, Department of
Biology, University of Florida*

66«

cases it nested in sand, and most of its nests were under litter* One
aest, situated vhere there was no litter, had no recognizable orater
and two nest opMiings*

The size of the nest is approxii»itely the same as the elossly
related j^. treatag. One nest contained 326 workers, 7 te^llowa, 250
pupa*, plus eggs, larrae, and a queen* Wlag«d toram har* b*«n found in
the nests in June,

The above-ground activity of this ant is moderate to consider-
able on clear, suni^ days when the relative humidity is below 70^* It
has not been taken foraging when the tamperature was below 20°C« Along
with other ants, J^» ashneadi shows a tendency to become very inactive
above ground during the winter. The form is carnivorous, and is attracted
to raw liver; it has been seen carrying dead ants of other species,
especially Odontmnaehus ^wnatoda insular is,

Apfeaenoii^s t er floridajm H. R. Smith

&• flofidana was taken occasionally in turkey oak on the Reserve*
In the Gainesville region, it was also taken in ruderal situations, such
as open, sandy roadsides* Nests are either complete craters or rudimentary
craters around small eltn^s of grass*

A* floridana is a fairly fast moving insect* Meat of its
foraging ii done at night, but it is sometimes active during the day,
especially during overcast weather* It is attracted to molasses traps*

AphaenoKastwr fulva Roger
Vlthin a given nest of fulva there is great variation in
character proportions of the workers from the incipient to the mature

67.

colony. Of the spoeimona sent hia from the Reserve, Dr. Smith (in
litt.) says, "TSie snnller workers with more posteriorly rounded heads
and longer antennae probably belong to young eolonies. As the eoloniM
increase in size the later workers acquire shorter antennae and less
rounded heads,* Beoause of this change in charactertstics, it is
important to recosnize workers of an incipient colony, so that they will
. not be misidentified as a closely related form.

It can be aentioncd here that indiTidiials with shorter spince,
keying to rudis in Creighton*s paper (1950), have been found on the
Reserve, but are not included because of their small nunber and uncertain
tazonoznio position,

^, fulva prefers the lower areas of the Reserve, They have
been taken caamonly in river swamp; occasionally in scrub, longleaf pine
flatwoods, hydrie hananoek, and bayhead; and raroly in Rutl^e slash piaa
flatwoods, xerie hamsock, and narsh. It tonin to replace j^» f^e^meadj,
in the wetter areas,

Asts of this group have been found in both the subterraneaa
and surface strata, Neets were equally abundant under logs, in litter,
in fallen logs, under the mat of palmetto roots and trunks, and in dead
stumps. They also have been found in and under logs and in the bases of
living trees. Logs Ti^ich contain nests are usually in the last stages
of decay. One nest was between the bases of palm fronds and ths trunk
of the palm in the debris gathered there.

Of the 2 nests counted, the one fSrtHii scrub contained 46 workers,
10 worker pupae, and 1 queen, while the other from river swa«p contained
65 workers, 3 callows, 15 worker pupae, and 1 queen, In&atures were in
almost every nest collected, Ibiles were found in the nests in May through

69.

July; no information was obtained concerning the fenales

The ante of this group are quite active. The workers are
attracted to a mixture of peanut hiitter and oatmeal. They have heen
noted living next to nests of torsiites (Retieuliterg|e8 flgvines). and
have been seen carrying live termiteB in their imndibles.

Aphqenofsas t er; lamellidens Sfayr

Only one collection of J^, lamellideiy was made on the Welaka
Reserve. Thia nest, in xerie hammock, occurred in the base of a broken
limb which had decayed differentially. In the Gainesville area, the
author has collected the species in mesic hanmoek in fallen logs. In
the Great Smoky Mountains, Cole (1940j52) has found a few colonies
"la wot rotting logs in a deeply shaded forest".

Although collections in other regions indicate that Israeli id ens
oeeurs cMually in the surface stratim, its collection on the Reserve from
the stuBip of a limb 5 feet above the ground places it in the arboreal
stratum.

Aohaenopfflster waerogpina M. R, Smith

A* gg^crospina 'ovas taken occasionally in bluejack aak^ longlaaf
pine and Rutlege slash pins flatwoods. All of its nests wore in the
subterranean stratum under litter. Its distribution on the Reserve
shows a preference for pine {prowths.

I^is is a moderately active ant. On a nimber of occasions, it
has been attracted to molasses. One nest counted contained 65 'v^orkers,
10 worker ptqpae, and 1 queen. Attention was drawn to the nest by the
capture of individuals of this species in a molasses trap. Part or all

69.

of th« 44 smts eaught in tho molassos trap nay hava balongad to this
colony*

Aphaenogast er texana Emery
^. taxana nosts oeeasionally in seiMb, and rarely in longleaf
pine flatwooda, zerie hamnocky and meeie hasBaock* Meets hare been takMi
only from the surface stratum in vet to saturated logs in the last
stages of decay* Hie habits of this speeies are aueh the same as those
of fulvf^*

Aphaenogaeter ^ffta^? 'orel
Kests of ^* Iryitae have been found oceausionally in Leon scrubby
flatwoods, emd rarely in scrub* Although it has been found in only these
two plant associatioitf, there is no apparent reason idiy it should net
occur in other areas with relatirely light leaf litter, as does j|*

sSbbsSSbuss*

All of its nests hare been found in the subterranean stratm
under litter* One neat contained eggs, 20 larvae, 81 pupae, 20 eallcws,
292 workers, and 1 queen* Two diplopods ware ramoved from the dirt

Surrounding the nest*

A* Ifreatae is a moderately fast moving, timid insect* Workers
have been noted carrying lanrae of wurious kinds into the n^ts* A
grassh<9per nyiqih was readily eaten irtien introduced into a nest trans-
planted into the laboratory*

This laboratory nest consisted of the queen and three workers*
The queen laid eggs within three days of the time that she was placed in
the nest* All of these eggs were kept near a damp sponge in the nest.

70.

ajod were cared for by the workers. The queen reeted og the epojage^ and
paid little attention to the cli;^ ot eggSo

i* treatae has been taken from the Chicago area (Oregg, 1944}
and from Iowa (Buren, 1943), and Cole (I940i50) haa the following to
say concerning nests in the Great Smoky Mountains! "Invariably, it was
found colonizing open woods (usually pine) or lese frequently grassy
fields and slopes* All nests vere beneath stones of varying siss, and
each nest possessed a single entrance, either beneath or beside the stone,
leading by a gallery to a series of large interconnected chambers deep
in the soil.*** In all cases, however, the soil was rather moist*"
It is probable that the "open woods" and "grassy fields and slopes" of
the Great Smoky Uountains offer conditions similar to the open areas of
the Reserve* Since there are few stones on the Reserve, the an; here
oBist be satisfied to use leaf litter to cover its nest opening*

Ffreji,«^0^e 4ff^^ftt^ Uayr

£• detttata nests are well represented in all of the stations
on the Reserve except marsh* It was taken most often in the better
drained areas, as well as the hammocks, river swaop, and black pine-
fetterbush flatwoods* ColoniMi occur abundantly in scrub, Leon scrubby
flatwoods, Pomello scrubby flatwoods, and river swaoq>{ eonmionly to
abundantly in bluejaek oak, xeric hanmock, mesic hammock, and black
pine-fetterbush flatwoods | casmonly in turkey oak, longleaf pine flatwoods,
Pluamer and Rutlege slash pine flatwoods, and hydric hammock } oeoasioaBJLly
in teyhead{ and rarely in marsh*

Over two-thirds of the dentata nests tsdcen were on the soil
surface, and, with the eocoeption of one collection from a small branchy

71.

all other* were taken from sand, mostly undor litter* Nests under litter^

and nest? in logs and stun^ are preferred by £• deintata* The other

nesting sites in which it was foiind, in order of ixqaortance for the ant»

arei

1« in litter

2« under oat of palmetto root and stunqp

3« in bases of living trees

4« under logs

5* in and under logs

6a in grass slumps

7« open sand (rudimentary craters)

8* palmetto root on ground

9* in small branch

Other collections were made under raoss on a saw palmetto root, wad

seTez*al records were made of nests in fern rootSa

In Oainesville, £. derttata was found to nost equally often in
logs and in rudimentary craters. On the Reserre, probably due to the
presence of litter and at least some wood in almost all situations, craters
of this ant were seldom found* Even though other ants, such as Po:xonOij.vrui93
badius were able to build crater nests only, £* dentata showed its
prsf srenee for nests in wood or under coyer of wood or litter, by avoiding
the open areas*

Hests were recorded in wood in all stages of decay, and in wood
that varied from wet to dry* Most of the nests in logs or stuogps were
in pine, although a number vers found in broadleaved wood* Often these
nests were under the bark, but a few nests in stunqps extended down into
the root systeov* During the wet seasons, nests have been found several
feet high in dead tree trunks*

Nests of this ant usually contain a large number of individuals*
One rather small nest oomprised l62 workers, 9 soldiers, and 1 quean*
Imature fonw are present all year except during cold periods* Winged

n*

£orma have been taken in fli^t in May and Junc^, and a dealate fonale
V&9 r«cord9d w&ndsrin^ in Fobruary* Reproductive form pti^e wr* seen
ia the neste in April*

Uany tiiads^ especially daring the rainy season when the ground
bdcomes very wet* the iajuatures are brou;^ to the surfae* and laid
on or between leavea* On other oeeasions, in log nests, the immature*
were scattered throughout the log without any seoming order* Siintlar
nests, however, proved to have all the ogge, larvae, and pupas in ono spot*

During several periods of cold weather, workers of aentata were
the only ante carrying on conspicuous above«ground activity* A point
which further indicates its adaptability to adverse conditions is that
dentata is one of the few ants which regularly forages in swauQ) during
the periods of high water, when very little soil is above water, and
all of the soil is saturated*

The feeding habits of this energetic Pheidole are diverse* It
is attracted to a iodjcture of peanut butter and oatmeal used in aaamal
traps, to liver, and to molasses* These ants have been seen carrying
eoUeabola and termites* When a nest of Reticuliteruies flavines was
eh^pad into, they w«re almost iKoediately on -ttie scene, carrying tersiltss
away* As time passed, aore ants entered into the activity* The tenaites
were cither paralysed into stillness or killed, or w«rs able to srave onl^
slightly while being carried* Most sealed fatally injured after they had
been carried by an ant*

The following have been taken in the nests with £* dentata t

Isoptera, various sj^*

Corrodent la

Orasqaaa* possibly yobertaoni (det* A* B* Gahan, U* S* N* U*)

(Salnesville) (Hym.)
Orasema robertsoni aahan (det* A* B* Gahan, U* S* H* M*} (Hya*)

73.

ptq)ae were in the nosts in S^tomber and October*

Phaidole 4fn11tfMJIift ^ ^* Bmith
£• ^ff^^^fiida is not a consaon ant on the Reeenre although it imm
taken in 8 of the 1$ stations. Its nests were found eoEamonly to occasionally
in mesic and hydrie hamaock; occasionally in scrub, Poiaello scrubby
flatvoods, Plumner slash pine flatvoods, xerie hammock, and bayheed} and
a questionable record \ms made on the basis of workers alone from Rutleg*
slash pine flatwoods.

All except one nest, taken under litter, were found In the
surface stratum. £• dentJKt^la preferred nests in logs and in the bark
at the bases of living trees, but it was also found in stumps, under
litter, and one collection was oade from fern roots. Meets in wood
were almost equally divided between pine and broadleaved logs or stuqw
which ranged from moist to w«t» Meet of the nests were in soft or well*
decayed wood, but many nests were backed by hard wood*

The nuinber of individuals in the nests varied widely, although
none were large. An average nest contained 85 workers and 17 suldier*
(including callo^ro), and 43 worker pupae and 7 soldier ptqoae. Host, but
not all of the nests had a quoan, Issmturea were present all yecu*.
females were found on the wing in July and in the nests in September,
and znalas Tare taken in the nests in August. One nest contained only
two workers, but had ^gs and larvae.

P. dentigula is one of the species with i^ich Solenopsis yolesta
has teen found associated. In addition to the golenopsis. Paratrechiaa
parvula was taken with Pheidole dentigula fros under litter.

74.

Pheidole. near floridana Eaery

Smith has compared epecimejas of this ant from Welaka with
those of floridaoa in the U* S» National MusauB* He says (in litt*}
that the Welaloi specimens '*have been ooiq>ared with specimens from the
original series and althouj(h close to f^or^dg^ they are not typical*
yioridajfig^ has much more of the posterior part and side of the hsad^ and
thoirax less heavily sculptured than your specimens. She postpetiole ia
also larger and lass angulate on the side*** The 8culj>turing and shape
of the postpetiole have been found to vary to only a negligible degree
on the Reserve. Ho specimuis have been taken on the Reserve lahich appreack
individuals of floridana collected by the author in southern Florida*

T^i-B Pheidole replaces Moncaaorium bharaonis. prevalent in the
Gainesville region, in and around the hoiuses of the Reserve* In non-
ruderal areas, it 6hov;rs a preference for turkey oak and bluejack oak,
vhere its nests occur CfNumonly* Nests are also cotouon in Pomello scrubby
flatwoods* This ant is oocasional to common in mesic haisnock, and has
been found rtirely or occasionally in scrub, Leon scrubby flatwoods,
longleaf pine flatvoods, Plummer and Rutlege slash pine flatwoods, black
pine*fetterbush flatwoods, xerio and hydric hammocks, and river swauyp*

Nests of this form have been found most often in tlie surface

stratum, but almost as many have been taken in sand* It occupies a

variety of nesting sites* la order of preference they aret

1* in dead stun^^s

2* under litter

3* in fallen logs

4* under logs

5* in litter

6* open sand (rudimentary craters, soq^lets craters)

7* in and under logs

8* in 1»8eB of living trees

75.

One eollection vae sado from under the mat of a palmetto root*

Nests in sand have all showed a tendency to be under eover of
some sort* Although some nests had well^formed craters, all were covered
with one or sereral leaves* The rudimentary craters were all found against
the foundations of buildings, and it is possible that the ante here lived
in crevices in cement or under pieces of cement* Those nests in wood
were usually in wet logs or stuitQ>8| ahd although nosta occurred in wood
in all stages of decay, more were in the later stages* Many collection*
were made under bark, and neither br«idleaved nor pine wood was preferred*

Nests of this form are not populous, and seem to be nciller
than £* dentiaula* A nest, perhaps slightly si«Her than average,
contained 35 workers cjad 6 soldiers along \rith imraatures* liimaturee
probably occur all year, and mnged forms are present during the summer
months. In some nests in wood it is difficult to delimit the boundarie*
of the colony* Individuals in these cases are found throughout the log,
and there is no single, compact nest group*

This moderately active pieidole is attracted to grease in
kitchens* On several occasions it was taken eatins the peanut butter
and oatmeal bait of maianal traps, and in other instances it was found
between the septa of large mushrooms. Mr. J. C. Moore found this ant en
th« Reserve in eaveral fox squirrel nests. It continues its foraging
activities into the night*

In one nest a beetle of the family Lethriidae oas found

MSMiat«d with the ant in a stunq? in turkey oak*

76.

Phaldole metallBScens Emery

P» metallescens prefers the higher, djrier areas. It occurs
abundantly to eonmorily in turkey oak, Lvon scrubby flatuoods, and xerie
hnaneck; eotononly in bluejack oak and scrub; occasionally in mesie
hammock; and has been found only rarely in longleaf pine flatu'oode, but
may occur m&re abundantly there* It is often found in firelanes*

ipprozimately equal numbers of nests have been found in the
aubterraneein stratum and in the surface stratum. Often, especially in
turkey oak, nests have no crater, and the nest opening i* entirely or
partially covered by a single leaf* Some nests can be found in and
around the root systejos of herbs* The cos^lete crater is characteristic
of open ground, and in this situation inccKnplete craters can also be
found* Nests of this latter kind vary in outside diameter of the crater
from 2 to 3 inches, and in height from 3/8 to l/2 inch; all of these
nests have one opening* Many other nests oceur in seuid under leaf litter^
and some of thoa maintain elementary craters*

The locations of nests in fallen logs vary from near or on hard
vood to vood merging vith the substratum; either the bark may still be
intact or it may be absent* fhe wood may be dry, or moist, or wet*

A n^t taken from a log in scrub contained $05 workers and 29
soldiers with 1 queen* Imcmtures occur the whole year* No informatioa
concerning the time of appearance of winged forms was obtained* One nest,
taken in the middle of January, 1950, from a firelane, contained large
chambers of workers witliin six inches of the surface*

This fairly fast moving ant has a varied diet* It is attracted
to liver and to molass^* Foraging activities expend into the night*

77.

