Date of Award

8-1-1966

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geography & Geographic Information Science

Abstract

Burleigh County is located in the south-central se c tion of the s tate of North Dakota. It l ie s within the Missouri Coteau Dis tr ict of the Glaciated Missouri S e c t ion , Great Plains Province, Interior Plains Physiographic Division of the United S ta te s . E co lo g ica lly , the county l ie s in the Mixed-gras s Prairie Association of the North American Gra s s lands Biome. The Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome is represented by the gallery forests along the Missouri River.

The purpose of this study was to determine which ant sp e c ie s are found in this county, their relative abundance, distribution, nesting h a b i t s , and habitats .

Specimens were co lle c ted from the ne s ts discovered during e x ten - sive travel and intensive observation over the county. Two hundred and ninety-two co lle c tions of ants were made in 1961 and 1962, and then identified. Maps were prepared showing the location of each n e s t. Distribution was correlated with e co lo g ica l and geological fe a tu r e s .

Ecological observations indicated that the ant sp e c ie s could be grouped into three categor ies based upon adaptation to e co log ica l environments: (1) woodlands; (2) gras s lands ; and (3) both woodlands and g r a s s la n d s .

One sp e c ie s , Formica sp. (morsei? ; identification not confirmed), was recorded for the second time in the United Sta te s and the first time in North Dakota. The co lle c tion of Camponotus caryae discolor is only the second recorded for North Dakota. Five other sp e c ie s colle cted r during this study, Formica cr iniventr is , Formica puberula, Formica dakotensis , Formica fo s sa c ep s , and Camponotus herculeanus , had previously been found rarely in North Dakota.

The taxonomic l i s t of ants co lle c ted in Burleigh County comprises the following sp e c ie s : Myrmica amer icana, Myrmica brevinodis, Myrmica brevispino sa , Myrmica lobicornis f ra c t ico rn is , Myrmica monticola , Pogonomyrmex oc c identa lis , Crematogaster l in e o la ta , Monomorium minimum, Leptothorax canadensis , Dorymyrmex pyramicus , Tapinoma s e s s i l e , Camponotus he rculeanus , Camponotus noveborac e n s i s , Componotus pennsylvanicus , Camponotus caryae d is co lo r , Camponotus n e a r c t i cu s , Lasius c ryp t lcu s , Lasius neoniger , Lasius s i tk a e n s i s , Lasius f la v u s , Lasius subumbratus, Lasius umbratus, Acanthomyops c la v ig e r , Acanthomyops parvulus, Formica bradleyi, Formica n e o g ag a te s , Formica ob tu sopilo sa , Formica puberula, Formica rubicunda, Formica sanguinea subnuda, Formica cr iniventr is , Formica d a k o ten s is , Formica fo s s a c e p s , Formica haemorrhoidalis, Formica o b s cu r ip e s , Formica ob s cu r ivent r is , Formica oreas comptula, Formica morsei, Formica u lk e i , Formica cinerea lepida , Formica cinerea montana, Formica fu s c a , Formica neoc lara.

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