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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Ants (Formicoidea) » Ants (Formicidae) » Formicinae » Formicini » Wood ants, mound ants, & field ants (Formica) » rufa group (Formica rufa group) » Thatching ant (Formica obscuripes)
Photo#265102
ants in SE South Dakota prairie remnant - Formica obscuripes
Copyright © 2009 Mark Wetmore

ants in SE South Dakota prairie remnant - Formica obscuripes
Vermillion, South Dakota, Clay County, South Dakota, USA
April 10, 2009
Size: 5/16 to 3/8 inch long
The third photo, taken at the same mound the previous day, April 9, '09, was added to help with identification. Is this Formica obscruipes? Shown from Minnesota here: http://www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/BIOL/resources/ant/Fobscuripes.html?

There is a literature citation at the end of a recent paper on prairie ant colony longevity: Weber, 1935, "The Biology of the Thatching Ant, Formica rufa obscruipes Forel, in North Dakota." Thatching ant certainly fits the mound these guys have built. http://www.hindawi.com/GetPDF.aspx?doi=10.1155/1989/51654

There may be two spellings for the same species name. This AntWeb entry seem to be describing the same ant, but spells it 'obscuripes.' http://www.antweb.org/description.do?rank=species&genus=formica&name=obscuripes

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ants in SE South Dakota prairie remnant - Formica obscuripes ants in SE South Dakota prairie remnant - Formica obscuripes ants in SE South Dakota prairie remnant - Formica obscuripes
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Contributed by Mark Wetmore on 11 April, 2009 - 5:14am
Last updated 5 May, 2009 - 9:08pm

Moved
Moved from Formica.
… Mark Wetmore, 5 May, 2009 - 9:08pm login or register to post comments

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