£• morrial is another of the ants which prefers the higher, more
open areas of the Res enre. It occurs occasionally to commonly in turkey
oak and xerie hanmoekt and occasionally in bluejaek ocQc and Pomello and
Leon scrubby flatwoods. Characteristically its nests appecur along the
dirt shoulders of roads, in firelanes, and in the areas around houses*

All of the nests of this species were in the subterraneem strattou
Host of the nests were built in open seuKl, but soae were constructed under
leaf litter* Half of the nests had no erater, and the other half were
built around a grass tuft or in lawn, where a rudimentary crater was
thrown tq> beside the plants* Sometimes these craters were built besid*
a fallen log under i^ieh the colony could be found* Craters of morrisi
built in the open were about 4 to 5 inches in diameter, and 1 l/2 to 2
inches in height. A majority of nests had only one opening, but thwe
vare several with two, and a few with three, openings*

An unusually large nest of Borrisi contained 3500 workers
and 350 soldiers* An average nest probably contains 1000 IndiTiduals*
The innnature forms are absent from the nests from late December to
February* Winged forms have been taken in July*

£• morriai is »•» active ant, and each colony oaploys mmwous
speedy workers for foraging. Foraging activities are carried on at
night. It seems, however, to show a seasonal relationship in its above-
ground activity. In the winter months foraging ceases almost altogether,
and the ants remain in the nest, about three feet below the ground surface.

Molasses attracts £. porrisi. It has been seen to pick up egg*
and larvae, and even workers of Cramatogaster fishmead^, but no interpre-
tation of this activity is atteaipted here.

78.

Solenopgis perKandei and l^iratrechitia ai^eni/agg., ae well as a
species of Dtptera, have been found in neste of P, morfisj.

Hieidole ailifera (Roger)

Smith (in litt,) feels that this is not the typical form of
Z» jgilifoj^B Tlio name is therefore used here only in the broad sense.

Nests of iiillfe^a have been found only in ruderal areas, nanaly
in laisms and in oi^nge groves, where its occurrence •was frequent. All
nssts were complete craters -which varied in diameter from 3 to 4 inches,
suad in height from l/4 to 3/3 inches. All of the cratei« had only one
nest opening.

£• pilifera. with its extremely large-headed workers, was
recorded nesting with Paratreehina arenivapgi and Sol en ops is pergandel.

Cardiocondyla e lervi Forel

Foraging workers of C, qmervl were taken occasionally in xerie
haiauock and rarely in bluejacl: oak. Its nests in these situations have
probably all been under litter, or perhaps in open sand. Smith (1944i36)
states that the ants in Puerto P.lco nest most coramonly in sandy soil,
but also in clay soil. Besides the above-mentioned stations, C, wnervi
has been taken in the sand roads of the Reserve.

T})is small, slow-moving ant is atti^cted in great numbers to
molasses traps. It continues its foraging activities into the night,
Faaales were taken in flight in early Pecanber of 1949« Wests nay be
approximately the same sizs as those of C, nuda winutior.

1%

Cardiocondyla nu4a jyinutlor Fore!

On the basis of the few collections made of £• ftuda ainutior.
firelanes and dirt roads, especially in high areas such as xeric luuanock,
seam to be its preferred nesting situations* On several occasions the
grillwork of an aut<»iobile lAiich had Just passed through the high grass
that grows in the xerie haimnoelc roads wias eovMred with workers of this
fom* It has been collected rarely in longleaf pine flatwooda, and it
was found foraging along the edge of a bayhead where it abutted a sand
road*

Like Solenopsis globularia litt oralis, C * nuda minutior has
been foimd only in uprooted palaatto roots* These nests are on the
under side of the root, rather deep in the fine scalings of the wood*

The ant neets in small colonies of about 20 iadiYiduals*
Females were taken on the wing in August, and female pupae were obserred
in the nest in the same month*

Cardiocondyla wroughtoni ^^fflf'^ll^H Wheeler
C. wroughtoni *f?lB?M^iff1^ has been collected conmonly in turkey
oak, and only rarely in Leon scrubby flntwoods and longleaf pine flatwoods*
Since it is conmon in turkey oak, there is no apparent reason trtiy it should
not be found in other of the high areas such as xeric hammock. Numerous
nests can be found abundantly in clunqps of bamboo planted near the buildinge

of the Reserve*

In turkey oak, nests of this ant are found most often in stuoqts
of longleaf pine tf^nfiB nalustris) or tuxicey oak (^^yrotf V^fY^a)* All
of these nests have been in or next to hard wood, with a Uttle debris
or softer woo4 near the nest* The species has also been taken froa leg^

80.

of longleaf pine, either dry or moist; traa. the moist base of an Andropogon
stem; and from an oleander twig in which the nest was partly in the center
of the stem^ partly in the wood at the nodes, and partly under the thin
bark in debris* It nests in a very similar way in and around the nodes
of bamboo* Nssts oan thus be found in both the surface and herbaceous
strata.

Of 3 nests taken in turkey oak and 1 in bamboo, that in the
baotboo was the largest. These counted nests varied in number of workers
froB 21 to 43, and averaged about 32 workers. The ntaib«r of queens
increased with the sise of the nest. The snalleet nest contained 1
queen, lAile the others had 2, 4, and 5 queens respectively. All of the
workers and queens were in one or two central chambers, and wve not
difficult to collect. Immature forms oeour in all months. F«Bale>
have been found in the nests in October, and a flight is recorded on
October 7> 19^9* What seeoMd to be an incipient nest without workers
WftS observed in Ifay, indicatii% that perhaps the females fly again ia
April or Hay, or that the workers are not hatched out during the winter.

This ant is moderately fast moving, and scmeiriiat deliberate
in its motions. Uost of its foraging is done on days i^en the teoper*
ature is high (above 28^0.) and the relative huaidity is relatively
low (below 40^).

Greiiatogaeter f|f».,^i««i<ny^ mjesouriensis Emery
CreightoB (1950) lists the range of this ant fr«B Texas to
Missouri. C^ minutissiaa minutissima is presented as replacing it from
South Carolina to Florida and westward through the Gulf States to Texas.
However, specimens frnu the Gainesville region and from WelaUca have been

81,

consistently Identified by Dr. U* R. Smith of the IT* S* N* M* as
alaaourionBis. These locality records make it doubtful that minutis sipi^L
and missourieng^fl are subspecies of jjjjiatisgj^. Until it cam be proved,
hoverer, that they are variations of the same form, ]i];i,psQ^^y-i9nsis will
be recognised as a subspecies of nujiutia«im^.

During the course of the present investigation, it was found
that BtLssouriensis prefers the more hydric situations, although it has
also been taken in the higher aresiB. It nested coimonly in Plunaer
slash pine flatwoods, mesio hammock , hydric hannook, and bayhoad,
preferring hydric hammock; occasionally in bluejaek oak, scrub, Rutlege
slash pine flatvoods, and xerio haiomoek; and rarely in Pomello scrubby
flatvoods and river svamp* In the Gainesville region, the ant waa
fouJtd in very similar situations*

£• yilnutissima Missouri ens is preferred nests on the soil
surface, but many nests were found arboreally. Several nests were also
taken in the subterranean stratum* The ant nested most often in fallen
logs, bases of living trees, in small branches, in dead stumps, and usd«r
the ^t of palmetto roots and trunks. It was also taken in the following

places t

uzider logs

in and under moss on a palmetto root

in a debris-filled and well decayed Pinus clausa cone

under litter
under the outer sheath of a doid flower stalk of

Sarenoa rePty
under moss at the base of an oak tree

Vesting conditions varied from dry, in small branches, to wet in lega

buried under litter. Other authors (Buren, 1943>289, and Cole, 1940i

46) have found the majority of nests in sand under stones.

A colony from a small branch in hydric hammock contained 208

62 o

vorkers (including callouvs), 102 worker pupae, and 8 queens. This eoloi^
«as a unit, but many colonies appear to occupy several different levels
in a nesting place such as a log or the base of a living tree. A typical
nest, arranged amozig debris-filled re^ona along 10 inches of a log^
occupied cavities on the hard wood near the outside*

In a situation of this sort it is difficult, and perhaps really
unnecessary for the present purposes, to be sure that one is dealing with
only one colony* One nay ask iriiat is the criterion ^shich will distinguish
a section of a oolorqr from a whole colony* The presence of supemuaierary
queens in some colonies of nassourienBjs inakee it impossible to be sure
one is dealing with a iidiole colony when one fueea is observed* Likewise,
here and in the sul^enus Acrocoelia. if a queen is observed, there nay
be other, queenless parts of the colony in other places* Groups of
workers have been observed in Cr6Baatogaster. especially in Acrocoelift.
(and in other genera to some extwrt) with an almndance of inmatures and
no que^i* Uhless intercourse between a queenless group and a group with
a quewi is observed, it would not be clear Aether the queenless group
carries its eggs from a mother queen in another nesting place, or whether
the workers are independent and lay their own eggs* In treating tluLs
situation throughout this study, each physically distinct aggregation
is called a nest*

Cole (1940»46), in his report on the ants of the Great Smoky
MountcdJiB, mentions a nest of miasouriensis with only 47 workers, kut
56 eupemumerary queens* On the Reserve, imoatures in the nest are
usually absent during periods of cold weather, but a few are present ia
most nests all year* Winged form pupae have been found in the nosts in
Iby, and winged fone have been taken through August* One instance of

83.

female pupao in Oetober was observed, and in January males irere taken on
one occasion ii^ndering about during the day.

This is a slow to moderately f&st moring ant. It is attracted
to molasses traps.

Itegaster ashmgadi Mayr

C. (Mhpeadi nests oecur rery eoononly in all of the veil drained
areas of the Reserve, and occasionally in the hanmock areas and river
9wamp» Sccept for their occasional to cmnmon occurrence in lengleaf pine
flatwoods, they are fouikl only rarely in poorly drained flatvoods. C,
laevittscula Mayr tends strongly to replace ashmeadi in the flatwoods
eursas and in bayhead and marsh,

G, ashmeadj, has been taken abundantly in Poaello scrubby
flatwoods; ecMnisonly in scrub, Leon scrubby flatwoods, zmd longleaf pine
flatvoods} occasionally to eooaenly in turkey oak, bluejaok oak, and
xerie hammock; occasionally in mesie hanmock, and river swamp; and
rarely in Plunner slaah pine flatvoods, black pine-fettsrbush flatvoods,
and hydric hammock.

By far the majority of collections vera made arboreally, but
ether nests vere taken in the surface strattmu Most often, the ant nas
found in small branches. The other nesting sites in order of inportancs
to the ant are as follows i tvigs, gaUs^* fallen logs, dead stumps, and
one collection was lude in •too base of a living tree, ll<wt of the nests
in small branches were found in either scrub oaks or in Pinus clausa«
Nests vare also taken from the lo^ps of fallen sand pins, usually fr«i
under bark on the top side. Although the ant seemed to prefer nesting
sites in serubl/ oaks, its presoace in pine logs and branches indicates

84.

that its exclusion from poorly drained flatvoods is not duo to an inability
to liye in pine*

The nests in twi@9 mere on scrubby oaks, or else in grape vinee,
tniose in scrubby oak galls vere usually in pendant, 0phM*ieal galls. Serae
were in other, variously shaped galls, especially the type around stems}
in these the ant occupied the sevMitil diff«rMit eoo^rtments from «hieli
the gall wasps had emerged. Nests w^>e in either broadleaved or piiM
logs or stunq^, but ^ere in all eases dry or moist. This preference for
dry or moist conditions in nesting sites supports the contention that
this ant prefers the drier situations.

In the Gainesville r^ion, drier situations, among them ruderal
areas, were also preferred. In the same manner Cole (1940s 46) has found
asbmeadi nesting in dry situations.

Isi the discussion of the life history of £• ninotiaslMa
missouriensjg. it was brought out that on many occasions what tnay seem
to be a colony of Acrocoelia may be merely a section of a larger aggregate,
the true eoloj^r* It was pointed out that each of these sections is harm
recognized as a nest.

The number of workers contained in 18 nests ranged from 4 to
425« avM'agins 137* la none of these nests was a queen found, niese
nests had an average of 23 callow workers. The nest with the largest
number of workers, taken in a small branch in Pomello scrubby flatwoods,
contained $1 females and 11 males, while another n^t of 185 werksrs
contained no females and 38 males. Of those that contained winged forms,
12 were sex specific, ^riiile the others contained at least three tim^i as
many individuals of one s«ac as of another. The largest nest contained
220 worker pupae, whereas the other nests averaged about 25 worker pupas*

85.

Winged forms were found in the nests in July through December* Single
males have been taken in January*

In times of excitement, £• ashmeadi extends its heart-«haped
gaBter above its head, and runs quickly over the ground or the vegetation*
l&ider normal circumstances, this is a slov to moderately fast moving ant*
Muqr times when a nest is opened during a cold period vhen the nest is
inactive, the workers do not move, but lie with their bodies pressed
flat against the surface to which they are clinging* Such is also true
of the other members of the suli^enus*

In September, 1948, collections in Pomello scrubby flatwoods
showed a remarkable abundance of £• aphmeadi, especially in galls, but
also in small brmnohee* This large population wbls within a eirounsoribed
area of the station, and may have bemi coincidental with the galls and
the small branches becoming suitable for the ants* A seasonal high was
also noticed in Leon scrubby flatwoods in December* Iharing 19^9 no such
high was observed in eith«r station*

Although this subgenus is noted for its attendance of honeydev-
excreting insects, they have been observed carrying various kinds of
dead insects into their nests* On one occasion an aggregate of C* ashmeadi
ims noted in a crotch of a saw palmetto (Serenoa reoens) frond; woxicers
were carrying away parts oi a dead grasshopper nymph* The woriters have
repeatedly ventured into the cyanide jar of a light trap in order to
carry away insects* They have also been found, probably as casuals, ia
fox squirrel nests by Ifr* J* C* Ifoore*

Hasts have been observed adjacent t« those of the termite*
Kalotermee fiouteli?)* In one nest containing winged Torms, a Diptera,
resembling quite closely the males of aslaMaAi* was found*

86.

Somo of the workers found on the Resenre have a someorhat opaqua
and slightly punctate thorax, differing from the usual shiny, smooth
thorax, (taia eoleny, the only one taken from under the bark of a living
^^^9 (Piaus palustris). contained xrorkers with a lighter appearance thaa
usual. The head and thorax are light brown, while the gaster is dark.
The queen is all light brown, and measur ;s 1.8 mm. along the dorsum of
the alinotum; other queens of £. ashmeadi measure 2.0 nin. along the
dorsum, and are all dark brown or black.

^e^t ogast er coarctata yemiculata Emery
The specimens listed here were assigned to Crematopaster
vermiculata by Dr. II. R. Smith. The collections of this ant, \sdiich hoM
its type locality in Los Angeles, are the first Florida records.

Nests of this subspecies have been confined to two stations.
£. coarctata vermiculata was collected occasionally in hydric hanmock and
river swasrp. In all cases it was nesting arboreally, in most cases In
twigs of sweet gum (lAquidambar styracjflua) or some one of the bay treee.
Such twigs may have a half dozen openings to accomodate a colony, to one
occasion it was found nesting in the crotch along the midrib of a Sab>l
|i^^maffe^.n frond ui»ler the de1»>is gathered there. Other ants, especially
GreBatogaster ^shmeadi and Paratrechina parvula. are also found nesting
on palmetto fronds.

The distribution of vermiculata in stations and nesting sites
on the Reserve indicates rather strongly that it will almys be found in
moist or hydric situations, and probably always above ground. In
Gainesville, this form was taken in scrubl^y flatwoods, in an area ^ere
the plant association offered mesie conditions*

87.

It is possible that the nests of this ant extend into two or
more twigs. If this is the case, each twig of such a colony contains only
a section of tho whole colony. As explained before, each section is
treated as a nest here, Ono very lon^ twig seemed to contain a whole
colony, A count of this colony yielded 1085 workers, l62 worker callows,
7 roproductive and 710 worker pupae, 25 reproductive and 221 worker
larvae, and numerous eggs. The presence of r^roductive pupae and larvae
in the nest, taken in July, indicates that winged forms would soon be
present. Winged forms were taken in another nest in early October,
The habits of vermicul&ts. are much like those of ashmcadi,

CrematoKarter laeviuscula Ifeyr

C, il^eviuacula prefers to nest in the poorly drained flatwoods
areas of the Resei^ve, and in the T7ettor areas of >iaiaciock and of seasomlly
flooded plant associations. In this way it tends to replace C, *^*'^'^"ft*^fir
although there are areas of overlap in the distribution of the two species,
especially in longleaf pine flatwoods, and in mesic haznmock,

C, laevluscula was found abundantly in Rutlege slash pine flatwoods
and in oiarsh; cosmonly in longleaf pine flatwoods, PluBsner slash pine
flatwoods, hydric hainmock, and bayhead; oecasionally in bluejaek oak, and
mosic haiaraock; and rarely in turkey oak and xoric haiaaock. Its absance
frcau black pine-fetterbush flatwoods wblj be due to the scarcity of logs
in that station, but it may also depend on the relative openness and
consequent high rate of evaporation and prolonged dryness of the area.

Nests of laeviuscula were found in all strata except the subter-
ranean, most often arboreally, and least often in the herbaceous etrattau
Small branches and fallen logs are the most preferred nesting sites.

88.

£• Xaeviuscula. however, uses small branches less than half as wbmj tines
as aahaeadji. whereas it nests in fallen logs much more often than '^i"^Bffii';^i^|
In order of preference other nestirg sites in ifrtiich laeviuscula has been
found aret twigs, dead stun?)8, cax^on, sawgrass flower stems. Single
collections have been made from an Andropogon stem, a dried leaf of
Sagjttaria between septa, a flower stalk of Sabal palmetto on ground,
and from under pine needle litter on saw palmetto frond two feet above
ground*

In a majority of the cas^, the nests in logs were in or against
hard wood, but some nests were in softer wood* Nests were in logs of all
stagee of decay, frcm those merging with the soil to those in which the
wood mi8 in the first stage of decay. Some nests were under the bark of
fallen logs. Nests of carton were observed on occasion in the sawgrass
( Maris cus jaiyaicensis) marsh, but alwa3rs on a flower stalk of sawgras*}
in these cases the nests occupied both the cai^on and the flower stalk.
Never was the carton portion of such a nest far above the water surface.
In the marsh grass (Spartina bakeri) marsh on Buzzard's Roost,
carton nests were abundant. Sxcept for a few laeviuscula in twigs, no
other nesting site was observed to be occupied by ants in this marsh.
Nests are usually one or two feet above the base of the Spartina cIubq),
shaded by the tops of the grass blades. Each nest in marsh grass binds
together a number of grass blades, usually the middle dozen or so of
each grass cluaip, and is held up by th^o. Nests are quite large,
■easuring, on an average, 12 inches vertically and 4 inches horizontally.
One nest measured 20 inches vertically and 6 inches horizontally. They
are constructed of plant material, usually bits of leaves, together with
large sections or whole leaves of maple or wax vayrtlo curled around tho

89.

supportijtig grass. The nests are quite laoiat on the inside, but are always
dry on the outside. Several nesta, built in the erotehes of shrubs,
extended from the carton into the adjoining hollow stens.

Nests of C, laeviuscula are numerically about the sane siz« as
those of C. aBhaoadi. The range in numbers of workers in the 7 nests
counted was frwn 16 to 300» averaging 128. None of these neats contained
queens. Nests and sections of nests are considered synonymous here in
the manner discussed under C. ashroeadi. The cold spells on the Reeexnre
seem to be coincidental with the absence of immature fonns in the nesta.
Reproductive pupae appear in the nests in April, and winged forms have
been taken in June through July, and again in October through December.
Only 2 out of the 10 nests from which winged forms were taken, contained
both males and females.

On June 27» 1948, a nest was observed in Rutlege slash pine
flatwoods from whieh excited workers were emerging and hastily running
along the low shrubs surrounding the twig nesting site. Along with the
excited workers were males, evidently ready to make a flight, although
BO male was seen to fly. A nest brought into the laboratory on Hovaiaber
26, 1949 contained males which immediately attec5>ted to wander from the
nest, although no flight was observed. The malee and attendant workers
aggregated under the bucket in which the carton nest had been placed.
Perhaps this restlessness was preflight activity, or was merely due to
overexposure of the nest to sun with a consequent change in tenperature
and relative humidity in the nest. (It is possible that in natural
conditions a sharp enough change in the physical conditions of the nest
may evoke flight.) The next day the nest was placed over water in an
att«npt to keep the ants in their neat. On November 29, the malee were

90.

noted iiiT«8tig£itij)g the ends of the cut marsh grass, but no flight took
plaoe* Because of their restlessness, a large number of loales had fallen
into the water and drowned by the next day, and obserrations were dis-
eontinued*

The habits of morement and feeding are much like those dieeuasad
under £• ashmeadi. Dead insects have been found in neets of £• laetyiuscula.
and the ant is attracted to molasses traps* On one occasion workers irar*
seemingly attending scale insects on a palm frond* Nests hare been noted
near nests of termites, the workers of each freely intermingling* They
were seen to stroke the termites with their antennae and palpi on all
parts of the termite's body, but mainly in the head and thorax regions*
Small mites hare been found on the antennae of sevex'al workers* The
size of many individuals in marsh is strikingly larger than that of
those in other plant associations* Total body length ranged in one nest
tr<m 3«0 am* to 4*8 mm*, lAiereas workers Arom other stations range fron
2*5 mm* to 3*3 bbi* in total body length*

<^refifatogaster lineolata (Say)

Creighton (I95O1213) notes that £* lineolata is found the
farthest sotxth in the Appalachian Hi^ lands of northern Georgia, and that
an altitttdiiMl difference separates lineolata from the subspecies suboratea*
£• lineolata is reported to have its range at low to moderate elevations
in the South Atlantic States, as well as to the west and north*

Specimens which are labelled C* lineolata. sent to the author
by Dr* Smith, key out to £• lineolata subopaea in Creighton* s key* On
the other hand, those specimens irtiich were taken on the RMerve can be
assigned to lineolata on the basis of his key* According to the

91.

distribution Creightou cites , subopaca, and not J^Sgoj^SJigf should oceur
here* Since it will not be clear what form of the species Ijneolaljft
occurs OB the Reserve until specimens of lineolata and subopaca have
been examin^f the mune lineolata will be used here in the broad sense*

C« lineolata was taken in only three stations* It occui*s
eoiBQionly in Pomello scrubby flatvoods, and occasionally in Leon scrubby
flatwoods and xeric hamsook* Hests have been found in aliKost equal
abundance in the surface stratum and in the subterranean stratum undaor
litter.

Its nesting sites have been approximately evenly divided betweea
nests under litter, in litter, in fkllen logs, in dead 8tUBq)s, and ia
small branches* The nests in logs and 8tuaQ>s were in oak for the most
part, but soae ««re found in pine* The relatively few nests in pine
sets |,^»|ftQ'^-|^ apart from the other members of the subgenus on the Reserve,
but the difference may be due to the distribution of the species ia
stations where the main trees forming logs and stumps are oak rather than
pine* In this respect it can be noted that lineolata follows the
distribution trend of ashneadj rather than that of lawviuscula. occurring
in the batter drained areas of the Reserve. Cole (1940i47) indicate*,
wM do the above observations, that this species lives as often in the soil
as in wood* He mentions that nests under stones loosely resting on the
soil were a favorable nesting site*

One nest fSrwa Pomello scrubby flatwoods contained 184 workers,
3 callow vrortera, and 35 woricer pupae* Ito queen was taken* Cold weather,
as it does with the other speoies of the subgeims on the Reeerve, smhs
to inhibit the production of eggs* Pupae of males and fflnales were seen
in nests at the end of Hard., and males were tak^i in the nest in May*

92,

No infonaation concerning winged females was obtained*

£• lineolata has much the same habits aa the others of the
subgenus on the Res enre* It is a moderately fast moving ant. Beeaus*
of its distribution on the Reserve, it was taken in most ca^es vi^en the
temperatures were high and the relative humidity low* It was observed
attending aphids, and probably also uses insects as food*

¥o^;^aW9r;^ffi C;\Prf<ToM (Jerdon)
One specimen of this species was collected wandering on a

sawdust pile in turkey oak* This introduced species is well distributed
ovmr Central America and the West Indies* ffheeler (190dtl28}, writing
of the ants of Puerto Rioo cuid ^e Tirgin Islands, states that these
ants are "Cttnaon in Tillandsias, under bark-scales of trees and in

hollow twigs* All the females were apterous

m
** •*

McHK^orium inlnimua (Buckley)

K* minLwum was taken oecasionsilly in only one station, namely
turkey oak* It was, however, found also in firelanes, and was one of
the more common occupants of the latter areas* In most eases this ant
nested in craters, either inooiqplete or complete, but some nests were
found under very light litter* The craters, all with one nest opening,
varied in diameter from 2 ]/2 to 4 inches, and in height from 2/2 to
1 3/4 inches*

In the Gainesville region, minimum was found nesting for the
most part in logs, or under logs or other cover* It se«aB to be well
distributed throughout the United States*

Oaring the work of bringing pellets of sand to the surface.

93.

this moderately fast moving, diligent ant eoploya many workers, and
thereby givee the nast the appearance of bustling activity* By con^Muring
a vial filled with a known number of ants and another filled with an
luiknown number, a total of about 3000 workers vas estinated for one nest*
Several termites were taken with this colony.

So]t.enop8ls t^eminata (Fabricius)

The close morphological resemblance of this ant and S« n^fq.
is discussed under the latter ant. Since the lack of the aasostenml
spine in this form seema to be an untrustworthy character to differentiate
it from iruf^. the darker color of geninata has been used here to distinguish
the two forms.

§.• gjgMiwata was found in nine stations, but it was taken
commonly only in Leon scrubby flatweods. Occasional collections were
made from turkey oak, bluejaok oak, Pnaello scrubby flatwoods, longleaf
pine flatwoods, xerie hammock, hydric hamtaock, and river swai^); and one
nest was found in scrub. Firelanes also afford a favorable nesting site.
In the Gainesville region it was found more commonly, and was also taken
in mesie hammock.

On the Reserve, ^walnata has for the most part occupied the
subterranean stratum, but has also been found in the surface stratum.
Most of its nests are asymmetrical, rudimentary craters, or are in sand
under litter. Other nests were found in incomplete craters, e(»iQ)lete
craters, in a palmetto root on the ground, and under a longleaf pine log.
This last colony had produced a crater at the side of the log.

The nests with incomplete and coniplete craters were very likely
incipient nests, or nests with small numbers of individual*. As these

94.

naets grow in sis*, th« Boreral grouped craters fuse to form a lGurs*»
rudimentary crater. Many of tbe rudinantary craters, on the other hand,
are begun around a clump of grass vhieh soon becomes buried under the
sand of the crater* Some rudimentaz^ craters are built in the form of
a string of craters, sometimes up to eight feet in length. One rudimentary
ez^ter was b^tm around the base of a scrub oak, and vas composed of
sand, leaTee, and small pieees of rootlets. Rudimentary craters have been
observed ranging from 4 inches to over 1 l/2 feet in diameter; from 1
inch to almost \/2 foot in height; and in number of nest openings from
1 to 20 or more.

This "fire ant" is moderately agile, much like ytt%« It has
been attracted to manmal traps baited with peanut butter and oatmeal*
Small seeds, such as alyeeeloyer and earpetgrass, make up part of its
food, but the ant's small size makes larger ueeds too difficult to carry.
The workers also derive honeydew from aphids on the roots of plants
near their nest.

Winged fomes have been observed in June and July. linmatureB
appear most numerous in the summer.

Splenopsis rt^q (Jerdon)
This form has been listed by Creighton (1950) and previous
authors as S. PiiTf|t*T^^ rufa. Creighton, however, points out that the
characters used to separate gwdnata from mfa may have been given more
prominence than they deserve, and that the character of the meeostern&l
spine in n^fa is more valid for the Asiatic specimens than for those
from the United States. In America p^ and gwninata are found in
practically the same areas, making it iBQ>ossible to treat rufa as a

95.

g«ographioal subspeeios. On tho othor hand, rufa and gominata are found
to intorsrade, making it difficult to treat them as soparate spdcias.
Greighton (1950t232) sayst **In this country rufa bohavM as a color
variety and shows no geographical distinctions. I have retained it as
a subspecies because this behavior may be a result of introduction.**
Evidently there is material which has come to Creighten*8 attention
that makes him believe that rufa and gemimta are not synoi^rmous. With
doubt still existing aa to the taxonomie status of rufa. it is here
believed wiser to treat it as a separate speoies and not involve the
geographic connotation of a subspecies,

Speeimens of rufa were found rarely in turkey oak and longleaf
pine flatwoods, «md occasionally in Plunmer slash pine flatwooda.
Colonies have been taken from both the surface and subterranean strata.
Nests are found most often with rudimentary craters or under litter in
sand. One nest was found in the under side of a turkey oak (Q^erctft
la avis) log. Part of this last colony was in the log and a lesser part
in the sand under the log. The rudimentary craters or mounds may reach
a diameter of 2 feet and a height of 1 foot, with numerous nest openings.
To build these nests S. rufa seeks the more open areas. For example,
the nest in longleaf pine flatwoods was partly in the flatwooda proper
and partly in a firelane which was cut through the flatwoods. ^. £jj|i
has also been taken nesting in ruderal bamboo.

In the Gainesville region the hamaocks provided nesting site*
for this ant. Its abundance around Gainesville was higher than on tha
Reserve, probably because of the more open nature of the ground. There
is also the possibility that, because it is a **tran5)* form, it has spread
more widely in the residential districts and their surrounding areas.

96.

than in the leas eonnsercial araa of the Reserve* In the Oalnesyllle
region, small craters were often seen built around grass clumps. As
the nest grew and more sand was brought to the surface, the grass vas
buried.

£• TxtSa. is a moderately fast moving ant. Sleeping with an
insect net across low vegetation has, on several occasions, yielded
apeoimens of this form. Flights of Tinged forms have been observed in
Uay and October.

Soleaopsis globular ia litt oralis Creighton

£• globularia litt oralis is one of the few ants collected laore
than ence which occur in only one plant association of the Reserve. It
was found occasionally in black plne~fetterbush flatwoods. In Gainesville,
the ant was confined to the open, almost shrubless flatweods uriiich are
oonmonly used as pastureland in that area.

The nests on the Reserve vere found to be only in the surfaee
stratum. Typical nests were in palmetto roots thrown up on the soil
Surface. In the palmetto root the nest was built between the overlapping
flakM of the bases of fronds, and vmv on the under side near the soil.
One nest va^ found in a grass clump, part of the nest being in the roots
of the plant, idiere the queen was located, and the rest being in the lover
stems. In Gainesville, the ants were taken from under the bark of newly
cut pine logs, and from nests built in sand and covered by small shavings
of wood and pine needles.

One nest, taken in the black pine^fetterbush association of the
Reserve, contained 46 workers and 1 queen, along with immature forms.
No information as to when the sexual foriis appear in the nests was obtained.

97.

I.* globularia litt oralis is a moderately fast moving ant. It
axtends its abovo-ground activities into the night.

The taxonoay of this Buially insignificant ant has been one of
the most confused of the ants of the Reseirve* Smith (in litt.) said
specifflens ''agree very well with specimens collected in Haiti and reeorded
by Wheeler and hlenn»«»»as p9'),^tf^ For el* •••Please do not consider the
determination final as your specimens have not been cheeked vith types
or vith the original description." 0th ^r epecimens were sent to
Creighton^ vho was cognizant of Smith's determination. He vnrcte that in
his opinion the specimens, whieh were the same that had been detendLne4
pollux by Smith, were ]ll1i'Tii''^i--''"'"^ Emory. He saye (in litt.)t "Although
I have not been able to cooqpare your specimens rith type material of
lyygjjj^issigaf they agree so perfectly with Emery's figure and description
of that species that there is little jroom for doubt on this point. The
head of Minutiss^|f«^ is more elongate than that of pollux and is narrowed
behind. There are several other differences which distinguish the two
species. Your specimenc agree on every count with gii,n»^ti33iioa rather
than with pollux.... S. minutissioa was originally described from material
taken in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The species would, therefore, be much
more likely to astablieh itself in northern Florida than would a strictly
tropical fornu* In another letter Creighton Indicates that there is subs
doubt in his mind as to whether ydnutissicB should have been synonymised
with ^eviceps. He says specimens froifl the Reserve may possibly be
laeviceps. but he thinks it very likely that thsy are ninutiseima. From
Still another aspect. Brown, from a coB?)ari8on of worter types, believes

98*

that minutissiija. und Smith* e lofur^icepa are synonymous.

This ant seams to prefer the laesic and hydric areas of the
Reserve, although it has been taken in the better drained stations. Meets
were occasional in turkey oak» bluejaek oak, scrub, Pomello scrubby
flatwoods, Pluomer slash pine flatwoods, meeic ham&oek, hydric hammock,
and bayhead; and rare in xerie hamaock and rirer emaap*

All nests occurred in the surface stratum, mostly in the bases
of living trees* The trees most preferred were s^^sh pine (Pinus elliotti)«
probably because of the high relatiTe humidity and low rate of evaporation
usually around them* The ant va» found also in loi^eaf pine (£^BUft
palustris) in xeric hammock and bluejack oak, and once in water oak
(QuerouB nigra)* All of these nests were at the base of the tree in the
bark below the soil or litter surface} all were wet, and usmilly contained
some debris* These nests were in "sectioBs" as discussed under Crematotsaster
^nutigsiaa misaouriensis* Other nests were found in fallen logs and
under the mat of a palmetto root*

A count of 3 nests yielded a range in the number of workers
fr«8B 22 to 39, averaging 29* These numbers are, in all likelihood,
smaller than is characteristic of an average nest or section* liiiiiatures
v/ere present in the nest in all parts of the year* 1/hat are believed
to be reproductive form larvae were found in the nest in April* No
furtheo* information concerning the winged forms was obtained*

The mov«aents of this ant are even slower than those of g*
moles ta* Whenever a nest was broken into, the workers always resaained
motionless for a few seconds, perhaps long enough for the student to
overlook them* As in the case of the Ponerine ants, which blend with
their nesting sites, these ants are many times given away by tho presence

99.

of their white insaatures.

golenopeig moles ta (Say)

Certain of the specimens included under this heading differ
8omei4iat from the measurements given by Smith (1942) and Hayes (1920)*
These speeimens are proportionately smaller than those described by
these authors} they are also smaller than other speeimens determined as
moles ta taken from the Reserre* Smith lists the worker length of moles ta
as 1*8 sm.} Hayes gives the length of the worker as 1*5 nm* to 1.8 mm*
This last measuresient is much closer to that of the range found on the
Reserve, where workers vcuried from 1*45 mm* to 1.6 am* If these specimens
all represent the same species, it is possible that the difference in
length can be attributed to differences in the technique of measurenteniy
but it would be evident that molests woiicers have a wide r nge in total
length*

£• ffiolesta finds its most preferred nesting sites in mesie or
sflsiewhat hydrie stations* It was taken abundantly in mesie hanmook;
eoamoaly in scrub, Pluamer slash pine flatwoods, and hydx>ic hammocks
eecasioaally to commonly in Poaello scrubby flatvoods, longleaf pine
flatwoods, and bayhead; occasionally in turkey oak, bluejack oak, Leon
scrubby flatwoods, Rutlege slash pine flatwoods, black pine-fettsrbush
flatwoods, and xerie haranock* It is possible that it will also oecur
in marsh and svaaip*

Nesting sites of molests are preponderantly in the surface
stratum of the Reserve* Only one nest was found in sand* In the
Oainesville region, however, approximately half the nests were constructed
in sand, either in the open around grass cIuh?*, or under some sort of

103*

eermr» Cole (1940t41) montions only nests in sand for moles ta in th*
Great Smoky Mountains t "The independent nests consisted of a very few
tiny chambers and galleries lying very near the soil surface Just
beneath the cover of stone or wood.** In seeming contradiction to th«
observations on the Reserve, Cole found molesta nests only in dry grassy
areas* It is likely, hovrever, that the ant makes use of the nesting
places available in those areas in ^ich it ttaiB itself. Wh^re there
are no logs in the right stags of deeosq^osition, it lives under stones
or other isaterial^ and where there are favorable nesting sites in woody
it makes use of them.

In order of inqportance to the ant, the nesting sites in \iiiich
molesta has been found on the Reserve are as follovns bases of living
trees, under mat of palmetto root, in dead stump, in fallen log, in
palmetto root on ground, in and under litter. It has also been found
in the base of a grass cluB^, under sphagntus at base of live oak, and
under sphagnum on saw palmetto root. Cases of lestobiosis have also
been observed.

The majority of ^, molestt^ nests in wood on the Reserve were
in soft, wet wood "ritiieh was decayed to fine debris. Those nests in
saw palmetto roots were usually between the root and the bases of
•loughed-off fronds where there was quite a bit of debris; as a rule,
BOSS covered the roots. Nests in the bases of living trees were aU ia
the bark below the soil surface, in a position where there was a great
deal of moisture. Nests in fallen logs and stusqps were found equally
in pine and broadleaved (especially oak) wood.

Of the three nests counted, the number of workers ranged from
60 to 100, averaging 78. None of these had a queen. Nests which seeuad

101.

to have at least 20G IndiTiduals hare been soen* £• moles ta seems to

nest in "sections'* as discussed under Crefsatogaster qinutissima missourienaist

It offers somewhat the same problem as pis souy lens ;is« since it is nsall

in size, and on i!]any occasions can be found in the bases of living tress^

especially pine* Sections of a nest in the bark at the base of a tree

may ranje almost the whole distance around the cijrcumference. Hayes (1920s

28), writing on the queen of S, piolesta saysi "It is an unusual thing

to find a queen in out*door nests, and the number of queens in a eolony,

fdien found, vary from one to many. In a single instance 26 fertile, or

at least wingless queens were taken in a colony containing a large number

of workers and ixiaaature forms.** In an atteespt to explain the absence

of queens froo nests in the field, Hayes states further that "The life

of a queen under artificial conditions is very short. None were able

to live for an entire summer, or even be carried ovw the Tinter. •••

[but] Queens were found early in May in outdoor nests, indicating that

they will live over an entire winter at loast.* Hayes makes no mention

of the point that his nests may be only eectiena of oomplate colonies,

and consequently have no queen. It is certain, however, that queens of

S« qolesta are not as easily obtainable as queens of certain other species.

The workers of this ant are small and move slowly, and, with
their pale color, are difficult to see against light backgrounds. Winged
forms have been observed in the nests in July and August, and Imnatures

are present in every month.

Following is a list of the ants with which S. moles ta has beas

found nesting:

102.

faratrechina arenivaga. with Solenopsia pergandei
Crecatogaster ashmeadi
Aphaenogaster fulva
Pheidole dontjgula

On February 22, 1947, in the Gainesyille region, a nest taken

troBL around a grass clunrp in turkey oak, in ?Aiich the ants vers perhaps

attending aphids, contained a nysQth of the family Miridae (det* R* I*

Sailor, U. S. N. lU) (Haoiptera).

Solenopsis pergandei Forel

8* pergandei is the least CMMon of the ants of the subgenus
Piplorhoptrum on the Resenre* It was taken occasionally in turkey oak
and xerie haoDoek, and rarely in Leon serubby flatwoods and mesie haomook*
This distributicm indicates a preference for the better drained area*
of the ResexTe*

Itoat of the nests of |^« pergandei were taken in the subterranean
stratus, but the ant was also found in the surface stratum* It was found
most often in nests of other ants. Other n«sts were teUcwi under litter,
HBdmr reindeer moss, and undor the bark and in the wood of wet, fairly
soft laurel ocdc logs. Nests of this ant in the Gainesville region were
more numerous than in Welaka, and were built around small plants, cltaq)8
of grass, and one was found around the base of a mushroom. These
rudimentary nests all contained four or five openings.

£• pergandei. as mentioned above, has been noted to exhibit
lestobiosis in nests of Paratrechina arenivaga and Phejj^dole morris i.
Groups of the Solenopsis were found about a foot below the soil surface
in the dirt of these nests. In several instances, ^. moles ta was taken
along with pergandei in Paratrechina nests.

lo:.

8. pwaandei is slov moving, and pale in color* These attribute!
Bake it difficult to deteot^ since it lives on pale colored sand in moat
eases* Vhat are thought to be females of this species have been taken
in August*

Solenopals picta Emery

The distribution of ^* picta in the Vkelaka Reeerv© is peculiar
in that it occurs in 14 of tho 15 stations worked, but in none does it
occur with a high degree of relative abundance* It was found occasionally
to conmonly in bciyhocd; occasionally in all other stations except black
pine-fetterbush flatwoods, xeric hamraook, river swamp, and zaaroh* It was
absent in marsh, and occurred rarely in the other three stations* Its
distribution is more closely allied with the arboreal stratum than with
any station or group of stations.

The greatest number of collections were joade in the arboreal
stratum, but several vrorc also made in the surface stratum* The most
eommon nesting sites, in order of preference, are as follows} small
branehea, twigs, galls, and fallen logs* The ants were also found under
the mat of a palmetto root and in the base of a living tree, and what
nay have been a nest was recorded from under litter* Althou^ more
collections were made of nesto in wood of broadleaved trees, many col-
leotions were also made in pine, and tho margin is not enough to indicate
a preference*

Nests of S* ^ieta are at times constructed in such a w-ay
that they night be interpreted as being "sections'* as diseussed under
Craiaato)i09Lster minutisaima. ipj^souriensis. One such nest in a small branch
contained 13 workers and no queen, rtiile another in a gall contained 10

104,

workers and no quean« In the ease of the latter nest. It is possible
that the rest of the colony vas In a nearby gall which contained a queen
with 48 workers* All other nests counted contained one queen eaoh> In
two small nestSy there were 7 c^nd 8 workers, respectively from a grass
Stan and from a shrub twig. One neet from a twig in mesio hammock oca-
tained 215 workers, irtiile another from a twig in scrub contained SS5
workers. Winged forms have been taken in July*

S* pjcta is rather slow in its movements* It has been taken
nesting very close to Paratrechina parvult^ in a saw palmetto root,
perhaps giving an example of lestobiosis* The Solenopajs has also been
taken with termites* Ifr* J* C* Moore, working on the fox squirrels of
the Reserve, 1ms found it in the mammal nests. He records that one such
fox squirrel nest in which ants were found iris 9(^ Spanish moss and
well-soaked by frequent rains at the tiae of the collection* He states
(in litt*) that ''Certain beetles, lepidopteras, and stratiooyid fly larvae
w«re Budt aMre abundant than the ants in the rotting interior**

Hvwieeina americana Em«ry

Only one speelam of this ant, fren loaf litter in scrub, was
taktti during the study. Further search failed to discover the nesting
site*

Gr^g ( 1944 1 462) has found americana rare in the Chicago region,
and Buren (19431290) lists it from Iowa* Colo (1940<40) sums up its
habits in the Great Smoky Iloitntains in the following s«atenoest "It
has boMi found only in very moist habitats, where it lives in small
colonies and coi^tructs little nests in wot rotted hollow twi^pi, under
dense masses of moss tm logs on stonw and beneath small stones* It was

105,

found to ba a rather eonnnon representativa of the maetger ant fauna of
tha buckeye-basswood forest. Many of tho colonies consisted of only
12 to 20 vorkers» The nests are of a very superficial nature and the
chambera aro generally those natural crevices which may be accessible*
The vorkars are eztremely bIcpb of movement •**

Iteptothorax pergandei floridanus Emery
if pergandei floridanus occupied eleven stations. Although it
prefers the higher^ drier plant associations, it was taken several times
in lav flatvoods and low hammocks. Naats were, however, found to be
excluded from the saasonally flooded areas. It is interesting to note
that the subepeeiea has been collected most commonly in the low black
pine-fetterbush flatwoods. Portions of this area occasionally contain
standing water for a day or so at a time during the period of the hard
summer rains. The ground, hovrever, soon becomes dry, and the open
terrain affords a habitat similar to a higher area. The other stations
in which floridanus occurs commonly aro turkey oak, bluejack oak, and
Leon scxnibby flatwoods. Nests were found occasionally to coomonly in
scrub, longlaaf pine flatwoods, and xeric hammock; occiisionally in
Poraello scrubby flatwoods and mesic hammock} and rarely in Plummer slash
pine flatwoods ajod hydric haamock.

Colonies were found, for the most part, in the surface stratus*
PartiapB half as many nasts were found in sand, but a majority of these
were associated with wood such as the root system of living and dead
fatterbush in the £. s er ot ina-Pesmothamnus association. One nest
taken from an ^drouoKon stem in the herbaceous stratum, and two
oelonies were collected from the arboreal stratum*

lo6.

^ peraandei floridanus vras collected meet often from logp*

In order of prefarancef othsr places from which nests have been collected

arei

!• under loaf litter

2. in dead sttaqys

3* under mat on palmetto roots and trunks

4. under and in logs

5* in snail branches

D« in palmetto root

7* in base of living tree

8* in grass elun^

9* in A|pdropogon stem

10* in rotting pine eoae

11» inside staui of rottiiig palmetto frond

Nwts in debx^is vere ccamotif although some containod a minimum of debris.

Of five colonies collected from the surface stratum and counted,

the number ef workers varied from 21 to 58* and avwaged 36* Another

nest «us taken from a small branch and contained 2 callows and 111

vorkers. Each of thttse nests contained one queeou Still another nest

ms taken from a fallen log ishioh contained only 18 workers and no

queen; but pez4iaps this was only a section of the whole colony* SgSS»

larvae, and pupae were found in all months, although not in all nests*

Vinged forms begin to appear in the nests in Hay and are absent again hf

August*

Usually this ant can be seen in moderate above-ground activity

in all months of the year* Its usmnerisms and appearance in the field

are much like those of Pheidole dentata* and it is seBetiaes necessary

to examine closely a wand^^ing individual before a detennination can be

made*

107,

Itdptothorax •^Mfifm" daviai ITheelor

The collection of this ant in Florida extends the known range
considerably^ since the subspecies was known previously only froa MMr
Jersey and New York. Dr» ll« R« Smith writes that the Florida speoimens
do not differ from the specimens collected in these northern localities.

J^ texanuB day is ^ was found occasionally in turkey oak and
Leon scrubby flatwoods, and rarely in bluejaek oak* black pine«fetterbush
flatwoods, and xerio hammock* It thus shows a preference for the higher »
drier areas*

Its nesting sites hare all been in the subterranean stratum^
either under litter or with litter or no crater in the open sand. One
nest was dlscorered which had no apparent opening to the surface; the

entire nest was within l/^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ eiurface.

A nest collected in turkey oak contained l8 workers and a queen^
Init no imnature foms. No further information was obtained concerning
the life history of this ant.

It is shy, and Bores only moderately fast over the sand while
foraging. Like i. pergandei f loridanus . it moves about in somewhat the
same manner as the much more common ant Pheidole dentata. It has been
taken foraging with Solenopsis geminata. and a lone queen of C^Bff)onot^
socius was taken with a ^avisi colony.

Tatramorium guineense (F.)
This introduced species was found in four plant associations.
However, only the single collection in turkey oak was taken from a station.
Since the other collections were not made in stations, the relative
abundance must be based solely on the few collecting trips made to the

108.

areas in question. These three remaining plant associations in ^ich
the ant vrais observed are similar to the descriptions of the respective
stations given in a previous portion of this paper. They all had ia
comoon their distribution along the St. Johns River, a fact 7?hich seens
to support the idea that the form is introduced. Map 3 shows Buzzard's
Roost in the southvest corner of the Reserve where the ant was takMi
rarely in river swamp and occasionally in hydric hananock. At Uud
Springs, nosr the swamp station, the ant was taken occasionally in Biarslu
There is a possibility that it had only recently been introduced into
turkey oak.

T, guinoenae V33.s represented in the surface and the herbaceous
strata. Her© the herbaceous strata is ejitended to include the flower
stalks of aawgraes. These vertical stalks, which become hollow inside
with a usual bore of 1/4 to 3/8 inch, cannot be considered true twigs
because of the large diameter of the bore, and because ants representative
of twig-inhabiting forms, such as species of Pseud omvnaa. are not found
here. One nest, taken from a flower stalk, was between two nodes of the
•awgrasB stem. Part of the segment was broken through, and this had been
replaced with black debris, probably from rotting, sawgrass blades.

In hydric hainnock its nesting sites wore under the mat of a
Sabal palnettf trunk, in the top of the atrophied root system, and in
a stump. In swamp, the ant was found in a fallen log. The n^t
ramified into many passageways, and occupied three feet of the log which
had a diameter of two to two and one-half inches. A dealated queaa
was taken while it was wandering in one of the buildings of the Resanrtt*

One colony taken in marsh was found to contain 290 workers,
3 queens, eggs, 218 larvae, and 22 pupae. The arrangaaent of the castes

109.

in this colony, tp.ken in a sawgrass flower sten, is of internet. All of
the neet wrq eontainad between two nodes of the rertical stem. An estiioated
one-half of the colony was in the upper half of the segment. Larvte,
attached by their anterior ends, were jutting out into the hoUovr of the
strai. At the top of the section, clinging upside down to the nodal
membrane, were many workers and a queea, along with many eggs.

Immature forms hare been f oimd ia the nests from July through
November, but probably occur in all months of the year. Alate and
dealated fenales have been taken in August and September. No infcrmatiea
has been obtained for the males.

Strumigenyij! loulsianae Roger

S. l,Qui3ianae has been found rarely in turkey oak, bluejack
oak, xeric hammock, mesic hammock, and river STramp. It is more common
on the Reserve than most species of the closely related Smithistrjaa* A»
^th 3mithistruaBL. the most successful means of collecting it has proven
to be by use of a Berlese funnel. It has, however, been taken from
nests in fallen sweetgum (Liouidambar stvraciflna) logs in which the
wood ims fairly dry, and in a differential state of decay. It fias t&kea
also fr«a the moist wood debris inside a Magnolia crandiflora log.
Berlese collections were made between tMq)eratures of 24 - 30 »♦• a»*
relative humidities of $0% to ^5%» As in the ce :e of Sniitl^iatrun^ on
the Reserve, the relative humidity was almiys above 50^ *t the tiae of
eollection.

In the Gainesville region all of the collections of this
species were made in logs of Ifagnolia prandiflora well along in the
process of deeay. The frequent collections in magnolia may indicate a

preference for the moist debris found in these logs.

The ants of this sx-ecies, like thoee of the species of
Smithistrtins^t are difficult to locate in the field. Their color, vhlch
is like that of the wood in v/hich they nest, and their habit of remaining
'rety still in their nest after it is opened greatly enhance the chances
of overlooking a nest« Like Sn^^thiflf^T^yyy, also, th«y move with a slov»
deliberate gait*

Smj.thistrniaa Brown

In 1948, Brown erected the genus Sioithistri.u3a to receive most
of the forms which had previously formed the subgenus Ceph^loxys of
StrumigeBvs, Ceohaloxva* however, has been shown to be preoccupied,
and Trichoscapa, is the next available naiae for the group. Brown, however,
recognizes that the type species of Trichoscapa. laes^braniff^ra. is distinct
from the rest of the group. He has therefore raised Trichoscapa to th«
rank of geniis, and has introduced Rtny-feiria+.wipif^ as a ners? genus. Creightoa
(195f^)» althou^ he was undoubtedly aware of the revisionajry meaisures
undertaken for Strumif^envs . nKikes no note of them. This dissertation
will follow Brown's tT'eatment of the gi'oup.

Ants of the genus Smithistruina build nests only one or two inches
in diameter, sometimeB deep in the wood* Careful searching is usually
necessary in order to find their nests. The color of the ants, which is
very much like that of the material in T.Mch they live, and their habit
of rfioaining very still ^en their nests are broken open, make it
necessary to look at a nest for sevei^l seconds before the ants are se«i.

It will be noted that, although the tenqperatures varied laidely
at the time of collection, the relative humidity was in all cases above

Ul,

50^* In most eaees too tw colleetionB ware nada to draw any eoneluslons
eoncamlng preferanea of stations*

Saithistruma Imnkl Brown
The single collection of bunki was inade tram turkey oak* The
eoUectioB was made by use of a Berlese funnel from litter gathered on
an oTercast day ^en the teai^erature was 37^* ^xA the humidity 66^

Smithiatruma ?^YP?^^ (Roger)
S* elvpeata was taken occasionally in xerlo hamaock from
Berlese samples. Two dealated females were taken with workers in one
sample. It is possible, therefore, that the nest was in the liMf litter,
or on the soil under the litter. This collection was made at 18^. and
^A% relative humidity.

Smithiatruiaa craigbtonl (M. R. Smith)
S. creightoni has been found occasionally in xeric hammock and
rarely in bayhead. All collections were made by means of a Berlese
funnel from litter taken at teB5)eraturos ranging frcm 21° to 30°C. and
relative humidity ranging from 50^ to SOjC. The litter 8aB9)le fro«
bayhead yielded the following ants along with the MttnLllrMi* Solenopfjffi
moles ta. Braeh\'H7rciex deoilia^ and Pheidole dgs^^guift*

Smithiatruma dietrichi (M, R. Smith)
8. dietrichi was taken occasionally in turkey oak and rarely
in bluejack oak. In turkey oak, one collection was made of several indi-
viduals in a log of 9^ercuB la avis wliich wao in an advanced stage of wet

112,

rot decay* Other collections were jnade by means of a Berlesa funnel at
temperatures betcreen 30* and 40*0 • and relative humidity between ^Of, and
70^.

ftHlthistruina ornata (Uayr)
Two collections of this ant were made, one from scrub and one
from mesic hammock* The collections were made at taraperatures of 28^
and 33^* » with humidity of 80^ cmd ^S%» Although two collections
probably do not indicate the habitat preference of this ant, it can be
noted that they were both tnade under more or less mesic conditions.

Sroithistruna pulchelle (Emery)
This species was found rarely in both xerlc hamnock and river
swai^* One collection was made from a Berlese sample with a tetnperature
of 14°C, and 75^ relative humidity on an overcast day. Specimens wore
also taken from a mammal trap baited with oatmeal and peanut butter when
the temperature was 25^C. and the relative humidity was B^%^

Smithistruma taloa (Weber)
J^. taloa was taken rarely in Ponello scrubby flatwoods, mesic
hamnockt hydric haiamock» and bayhead* In bayh^id a nest was found in
slash pine (Pinus elliotti) bark at the base of the living tree under
litter and just below the soil surface* There was some debris in the
nest, and the bark was moist* Other collections were made from Berlese
saiqples between temperatures of 19° and 27^* and between 60^ and (>5%
relative humidity*

113.

TraehYJUY^^^ aaatantriojiali-s gBr[^|n"li9 (Vheoler)
lliis fungus-growing ant nms found to profor the higher, drier
areas* It was taken comuonly in turkey oak and xeric haimocks oocasionally
to commonly in bluejack oak; occasionally in scrub, Leon scrubby flatvsrooda,
and Pomello scrubby fl&twoodsj and rarely in mesic haomock.

Areas with littlo or no litter are preferred by saminol^.
although it has been taken in sand ben^th litter, and Cole, in the Great
Smoky Uountains, found it beneath stoneo. Characteristically the colonies
build cm Incoiqplete crater around the nest openings* Some nests, hovever^
were found with complete craters, and others with no craters* £Ven in
light litter the ants built craters, piling the sand pellets on the
surrouadiug leaves; in heavy litter the craters became obeeure*

Bwoiqplete craters faced no coamon direction* An aTerage
crater is 6 to 8 xnohes in outside diameter, and about 2 inchec at the
highest point* Weets alvnays have only one opening* No records of the
ant wore made other than in the subterranean stratum*

A nest of this form, collected in December, I949, contained ^52
workers and 1 queen* All of the v/orkers, except a very few, were clustered
about the queen in a deep chamber A feet below tne surface* The passageways
vent down to about 6 feet, but no ifflnntura fome were seen* The deeper,
vertical pacsageways (3 to 6 feat) w«re widened at places for several
inches so that it would have bean possible to place a 2*dram vial within
the gall6;*y* Other ne&ts were opened during the same week, and in all
of the nests the inajority of the individuals remained well below the
surface; only a few were seen exc&vatizig* The top gallorias and chambers
of most colonies were ei]^)ty* In the nests viAiich were active, workers
were bringing to the surface >rganic substances which might have been used

114-

fungus su1l>3tratum» Sonis nasi openings , and other nost passagevays were
closed, and in three nests small rod-ehaped particles which resembled in
size the nettles of Qpuntia^ were seen clogging the nest openings* These
particles were fr^igments of sedge or grass (probably Aritstida stricta)*
Itixed with these, wore many more unidentified plant fragments* Only
▼sry poor evidence of fungus was /isible*

Innature foros occur during all except the winter months.
Winged forms have been collected in April through July* At 5 P»llm on
July 8, 19^» &n overcast day, fcmiales were Feen cmoing from a nest in
turkey oak* Both the attendant workers and the females were very excited*
At about 5 minute intervals the females flew off from slightly raised
objects near the nestj they showed a special preference for a raised twig
near the nest opening* Each feicalo rose almost straight up into the air
in a zigzag fashion, until she was out of sight above the treetops*

T* septentrlonalis B<^-^p<j>;^^ moves only moderately fast while
foraging, but it is deliberate in its movntaents* It usually does not
attenQ>t to hide when disturbed, but becomes inaobile, and depends on its
rough integument and tubercles to protect it* Foraging is almost cnqpletely
stopped during late December and Jsinuary*

The ants characteristically carry leave? slung over their
heads* Workers have also been observed taking seeds back to their nests*
On several occasions they were observed carrying away seeds which had
been discarded from Pogonomyrmex bedius mounds; this activity always took
place at night when the PoKonomvrmex nest opening was closed* Hymenomycetes
fungi growing in a lawn also attracted them, and they carried pieces of
them back to their nests*

On one occasion this form was found associated with a nest of

U5.

Solonopsls geraliiata ^ich was under a log» Species of Corrodontia hav©
also been picked up with collections of s<^|pQ^g-

Subfaotlly Dolichoderina*

DoliahoderuB pustulatus liayr

£• Dustulatus is one of the fev ants taken more than three
times that occur in only one station* It vas found occasionally to emononly
in marsh* Perhaps more eollections around the mai^ins of low, wet places,
such as flatwoods ponds, will rsTeal its axistenee there also* The species
has been recorded northward to New Jersey*

Collections were made most often in various aspects of the

herbaceous stratum, while others were made from shrubs t

nest between septa of rotting SagJttaria sten

sawgrass flower stem

twigs of buttonbush (Ceohalanthus oecidentalis)

Winged fonas are present in the nest from September to February*
loBMiture forms ware found in the nests in all months*

Ae speed of movement of the workers is moderate to considerable
and their size and behavior is somewhat like that of the sul^enus
Celobot^is of CamponotttS* living in similar nesting sites in marsh*

Iridomvrmax hunilis Ifayr
This, the Argentine ant, has not been collected from the Reserve,
but was eollected fran Palatka, 17 miles to the north of the Reserve*
Dr* Smith informs me that the ant was found at Palatka about 1932 «*»•»
the Bureau of Entomology was scouting for the ant there* It has been

116,

reported from there at other times since then, aiid was taken there by
the author in July» 194S» and on February 17» 1950* It appears eoomonly
along the side^salks of the town, and nests can be taken from under many
stones. Probably it makes nests also under the sidewalks*

The ease with iriiieh the dispersal of humilis takes place is
indicated by the mfiaerous IndiTiduals in the following sat of eireusetances.
A station wagon with a wooden body had been left in Palatka for sermi^al
days in the same spot* ^Shon the automobile was driven back to the Reserve^
it was noticed that many ante had piled sand between the door and the
door casing, and had established themselves there* as well as in other
places in the station wagon* In all likelihood, the adaptiveness of this
ant allows it to move in this vay into ships, trains, EU>d other means of
transportation, and thus extend its distribution*

Iridornvrmex pnH^^ogtjs (Roger)

Eight stations were occupied by this ant* 2* piniinosus occurred
commonly in turkey oak, Leon scrubby flatwoods, longleaf pine flatwoods,
wad black plne-fettorbush flatwoods; coanonly to occasionally in xerie
hamsock; and occasionally in bluejack oak, scrub, and Pomello scrubby
flatwoods* It seesss to prefer areas where its nwsts are almost nwsr in
shadow, whether in the high turkey oak or low black pine-fettmrbusli
flatwoods* The highest nimbers of nests occur in stations where thore
are op«i areas almost or entirely devoid of litter*

This ant can be found most oft^i in the subterranean stratum,
but alBo in the surface stratum* Most of its nests in sand are either
rudimentary or ine<Mqplete craters, but there are instances when the nMts
are found with no crater or with cosqpletc craters* Some of these nests

117,

occur uzuier litter » while othex>8 are built around the bases and root
systems of shrubs* It ooeuz^ about equally often under the bark of
fallen logs and dead oXxxapa^ and is also found in litter* The nosts
under bark are most often built in the debris whioh occtirs betveen the
bark and the rest of the wood{ the ijoorature fomsy as well as workers ,
are found in this debris* Several nests were constructed both in logs
and in sand*

Aosature fonae can be found in the nests in all months* Winged
forms have been taken in May through July*

Ihcn the ants become active in the summer axid fall months, or
in the other seasons of the year, they form characteristic trails aeroMi
the sand, extending them 8(»netiffle8 into the vegetation* Each individual
is energetically keeping up with the ant ahead, inaking a more or le«a
straight and lengthy coltunn* Such trails are exooplified by an instance
in bluejack oak* Two columns, at an angle of 180° to each other,
os^lnated from the same nest* Both columns seemed to have worn a path
through the litter* One column was followed for six yards, where it
split, sending one branch at least twenty feet up into a bluejack oak,
and the other up into another bluejack oak* The other column w&s followed
into litter where it dispersed* When the ants are moving very fast under
the influence of the sun, they follow a zigsag pattern, eepecially on
vertical surfaces*

Some of the nests in wood have been associated with termites*
The significattce of the association is unknown*

118.

PofTffYraffS Pyr^°?j-CM? JT^yopeci^Bp IC R. Smith

The confusion vhieh has resulted troa recognizing color v&ricuxts
in tlorvmYnBex has be«n discussed undor the section dealing with the
subspecies pyramicus. Since two subspecies of the same species havs
been found in the same area and in identical nesting situations, it is
probable that this region is an area of intergz^datien* In fact, speeimens
haTe been found which appear on morphological grounds to be intergradee
between yYr^f!l°H? ^^ flavopectus* More exact identification of intergrades
cannot be made until types of both pvramicus and flavopectus are seen*

Although no specimens of this form have been found on the Reserve,
aests have been collected in Salt Springs, Uarion County, across the St*
Johns River Arom the Reserve, and in the town of Welaka* A typical nest *
was taken in an orange grove from a crater 4 inches in diameter; l/^ to
3/2 inch in height; and with one opening I/6 to 1/4 inch in diameter*

Porvmvrmsx pvramicus (Roger)

The material listed und^ this heading was determined g*
pvramicus var. flaY^8 by Dr. 11* R. Smith* Creighton (1950t346), however,
in dealing with the species pvramicus. has discarded color as a separatory
character, and has found certain structural characteristics, such as the
shape of the mesonotum, to be clear~eut and constant. Because color was
proved to be inconstant, he has synenymized all color varieties*

However, all of the specimens that have the color which is
stqiposedly characteristic of flavus cannot be grouped together on morpho»
logical grounds* &<m» of them are the lighter color phase of pvramicus.
while others are Smith's flavopeeti^* In determinations for the author.
Smith, stressing color, evidently recognized a different aggregate of

119,

speeimens as his eubspecies riavopoctuB than Creightoa reeognisM as
flaTOpectug in his I950 paper* This dissertation vill follow Creighton
by iHBing structural differences as sq;>aratery characters.

Thess ants prefer open sand» and nests have bem taken
occasionally to commonly in turkey oak and xerie hamaockv and rarely in
bluejack oak. The great BBJority of nests were cosvlete cratMTS in open
areas. Colonies were also found in a few rudiJB«itary crsters, one nest
under a log, and another crater less nest with a leaf over the opening.
Couplets craters of these ants vary from 2 l/^ to 4 inches in diaaeter;
from 1/^ to 3/4 inch in height; and always haTC one opening to each nest.

Winged foiuB of this groiq) hare been seen Uay through August*
A flight was obssnred on July 28» 1949*

Ants of this grotjqp are very agile and are able to cliiii
vegetation. Their foraging sometiaes extends into the night. One colony
was found in association with a queen of ^^'SfflT'T"'^"* >2Sil£t taken with
the nest only 4 inches below the ground surface.

The distribution of J. sessile indicates that it is Influenced
by ma. Although in other parts of the country it is widespread, on the
ResM^e it was taken in only one plant i^sociation. This one collection
was Kde in aarsh along the St. Johns River, where it is possible that it
beeaae established after being transported by man. La this connection,
I. sessile was recorded from floating islands in ths Gainesville region.
Several oales and fesiales were attracted to light in the buildings on the
Reserve. FewileB were taken in March and July, and wales in ^ril.

Cole (I94O164) gives a good account of the nesting habits of

120,

^» sessile in the Great Hiuoky wcuutainst "It vas confined for the most
part to rather open situations, although nests Iiave been observed in
dense moist woods* The ants nest in the soil beneath stones, logs, s'ttinQ>8
and stripe of bark* The nests are shallov affairs extending no mor«
than an inch or tvo beneath the soil surface* Most of those in the Park
were under rather large flat stones loosely appressed to the soil*
Beneath such a cover the orange colored brood was confinad to pockets in
the soil, or to superficial chambeirs made by the workers, or very frequently
scattered along one inner iiiargin of the stone and mingled with detritus*
The colonioij were generally populous***

Subfaoily Fonidcinae

Pr^c^Yffyrwe^^ d^pi^^p Emery

In its distribution in plant associatioiw, J|* d0Dilis shows a
preference for all types of flatwoods, although its occuxrence was high
in other associations* It occurs most often in longleaf pine flatwoods,
PliHBMr slash pine flatwoods, and blaok plne^fetterbush flatwoods, where
nests were recorded conmonly* £* deaiUs was found occasionally in
turkey oak, bluejaek oak, scrub, Leon scrubby flatwoods, Pnaello scrubby
flatwoods, Rutlege slash pine flatwoods, mesic hsunmock, hydric haiasock,
and bayhead* There seems to be no reason why it should not also be found
in xeric hammock and river swamp*

Host of the nesting sites of jg* depjlis were in the surface
stratum* Those nests in sand were associated with wood* Uany nests,
recorded from logs were taken partly from sand although their major portions

121.

were in buried vood* Oth^r nests associated vith sand were In the roots

of shrubs or other plants. It is probable that these ants were attending

aphids.

The most isqaortant nesting sites for B, depilis on the Reearre

are in the bases of living trees and in fallen logs. Other nesting sitee

in order of preference aret

1, in stumps

2* in palmetto roots on the surface

3, in living palmetto roots

4» under logs

5« under litter

Biey haye also been found in sand among the roots of living shrubs, and
in sand anong fsm roots. Nestf can be found in wood in a variety of
stages of decay, but they occur mostly in or near hard wood. £. deoilis
was taken commonly from burned or charred wood. In most cases the wood
wM wet or Bolst.

Ifany of the nests of £• depilis. especially thoso in the
bases of living trees, are in sections as explained under f^r'*""'''"fifl^t^
^■j^y»i|'^^Bff^1i}^ aiseouriensis. They contain about the same number of
individuals as do nests of the latter ant. iJBBatures of £. depj-lf^s can
be found in all months. Winged forme have been recorded from May to

July.

Molasses traps attract this usually slow moving ant. As
mentioned above, it attends aphids. It has been found nesting in close
proximity to Ponera trigona opacior.

122*

Camponotus eastaneug (Latreille)

This spdcies has been taken in eleven stations, but never with
fflore than occasional relative abiuidance. It may yet be found in on« or
tvo fflore plant associations, but it is unlikely that it vill occur in
marsh* £• castaneus shows a preference for meslc and hydric conditions*
It has been taken occasionally in scrub, Leon scrubby flatwoods, Ponello
scrubby flatwoods, Rutloge slash pine flatwoods, xeric haaaocky mesio
hansnock, river swamp, and bayhead; and rarely in longleaf pine and Plummer
slash pine flatwoods, and in hydric hanmook* In xeric associations, its
nests are only in the acre moist situations. There is reason to siq^pose
that further collecting #111 show a higher relative abundance in bydri«
hammock*

Nests of C* castaneus have in all cases been in the surface
stratum, in logs or dead stumps* It prefers the last, moist stages of
decay, and has been found only in logs of broadleaved trees* Nests vill
probably also be found partly in the soil, associated with a log or othw
cover*

The largest colony counted contained only 22 workers and a
queen, along vith eggs and larvae. This nest was in all likelihood young;
other nests have been seen which were estimated to contain between 100
and 200 individuals* Females have been observed in the nest in February
and March, and nalas in February through ISay* A mating flight ^sas observed
on Uareh 22* Females have been caught on the wing in February also, and
males have been caught at light traps in Uarch through Uaf* Lamature
forms occur in all months*

£• castaneus is an energetic forager* When the toB^eratare drops
and the relative hiuaidity rises, it increases its speed of movement.

123.

indicating its noeturnal tendeneios. It oft«n foragee in open aroas,
8ueh as flralanos, noar the mosio or hydrie site of its nest. It is
one of the cuats which teioporarily ceases aetirity during winter months.
Obsenrations on fire workers and a number of cocoons of both
worker and reproduotiTe castes, brought into the laboratory from a wwU*
decayed log in bayhead, have yielded miscellaneous data concerning the
habits of the ants. The ants were kept in a glass and plaster of Paris
nest, and for the first month no food was glTsn them. Vhen the cocooxtf
were plaoed in the nest they were mixed with debris from the original
nest in the field. Within a few hours, however, the cocoons had been
moved frcna the debris into the open at one side of the nest, indicating
BO desire to sToid light. On the second day the cocoons were more
disseminated) some were placed by the workers near the sponge} soim were
under debris; but most were still in the original pile.

On the third day callows began to emerge. In the eases of the
several watched, an attendant worker broke open each cocoon, pulling
little by little at the eoeoon, at the saaw time dragging the pupa over
debris and around the nest. In sereral cas^ there were more than one
worker attending a cocoon at one time. In the process of removing the
insect from the cocoon, the cuticle fitting tightly to the pupa was
eaten away by the nurse. The procedure took an hour or more. Ihen
the callows first emerged, they were very uncoordinated, and remained
bunched together in one portion of the nest.

What were evidently acts of regurgitation were carried on between
the newly arrived callows and the workers. In this operation the heads
were set at an angle so that one mandible of each ant could be placed
«tt the clypeus of the other, while the other mandible was placed under

1244

the head of the other ent. One cntonna of each ant intermittently stroked
the elypeuB of her partner, and the other stroked the under side of the
head* Pairs of ants renained in this pose for extended times. Four days
after their emergence, the callows assumed the coloitition of the other
workers*

On* we^ after the ants had been brought into the nest, sereral
callows, partially emerged, had been eaten. All of the discarded cocoons,
as well as the partially eaten callows were piled near the sponge*

Ihen food was introduced a month after the workers and isoatures
were first put into the nest, the workers undertook to feed a winged feoiale
callow* This female was much less violent in receiving her food than was
a queen of Cannaonotus >»bdomi^f^^s f loridanus . The female used her antennae
only slowly and inconsistently, and while she did make use of her forelegs,
they were more for support on the worker. In distinction, the female of
£• abdominalis floridanus stroked the worker partner hurriedly, especially
with her forelegs* The heads of the castaneus female and worker were ia
such the same position as that described above for worker and callofw*
The fooale would, however, at times invert her head under the head of the
worker*

<^^H^9notuB soeius Roger
Zn 1932 Vheeler described Caaroonotus sooius var. osceola from
Florida. He separated it from socias by reason of three yellow stripes
on the gastsr as compared with tv?o in soeius. During the present work,
it has been found that individuals from the same neet appear with the
third yellow band either almost or quite indistinguishable or else strongly
•vident. Creighton (1950) is therefore followed in syaonymizing

125.

£• 30Ciu8 var* osceola vith £• sociusn

This ant prefers the high, dry areas to the excltuiion of the
vetter environmeats* It vas taken ecnononly in turk^ oak and xaric hajonoeks
and occasionally in Leon scrubby flatwooda and bluejaok oak* Like
Aphaenogaster aahaeadi* aocii^. can ba found almost always in situations
vhere the litter is relatively light.

All nests of gooius were taken in the subterranean stratua*
A majority of them were in the open where there was no litter. None of
the colonies maintained a recognizable crater, although around soaa nest
(^enings there were rings of sand pellets in irtiat were the beginning of
craters. Nest openings are often found at the bases of turkey oak
(puercuB la«vlg)> thaec nestc go down into the root systems of the oaks
where the rootlets wiy offer support to the nest chambers and honeydev
from assooii^ted aphids*

In turkey oak and xwie tannock, coeitis is, on hot sunmer days,
the most eonspieueus ant on account of its constemt and excited above-
groui^ activity. Its large size and quick movemmt, along with its habit
of moving on top of the litter, make it much more concpicuous than a
relatively reclusive ant such aa Odontoaachus haeaaatoda insularis. During
the winter months, even though both day and night remained warm, and oft«a
became very hot, the above-ground activity of the ant ceased almost entirely.

The feeding activities of the ant are varied. Specimens »ero
taken in November, 1946, by Mr. J. C Uoore from a fox squirrel nest, 26
feet above the ground in a turkey oak tree, where the ants were probably
feeding on other arthropods. The species is always attracted to molasses
traps in favorable plant associations.

A queen of £. socius was taken into the laboratory and placed

126«

in an artificial nest on October 19, V)^» She vas given nothing Inxt water.
During the time she spent in the nest she repeatedly laid eggs, but non*
of them developed beyond small larvae. On February 2, 1950, two Camponotue
abdoninalls floridantj^s lamrae were placed in the nest, and were accepted
by the queen* On the next day, a piq>a and larva of Apha enogast er aacrospina
were put in the nest, and although the queen did not accept these, sh«
did not appear to reject them. However, on the following day, the
introduced pupa was destroyed or eaten. The larvae were cared for until
liareh 15, iriien they also disappeared. On June 30, after 8 1/2 months
without food other than the sustenance the larvae and pupa fi»y have
provided, the queen died*

Iteptothorax tsj^tnus davijj was found associated with this species
on October 19, I949, in turkey oak. A noat of the Leptothorax. including
a queen, was taken along with a lone queen of Cantponotus. No crater or
Best opening to the sand nest was visible* C. soeius has also been reported
as a casual in the burrows of the Florida pocket gopher (Geooye floridanus)
(Hubbell and Coff, 1939).

Gaaponotufg nearcticus Baery

It is not entirely clear from the work of the present study
whether or not Wheeler's £• earvae y;aBili8 pavidus ought to be synoBQnaiKod
with nearctieqs. The two variants have been quite distinguishable on the
basis of their color, and have occurred in entirely different statioBA^
the black variant nesting in open situatiozus, the lighter variant, pavida^.
nesting in the shaded mesio or hydric situations.

The probl«n as to what the relation of the two variants is,
would then present itself. It would perhaps be possible for pavidus and

127.

nearetleua to be ecological subepecies, or along the saiae line, it would
be possible for the tvo variants to have undergone ecological isolation
and already be speciesa Hover er, ecological subspecies and speciatioa
are not well founded in fonoicid systematiee*

In addition, Creighton (1950t388) brings out the point that
there exist several nai&ed varieties of cainme ffallq^Kl irtiieh are based
on slight color differences. "Each is ateittedly transitieaal in this
reepeet. In each the definitive color characteristic vas known to vary
in the type series." If this be true, there seems little reason tor
recognizing pavidus and neareticus as separate forms on the basis of color
distinctions. In this dissertation pavidtis is synonymized with neareticus.

£• neareticus was taken occasionally in turkey oak, bluejaek
oak, Pomello scrubby flatvoods, longleaf pine flatwoods, mesie haimnoek»
and river Bwaxapi and rarely in scrub and bayhead* It may also be found
in other stations where the trees provide branches as arboreal nesting
sites.

Rests in the arboreal stratum are characteristic, but on one
occasion a nest was taken in an oak log which had been caught in an oak
branch and was supported by the ground at an 80° angle. The black variants
of neareticus prefer small branches of pine in open areas, although some
wore taken in twigs; the wood was usually in the first stages of decay.
The lighter variant, on the other hand, was found nesting in small branches
ef hardwood trees, generally in shaded mesic and hydrie areas. It is
possible that in the more intense light of open areas the ants take on
a darker appearance than in the mora shaded hammock areas.

The number of workers in 4 nests of t^earcticus varied from 28
to 91, averaging about 69 workers per nest. Another, probably incipient

128.

nest, contained 12 vorkers* In only this last vas the queen taken*
laBoature forms have been observed in the nests in both summer and winter*
Winged forma have been found in the nesia and on the wing fron Maroii
through July*

£* nearcticus ia not a oonspieuoua forager, but it can at timee
be Been climbing hurriedly on the trunka of pinea or oaks* Workera were
diseorered by Mr* J* G* Moora in a foz squirrel neat 45 feet above the
ground in a turkey oak stand* Ur* Moora states (in litt«)( "Certain
beetles, lepidopters, and stratiomyid fly larvae were much more abundant
than the ants in the wet, rotting interior, ^% of iribieh was Spanish moaa***
The workera in thia eeuie were probably foraging for food in the squirrel
nest*

The ant has a tendency to become active on cloudy days* foraging
eoatinuaa into the night, and workems have been attracted to light trapa*

The apider, Suropais funebri,g Hants (det* W* J* Gertach), of
the family Theridiidae, was taken in a neat of nearcticuit*

Cainponotus. aul^emis Colobopais liayr
Host of the Colobopsis on the Rasorve aeem to be more closely
allied to either pvlartee Wheeler or to impreastts Roger than to any othera
of the known species troa the l&iited States* As fheeler (1904s 149) admits,
BY^*1^1f ^ ▼^T close morphologically to iamressuff Roger* Ihael^r
distinguishes the two forms of Colobopsis on the beusia of the shape of
the thorax in the aoldier and worker, and in the colomtion of the gaster
lAich is beu^ed basally with yellow in pvlartea. Cnqpariaona of soldiers
ami workers frcna the same nest with the descriptions of impresaus and
pyt'^r^'P given by Wheeler (1904tl44 and 147) show that individuals from

129,

th« same nest seem to Tary between the tvo speeies in regard to the
conformations of the thorax and the coloration of the gaster* The intra-
neet variation is such that the Colobopsis found on the Reserve could not
be unmistakingly identified} they are treated under one heading.

A third form iriiich shows variation in a different manner was
found on the Reserve, but because only a few specimens were taken, it is
net included here. Although this third form has a resemblance to the
other Colobopsis. the major worker or soldier measures only 3.1 am. in
total body length, in comparison to 4.3 - 4.6 mm. for jl^feap^^ and 4.5 •
5,0 BB. for pvlartes (Wheeler, loe. cit.).

Ants of the subgenus Colobopsis on the Reserve prefer meeic
and hydric situations in which there are vines or other suitable broadleaved
twig vegetation. Ants closely resembling pvlartea occur comnonly to
abundantly in marsh) occasionally to cmononly in mesic haomockt occasionally
in scrub, Pomello scrubby flatwoods, xeric hammock, hydric hammock, river
swamp, and bayhead} and rfu*ely in Plimmer slash pine flatwoods and Rutlege
slash pine flatwoods. Nests were arboreal in a great majority of cases,
but two nests were found in sawgrass flower stalks, and several were in
planted beunboo stalks. Nests were found in greatest abundance in twigs,
much less often in galls, and only once in a small branch. Nesting sites
of all Colobopsis on the Reserve are similar.

These ants, as well as s(Mne Crematogaster cmd So3,enQP8i^ff.
subgenus Diplorhoptrum. nest in ''sections*', defined under £. ffltnMti^*'*i^Hn
pisBouriensis. A good exanqtle of this type of nesting was observed in
a planted patch of bamboo. Although the several nodes in the middle of
the stalk had been permeated by the ants, many of the other nodes irtiich the
nest included were intact, and the nest was thus split into sections.

130,

A count of 10 nests reveals a range in number of vorkars froa
15 to 269; in soldiers from 1 to 72; in totals of workers plus soldiers
froiB 16 to 34^1* The bverage of the total numbers of workers and soldiers
was about lOS* Queeixs were absent frran all but one of the nests counted.
Fttoale pupae were obsei^ad in the nests in April through June, and adult
females were taken over the same period* Ifeiles were found in the nests
in April and lbiy« and again in Novoaber* IraQetures occur in all months,
except during cold spells* All forms of Coloboasis on the Reserve seem
to follow this general outline of life history*

Then this agile ant makes a nest of a bcunboo stalk, as ejqplained
above, it cuts a circular nest opening through the intemodes of the stalk
8(Miie«Aiere near the center* The planted bamboo thickets are a favorite
haunt of the downy woodpecker (Dendrocopus pubescena)* In seeking ants
thM« birds made a characteristic hole in the bamboo stalk* Each hole
was about 3/^ inch in vertical length and I/8 inch in width* Most of
the woodpecker holes were near the nodes, in contradistinction to the
position of the ant«naade holes* Two theories for the position of these
holes were advanced by 'dr» W* M* MeLane ^0 observed the actions of a
bird eating the ants from a stalk 1 1) the bird may find more stq;>port
in gripping the node; and 2) the stalk nearer the node will be more
resistant to bending and will be more easily broken through* If the last
is the sole reason for the position of the holes, it would show a great
deal of keenness on the part of the bird in selecting a spot to peck*

An interesting record was made of an ant which more closely
resembled imoressi^s than pvlartes* All pupae olMterved in pvlartes nests
were naked* But pupae taken from the former nests were in cocoons* One cocoon
contained five individuals*

131.

ffMPtn^tlHf "^^HrflBlMr florldani^ (Bueklay)

£• abdominaliB florldanus pref ere the better drained areas of

the Raeerre, espeeially turkey oak and xerie hanaoek, as well aa black

pine-fetterbush flatwoods, but it is one of the three ants which hare

been found in all plant associatioiffi studied. Nests oeciu* eonBoaly in

all stations exeept Pomelle scrubby flatwoods, Rutlege slash pine flatwoods^

riTsr swBBp^ bayhead, and marsh in which they appear occasionally. This

eren distribution in stations is aatehed by its occurrence in all strata

and in a large number of nesting sitss*

Within the strata the ant shows a definite preference for the

surface stratui^ although it has been found orer a third as many times

in sand^ in a majority of casee under ante sort of corer* RelatiTely

few records were made of nests in grass, trees, and shrubs.

Ihe most strongly preferred nesting sites are in logs and

stuuqps. Well preferred also are situations under logs, and under litter.

Nests are found ofteni

in and tmder logs

in Utter

in palmetto roots on the soil surface

under the mat of palmetto roots and trunks

in the bases of living trees

around roots of grass elmspB

la SBall branches

Other nests hawe been reeordedt

flrom op«i sand with rudimentary or no crater

from between sawgrass blades

from sawgrass flower stalk

in the wall of a building behind ceoent

under a dead frond resting against a cabbage palm three

feet above the ground surface
in the stub of a live oak limb ten feet above the ground

The types of wood in irtiioh £. abdominalia florldanus nests wary

considerably. Records have been made from logs and stuqw of pine and

132,

broadlaaTod trcM* with or without lsark» and either charred or unlmrBed*
Ihe wood ranges, moreover y from the first stage of deoay to the lat«r
stages, although the latter seen to be preferred* In aaiqr eases the wood
is moist, but aeets occur ±a dry as well as wet wood* Most colonies
permeate a whole section of log or stunqp and occupy both the area under
the bark as well as most of the wood itself, but nests have been found
solely in one position or the other* Records show that the ant is
characteristically taken from chambers in the wood, especially in stumps,
whM*e a pcurt of the neat will occupy the root system, and another part,
chambers in the sand; many colonies extend to higher IstoIs in the wood*
Likewise, nests recorded froB sand are usually taken frcm chambers in ths
sand, a majority of which, however, are associated with roots or wood
sunken into the soil, and most do not eeem to have been built by the ant*

Mr* J* C* Moore took speeimenB of this ant on several occasions
from fox squirrel (goiurus niger niger) nests in turkey oak* He indicates
that in at least one nest, 21 feet high in a turkey oak, the ants were
evidently pemaaeatly occupying the ehamber of a squirrel nest made of
twigs and leaves* As he broke open the nest, the ants were seen to pick
up their iamatures and car3:*y them to safety*

A typieal nest of this ant, counted in Februaxy, contained 726
workers, as well as iioBatures* Isntatures seea to be presMit in all months,
although an absence of sane forms seems to reflect cold weathM>* Flights
of males have been ol»erved in June through August, and in HBur«h«
Flights of f amies were recorded for Jtrne through August, and in U$j»
Reproductive caste ptqpae were observed in the nests in October* Meets
with a lone queen have been found as early as February*

A group of females were observed in the process of making

133.

a flight at 7t40 P.M., during dusk» on July 13, 1946* No mlM ward
ob60rred« ni« aky vaa overcast, the temperature vas 27°C. and the
relative humidity was 88^* When observed there vere perhaps fifty feoalea
to be seen, but the flight had probably been going on for some time*
They ehose the highest possible plaeee to start their independent fligfata^
crawling onto a tin can on the steps of the building ia whieh the nest
was located. Eaoh feaaale made a very short preliminary spreading of
wings before the flight. A few attasqpted flight, but fell over baekvards,
•nly to make a second sueeessful atteaspt* VLthia a space of ten minitea
or so, most of the f«Milea had left the steps in flight. They took to
the air at a rate of from three a minute to t&a or twelve a minute. Each
ant ascended at approximately a fortyfive degree angle to the ground.
Most flights proceeded in the direction in which the ant was headed at
the taking-off point, but some swerved ia one direction or another,
perhaps being caught in a wiad current | they always, however, maintalaedi
snoewfaat the same angle to the ground. When the last of the queens had
left it was dark. During the whole cerenony, many eseited wn'kers were
ia attendance.

On Juae 29, 1948, an aggre^aition of males above ground wtm
first noticed because of the exoitfloieat of workers traveling ia file
•one distance frcan the nest. These workers were followed to the nest ia
a stu^p ia turkey oak where the males were wandering about the nest site
with works's ia constant, excited attendance. The males seeaed to wuider
farther from the nest than the work«« would permit, for the latter wera
coBstantly carrying winged forms back toward the nest opening. Most
workers carried the mles by grasping thsm by the head, with their body
straight out in froat of the worker. Although the neet ms watched until

134.

it became iaqxMtsible to see the ants^ no flight v&s obeenred. The
teBq>erature at the time of observation was 25*6* , and the relative
hiBBidity was 40^*

On July 3 & dealated f onale of £• abdoednalis floridanus eas
brought into the laboratory in the twig in which she was found* Vhen
placed in a container » the tvig was open at both ends^ but the queen
soon shut off the ends with flragments of wood* During her eonfineaaient
enly water was given her*

On the 12th the twig was rcaoved f^om the container, and the
queen was separated from a eluteh of eggs first noted that day* During
several frantic searehings of the container, she explored under the
r—aining slivers of wood with her antennae* Several times she paused
a few seconds in h&r seareh, and bent her abdomcxi under her legs so that
it was facing forward, and escamined it with her antennae and mouthparts*
Between her sorties, she ronained at the top of the Jar in the shadow of
the Ud.

The morning of the 13th found the queen characteristically
posed over the ten or twelve eggs which appecu'sd in an xinsyisBetrical
sphere* The queen stood with her head slightly in front of ths clutch
iriiieh rested on the nest floor, seemingly with her palpi on then* From
time to time she would rub h«> antennae over the eggs ai^ then along her
forelegs* She was very excitable whm disturbed*

On the 14tii the remaining fragments of wood had been placed on
the sponge* The ^gs had increased in number* Vhen disturbed, the queen
picked them up in her mandibles and posed with than, or carried than
to s«&e other portion of the Jar* The t^gs were alvays kept in a cleared
portion of the Jar* After moving the eggs, the queen repeated her actions

135.

of moving h«r antennae over tha eggs and than undar har foralaga. Sha
eonaistantly ayoldad the aponga*

It vblb diffioult to tall exactly tha length of time isBoaturea
required to develop from one atage to the next* There vaa eridenee that
at leaat aome larvae and pupae had died or been killed, and new egga were
being laid eonatantly* i^proximate timea, under the conditiona in;>08ed
for the development, were aa followat ^g to larva, 21 dayaj larva to
pupa, 20 dayaf and pupa to worker adult, 8 daya* It became apparent
after oba erring another ^nt queen under oonditiona of low teotperature
that the length of the developmental period for any of the innature forms
is lengthened by adverse conditions* It can be noted here that pupae
of another queen, placed under identical environmental circumstances
except for the abaanoe of adult forms, did not hatch*

The firat offspring of the former queen were all very amall
workers* These meaaured only 5*5 nm* in total body length* No inaaots
this small were observed in large, thriving coloniee in the field*

The feeding habits of the queen of C* abdominalis floridanus
are cmnpared with thoae of C* c^staneus winged female under the latter
ant* The small workers mentioned above took water from the sponge and
went to the queen* When she encouraged a worker with her antennae, the
two ants would assume positions in ^ieh the axes of their heads were
at right angloa, one meuidible of each above, and one belev the partner's
head* The queen stroked violently with her antennae during the regurgi-
tation, and made frequent uae of her forelegs* The worker returned the
antonnal strokes much more slowly, and made no uae of the forelegs*

On several occasions, best exenqplified in roots of saw palmetto,
the inmature f onw of C* abdominalis floridanua have been found at different

136*

I«nrel8 in the nests* In all eases the pupae were at the top, with the
eggs and larvae togethw below^ or the larvae placed between the piq>ae
and the eggs*

Most of the yeeur this is a fast moving, excitable ant ^riiieh
finds no diffieulty ia negotiating the trunks of trees and the stem
of herbs* However, in IioveDl>er, especially in 19^8, there was a aotiee-
able cessation in its above-ground activity* During most of the year,
it is active both in the day and at night, except during rain, wlien it
and most of the other ants seek cover*

The feeding habits of £• abdominalis floridanus are rather
diversified* It is attracted to liver aw well as molasses* On seveoral
occasions it has teeaa recorded taking insects to its nest* Workers have
been observed actively dissecting insects before carrying them to their
nest* Termites, colonizing in taany instances the same type of wood as
G* abdominalis floridanus* perhaps supply food for the ant* When a log
^riiieh contains both twrmites and this carpenter ant is broken open, the
excited worker ants pick op tmnnites between their mandibles and carry
them as if they were their own imnatures* This habit has been noted in
oth«r ant forms*

£* abdominalis floridanus has been found associated with the

following animals t

Odontomaehus haenatoda insularis

Paratrechina oarvula

Mvmecophila ? (Orthoptera)

termites (Isoptera)

several beetles sui^ beetle larvae (Coleoptera)

ehilopods

Hvpoaspis 7 (Aearina)

In this connection it might also be mentioned that on several occasions,

dead wmrkers of this ant were found tightly clinging to Tertioal grass

137.

8t«DB, or to strand* of hanging Spanish doss* The head of eaeh vorker
was upvard, and fr«a the head or the anterior portion of the thorax a
fungus, teatatirely determined as CordYoeps sp*, wblb protruding* The
vorker, being attacked by the fungus, and climbing to die above the ground
suggests an excellent medium for the dispersal of the spores of the fungus.

When 1(^ which contained this pugnacious '^flnn?fi1?1fli? ^^<^
Qdeatomaehus hlMfll?^''^ ^ ffV^lij^flriliff v^'^ broken open, the workers of both
spaeies usually became excited and attacked each other* In the field,
the Camoonotus were muoh superior in battle, killing the Odontoaachty
each time an obsexnred coinbat took place* la the laboratory, ants of
this Camponotus introduced into a ewiiBon eontainer with Odontomachus
lost as many battles as they von* The sting of the Qdontompg|7ya seemed
to be fatal, but they were less ptiguacious than the carpenter ant, using
their mandibles to spring away from their adversaries* The 9*111? ?1"tU**r
quicker in the attack, were adept at severing lags and gasters from the
bodies of their opponents*

fftTftlr'^f^W IpBfAor^s (latr*)

The nesting places of £* longieornis are very closely associated
with the structures mads by man, especially in places where trade through
seaports is conducted* Its distribution shows that it is a CMmopolitan
species*

It was taken in Gainesville, and in Crescent City, U miles to
the southsast of the Welaka Reserve* In both of these places nests wers
found in crevices in the cement of walls of buildings, or bsneath the
•ement in the soil at the base of the buildings* Unlike the i]q>orted
Irid<«gyrmex l^^fij^^s. neets were always found in buildings, ruther than.

I38i

as in th« case of J. IjjQij^y outside the buildings in the ruderal
sections. Although it xms not found in Welaka, it probably oeours there
in some sections*

The long, spidery lags of this ant, and the fast^ seeuiingly
aimlees movements, are the basis for its being termed the "erazy ant" in
some regions* It has been observed to carry spiders to its nest, and to
be attracted to candy , and svsets of other kinds*

Paratrechina orenivaga (Wheeler)

Greighton {l^SOtAOQ) lists aronlvaga as a subspecies of melanderi.
All the male spaoimens in his collection taken in the type locality of
arenivagft have had genitalia more like iilieeler*8 figure of melanderi than
like his figure of arenivaga (1905)* Uoreover, he states that **! beli«v»
that I have fairly conclusive evidenoe, from specimens takmi in southern
Alabama, to shov that melanderi and areniv^aaa intergrade in that area***
On this 1:»sis he has made arenivaga a subspecies of melanderi*

Specimens ooUeeted during the present study, however, have had
genitalia vhich agree vith eotype material of areniva^ froa the Museut
of CQgaQ>arative Zoology* The genitalia of these males are very similar
to the genitalia of arenivaga as pictured by Wheeler* Therefore, until
it can be certain that Creighton collected arenivaga. and not another
form, in the type locality of arenivaga* and until the intergradation
between melanderi and arenivaga can be established without doubt, it
seems best to use arenivapa as a distinct species*

Although paratrechina parvula becomes very light in color in
the higher and more open areas of the Reserve, it can almost always be
distinguished from the de^ yellow £* arenivag^* £* arenivaga is slightly

139.

larger than qarvuXa in most measureosnta of the workers, and is definitely
larger in the winged fonee* Two of the best charactsi*s for the separation
of thM* tvo epeeiee are the Tenation of the wings in both the aale and
t9aml9f and the shape of the male genitalia* In the feoalee the VMiational
difference is most striking* Here the orossvein m-cu in parvula is I«sb
than half the length of the same vein in arenivagft* The croesvein B-eu
la parvula is one-half the length of Rsfl, while in ftr?r^Y1iflH y>oth th«
erossTein and the loagitodiaal vein are approximately the eame length*
Ib ^eaivagft the processes of the median genital valve are both long and
•lender, whereas in parvula only the inner process of this valve is
lengthened, and the outer proosss is cvarred*

Even thoi;gh a;renlfaga is abundant hore, it was not listed by
those irtio havo made state lists* Vhseler (I905) rsBiarks that it oecurs
in Msw Jersey and near Ausstin, Texas* Suren (19*3) notes that the ant
has been taken frcam the Missouri River bluff, but from no other part of
lona* This spotty distribution and its ooeurrenee near ports and rivers
any indicate that the distribution of the species is affected by CMmerce*
la all instances it builds craters similar to those on the Reserve*

On the Reserve £* ttr«?H^Ta^ «as foui^ in 7 plant associations*
It nested abundantly in the high and open areas of turkey oak and xsrie
hanuoek, where it was able to find suitable areas for its crater nests*
Nests were found occasionally in Leon scrubby flatwoods, and rarely in
bluejack oak, Pomello scrubby flatwoods, longleaf pine flatwoods, and
Plunmer slash pins flatwoods* Colonies were also found often in firelanes

and OB lawns*

Without exception it was found in the subterranean stratim where
it btd.lt sooplete craters* These craters ranged frosi 1 to 3 inches in

disaster and fro. J/S *• V2 ^^ i» »»«^* »' **»*» «***^' ^ "*•*■ ***

140.

one eantral opening. Most of the neete were built ia light oolorod eaad
iriiieh natohed the light color of the ant*

The iiBBature tortas probably oecur in the nosts all year* Winged
torw/t appear in January and remain until February or Uareh i^en the mating
flights take plaee* Activity that seemed to be prepcuratoi^ to one sueh
flight was obeerred on February 12, 1950, at 4 P*M*, Just after a rain
when the tenqjerature was 21*0 • and the relative hinuidity isae lOOJ^
Although there were many laales in the upper chambers of the nests, none
were noted taking off froci eight neetc obeerved* There was an indioaticm
that the nests are sex specific, or nearly so, since all or a large
BBLJority of the winged forss in a neet were of one sex* Many of the
workers were in a replete state*

This is a moderately fast moving ant, but on warm, overcast
days it tends to increase its speed of movement* It is active during
both the day and night* During the vinter months its above-ground
activity becomes limited*

Warif aninwls have been found in association with this ant* In
the nests mentioned above frran which the winged forms were ^nerging, a
black cricket with red markings on its head was observed, but not taken*
P* arenivayiia has been found on quite a few occasions with the f ollowingt
Solenopsis mclesta
Reticulltermea spp, (Is opt era)
The termites were always in small pieces of wood bta*ied in the sand, and
the arenivagjs nests passed through or close by the wood* The Solenopsia
occupied chambers of the Paratrechina nest about one-half to one foot
below the surface* On occasion both Solenopsis were found in the same
nest* One worker of Pheidole morrisi was found in a nest of this Paratrechina.

141.

and sereral workex^ of ar^nlYaga ware found in a nest of Pheidole morrisjli*
Since these ants usually lire independently, it is likely that the workers
had merely vandered into the foreign nests,

Riratrechina parvula (Mayr)

£• parvula and Pheidole dentata are pertiaps the most emmon ants
on the Reserve* However^ the ants listed under £• panrij^la in this paper
•how variation in the worker caste. Some are of very pale coloration and
•mailer •ize, while others are darker and of larger siLe. A majority of
workers are small in size and of lighter coloration) but some sncll, dark
verkeret and large, light workers were found* Moreover, the color of
workers within the seune colony may be either pale straw with light brown
bands on each segment of the gaster emd «lth a dark head, or the gaster
and head may be dark brown with the thorax and legs only slightly lighter*

Some of the variation in color is due to the change from the
callow condition to the full color condition* Some of the dark workers,
as well as some callowa, have a distended gaster* Uhder both of these
circumstances the workers have a lighter appearance than they would in
their mature^ undist ended condition*

The male genitalia of the lighter colored form are insignificamtly
different from the darker form (the former are slightly smaller, but have
the same configuration)* Wesson and Wesson (1940tK}0) have found similar
variation in parvula in southcentral (%lo* "Our material shows consider-
able variation which we have been unable to refer to euiy but this species
OB eoaq>ari8on with material in the Wheeler collection at the Museum of
CoiQ>arative Zoology, Harvard University. Specimens frcan wooded places
are usually dark brown or black and have few or no hairs on the antennal

142.

seapos* They agr«e with the typical parrula. Sp«eij&en9 fron dry cr
eiqposed situatioBS^ on the other hand, are itsually paler and have a
variable number of hairs on the antennal scapes* •••we have occasionally
found colonies in which some of the workers bore a variable number of
hairs on the antennal scapMi vAiile oth«rs bore none* suggesting that
this character nay not be entirely reliable^** Specimens fraa the
ResM^e agree with those from OhXo in that the manber of toirs on the
antennal scape is variable* If all of the forms r^resmt one species ,
it is possible, as the above quotation suggests, that the drier nesting
sites will contain lighter foros^ Kit both light and dark forms have
bemi taken from almost every station on the Reserve, although the lighter
forms are more prevalent in the highnr, drier areas* Conversely, the
Icurger sized workers are found in the wet arMis*

In gmsral £• parvula seaos to prefer the waiter areas, although
nests have been found in all of the stations* It was taken abundantly
in black pino-fett^rbush flatwoods, mesic hammock, and marshj eonoaonly
to abundantly in PluBner slash pine flatwoods | eoomonly in turkey oak,
Leon scrubby flatwoods, longleaf pins flatwoods, Rutlege slash pine
flatwoods, xeric luuaaoek, hydric hammock, and bayhead} occasionally to
comnonly in scrub, Pomellc scrubby flatwoods, and river swaiqpt and
occasionally in bluejaek oak^

Three-fourths of the records of parvula were made troa. the
surface strattmu Approximately equal numbers of eolleetioi» were made
from undn* cover in sand and from nests in the grass stratum^ A few
nests were taken arboreally*

Nesting sites of parvula* in i^^er of preference, are*

143,

1, in litter

2«» in fallen log

3* in gz*as8 clump

4« under litter

5'» in bases of living trees

6* between savgrass blades

7o in dead stutnps

8* in palaetto roots

9* in sasill branches

10. in twigs

Ua in and under logs

12. under logs

Nests have been in wood varying from wet to dry» and frinn the
first stagw to the last stages of decay* They have been found under
bark» in both broadleaved and pine wood*

Host of the nests in savgrass are between the growii^^ appressed
blades y although some are in the dark stuoops of sawgrass ^ich are wet
or saturated* In the living sawgrass, the ants are able to live at or
near the water surfaeee Several nests were found slightly below the
water surface, within the plant parts which excluded the water. No nests
were found vwy far from the water level, since the blades diverge leaving
no place to nest at a height of a few inches; th^e higher portions of
the plants are also exposed to much greater evaporation than the partially
shaded areas near the xrater* In January, the sawgrass is for the most
part dead, except for the inside blades, and the outer blades fall slightly
apart* During this period, even though the taaperature is eletaent, the
ants are relatively scarce in narsh*

A similar shifting is noted for nests in grass elurq;>s* Beginning
in October the grass eluoqps in which the ants have lived during the suomer
become dry and eoBq)letely dead above the soil surface* With the drying
out of the grass above the surface, the density of the population in this
nesting site decreases* Those ants that remain inhabit the root systens

144.

of the grassj tb» othM*8 find litter or lof^ with suitable moiature* It

is possible that during the rainy suomer the ants move their nests into

the above-ground, higher portions of the grass to avoid supersaturation,

emd that vith the onset of winter and dry weather » with the consequent

drying of the grass » the ants move down into the moist lower stems and

roots.

the number of individuals in the nests of payvi^i^ ranged, in

the 4 nests eounted, from 2$ to 72, averaging 45* Feaalee have been

taken in nests as early as late «Fuly, and as late cub the latter part of

January. Malee were found in September through the last part of February*

Winged forms aure most abundant in the nasts in October, November, and

December • nie presence of winged forms during most months is notewortlqr*

Ihis moderately fast moving ant is attracted to liver and

molasses* Workers of parjul^ forage actively at night* It has bemi

found associated with the following inseetst

Atelura (?) (Coleoptera)
Corrodentiat Psocidae
Dipt eras fam*?

cwp9?o^\p ?^^«giftaM» T^0r4^^saa&

Odontomaeh^s haeroatoda jLns^l^js

£• TifflMtr^i? ^'^as been takmi in only two plant associatioi»* These
are turkey oak, in iritieh it was found rarely, and scrub, in which it was
found occasionally* Oeeasional nests ean be found on lawns in ruderal
areas, and suggest that this may be an iaportant nesting situation for
the ant* In the Gainesville region, £• ATWMIir7^ ^>"^ fouwi occasionally

145.

in nesie haomoek and ruderal areas, and vas also taken in turkey oak and
f la two ode •

All of the nests on the Reserve were under litter, even those
in the ruderal areas. Those in Gainesrills, however, nearly all formed
complete craters in open areas. Both Gregg (1944i470) and Cole (1940t67)
note that the ant Imilds craters and that it lives in clay* Cols states
that "The ants nest in shaded, moist, ooiqaaot soil, particularly clay,
occasiona 'J.y bmieath wood or stones { but more often construct obseure
crater mounds consisting of pallets of soil seattmred around ths single
nost entrance*" nils last type of nest is found under light litter on
the ResMTvs. A neet isas observed in which all of the ants were duq)ing
sand pellets et least a foot from the nest opening, in the process of
•xcavation*

£• liTHTW^I* moves with only a moderate degree of speed* It beooass
most active during cloudy or overcast days* Molasses and com bait for
aaiBCil traps will attract it* Tialbot (1943a and 1943b) and lheel«r
(1930) have made extensive studies on £• iffifiCiftt ^ regard to populatioa
and response to environment*

Foymioa archboldi M* R* Smith
£• ftrchboldi was found in six plant associations* It was taken
occasionally to commmly in turkey oak and black pine fetterbush flatwoods}
occasionally in longleaf and Pluaraer slash pine flatwoods, and rarely in
Rutlege slash pine flatwoods and xeric hammock* This distribution indicates
that £* arehboldi is attracted to areas of pine growth, mors, it would
seen, because of the lack of heavy leaf litter than because of ths piass*
It has been found to be the most cosBion Formio on ths Reserve*

146.

It l^s alo&ys been found in tho subterranean stratum, and
either in the sand under a log or under Utter* Of the 2 nests eountedy
one under a log in black pine-fetterbush flatvoods contained 63 workers ,
and 4 callows, in addition to eggs, 21 larvae, 18 pupae, and 20 pupal
coeoons* The other nest in turkey oak, taken tnder litter, contained
222 workers, with eggs, 25 larvae, 6 worker ptQ>ae, and 21 piq;>al coeoone*
This last nest also had 7 female pupae, 3 feaale callows, and 20 ffloalee.
Each nest had a queen*

The first nrat was within one foot of the surfaco, just above
the water table* It contain«»d many heads of Odontomaehus baanatoda
Aarw^ftr^ff- i&dleating that the Formica may take over Odontoniaehus nests,
c? that the OdontocBOhuip is used as food* The second nest was 8 to 12
InolMS below the surface of the soil with a l/^ ineh pasuageway loading
to the ehaaibM's* Hie castes and iioaature fem seensd to be arranged in
order from top to bottom of the nest in the following order* winged
females I leonrae and ^gs; pupae; cocoons of workers; and eoooons of
winged forma* It should be noted that pupae are both nude and covered
with eoeooBS*

£* arcfaboldi usually moves with considerable ape i in most of
the months of the year, but collections indieate that there is a period
of inactivity in the winter months* Specimens have been taken with a
species of small mite (Hvpoaspia 7) on the gaster directly behind the
petiole. In one nest the cricket Mvnaecophila uergandei Brtuer (det*
Cantrall) was found*

147.

yormj^CR pallid»fulTtt Latreill*

2« pallidefttXTq ims found on the Reeervs in only threo plant
assoelatlomi* It vets taken oeeasiomlly in turkey oak and zerie hammoekf
and rarely in Pomello eerubby flatveods. Thee a situationa hare in eonmoa
their openness, and absence of thick litter.

All nects of this species tMre found in the subtemuiecui stratun^
all under eoTer of litter. It has also been eollected in Oainesrille in
this same soirt of nesting site.

One neet of jP. paXlidefulva in turkey oak had tvo openings ,
one of vhioh led for only a short distance. The caiin opening led latsrally,
at a depth of about 1/2 ineh, for about 3 inches vhere there was a ehamber,
then straight down to where the passagevay stopped at 3 foet. Blind
passageways, and chacibers ware spaced along the downward passage. At
3 feet workers of Ci^/npt^ffott^n sociiia w«rs encountered, and were seen carry-
ing cocoons. No eggs, larvae, or ptq>ae, other than those carried by the
Ca^onotiy were obs erred.

Like the other For^oa of the Res erre, this ant could usually
be seen moving with considerable speed in its foraging activities*

Formica ech^ufussi llayr

On the Reserve P. sehaufussji^ was found rarely in turkey oak and
longlezif pine flatwoods. In QainesviUe it was found in xeric faanraoek
and an opon ruderal araa.

Nests on the Reserve were all in the subterranean stratum and
under litter. About this ant. Cole (I940i79) writes i "The ants live in
the ground, as a rule beneath stones in open, warm, rather dry grassy
areas. A few obscure crater mounds were found, emd a number of colonise

148«

which nested beneath stones had adjoining earthen craters. The stones
were loosely banked along their isargins with soil pai*tiole8« Underneath
was a number of lai^e, irregular superfieial ehaznbers, but the main part
of the nest was at a depth of 1 l/2 to 2 feet underground* The colonies
are as a rule, populous, and the workers are agile and timid when disturbed*"
These remarks agree with, and add to, the obsenrations made on the Welaka
Res enre.

149«

Addenda

V^ytofiftnys olongata saSB^ Wheeler

On July 26» 1950» a apeelmen of this Ponerine ant vas eolleeted
in river Bwta^, The swuqp at the time of collection vas axtreaiely dry»
and the ant vas oravling oTer litter that contained Tery little noisture*
IB the GainesTille region it vas taken in mesie haamoek from rotting
stusips*

The occurrence of this Lsptogenre on the Resenre will affect
Figures 3 and 5* Wt these figures will be altered to only a slight
•stent*

150.

smoiART

The pment study dsals with eeological relationships of the
ants of the Unirersity of Florida Conservation Reserre, a 2l80 aere traet
in northeastern peninsular Florida. Field work was carried on frrai
October, 19^7 > until June, 1950. Seventeen collecting trips were made
to each of fifteen areas or stations (plant association'^oil type combi-
imtions) chosen to represent the major regetational and soil variations
of the Reserve.

Seventy-one species and subspecies of ants were taken on the
Reserve, and four others were collected in nearby towns. Fourteen ant
forms were recorded for the first time from the state.

Quantitative relatioiwhips were determined for the ant forms
within the stations, by using the colony, and not the individual ant, as
the biological unit. Assemblages of ants which were characteristic and
distinctive qualitatively and/or quantitatively were found to exist in
the stations, and in four strata and sixteen nesting sites within the
stations. The environments of each of these assemblages were therefore
designated ant habitats.

For the Reserve, Pheidole dentate showed the greatest abundance;

the next four forms in order are:

Paratrechlna parvula
Caaponotus abdcmilnalis fldrldanus
Odontomachus haematoda insular is
Solenopsis molesta

In both variety of ant forms and number of nests, the turkey

oak and xerlc hammock stations rank well above all others, whereas the

slash pine flatwoods, river swamp, and marsh stations irank at the bottom.

This indicates that the higher, drier stations are more suitable for

151.

ants than the lover, wetter areas.

There were 14 forms none of which were eolleeted from more
than one station, while eaeh of 3 f oraas were found in all 15 stations.
Figure 5 shows the relationship between the number of ant fonas and the
numbers of stations. When the ants which were collected only once are
Mnitted, then there were only 5 forms none of irtiieh were collected tram.
more than one station. From this and other eridenoe it seems probable
that ants do not show as much dependence on plant a8soeiation-«oil typ«
ensbinations as do other animals.

Distribution in strata and nesting sites showed that ants
preferred the subterranean and surface strata, and within these strata,
nests in sand, fallen logs, or stunqps. Only nineteen forms nested in
the hwrbaceous and arboreal strata.

A correlation is shown between the number of nesting sites a
form occupies and the number of stations it occupies. In general,
however, the number of stations occupied increases faster than the
number of nesting sitea occupied. Frnn this it would seem that many
ants are more restricted by nesting sites than by plant association-
soil type combinations.

Data concerning the life histories, activity, food, and habits
in general have been brought together under the appropriate ant form in
the Annotated List. ladioations of variations in seeuional occurrence
have been apparent for only a few forms, and in all cases have been due
to the seasonal variability in abundance of the suitable nesting sites.
The ant forms on the Reserve vary greatly in the time and physical con-
ditions under which they forage. Several forms have a wide i:*ange in
this respect.

152.

It vas also observed that the individuals of certain ant forms
appear darker in color when they nest in the open areas of the ResM*T«»
vhereas other ants are darker in the shaded areas; cuid that the individuals
of certain fonae are larger in the wetter areas than in the higher,
drier areas.

153.

Thanks are due Dr« U, R* Ssiith of the U* S. National Uuseum
for his interest and detenainations throughout the study* Mr. ¥• L.
Brovn, Jr« of the Harvard Biological Laboratories, for his aid with the
identifieation of specimens of ^n^-^i^iHtT-^yij^^ and Dr* W. S« Creightoa
of the City College of New York, for his help with certain prohlens
arising in connection with the subgenus Plplorhoptnm of the genus
Solenopsis. deserve nany thanks. Aeknowledgvant is due Dr. Lewis Bemer
and Dr. H. K. Wallace, both of the Biology Department of the University
of riorida, for their criticism and help with the manuscript, ifeiny
thanks are also due Rusty Van Pelt for typing the final manuscript.

15*.

LITERATURE CIPED

Brown, W* L», Jr«

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155.

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BIOGRAPHICAL ITE36

Arnold Francia Yan Pelt, Jr, vas bom Septmbsr 24,
1924, in Orange, Hew Jersey. He carried cut hie under-
graduate studiee at Svarthaore College, vhere he obtained
the deipree of Bachelor of Arte in Octobw, 1945» m
1947, he reoeiTed a degree of Uaster of Science from
the Iteivereity of Florida, where he held a graduate
aseistantship from the fall of I946 to the epring of
1948» From the fall of I948 until the fall of I950, he
received a graduate fellovehip frwn the QbiTersity. He
is a marabar of Phi Sigma honorary biological aoeiety.

This dlasertation vas prepared under the direotion of the
Chairman of the candidate's Supenrisory CosBoittee and has been approved
by all m«mbaz*s of the CoBiaittee. It was submitted to the Graduate
Council and was approTed as partial fulfilaent of the requircmenta for
the degree of Doetor of Philosophy*

September 2, I950

Dean

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