Vol. 64 
No. 1 
PSYCHE 
March, 1957 
NOTES ON THE ANT 
LEPTOTHORAX PROVANCHERI EMERY 
By Paul B. Kannowski 
Department of Biology 
University of North Dakota 
The ant, Leptothorax provcmcheri Emery {— L. emer- 
soni Wheeler, L. e. glacialis Wheeler, and L. e. hirtipilis 
Wheeler), is interesting because of its peculiar habits, 
rare occurrence, and unusual distribution. It has long 
been known as an inquiline in the nests of Myrmica bre- 
vinodis Emery, and, until recently, it was thought that 
this relationship was obligatory on the part of provancheri. 
Cole (1954, p. 241) indicates that this species is able to 
live independently (under stones), at least in the moun- 
tains of New Mexico. The habits of provancheri were 
first noted by Wheeler (1901). He had discovered that 
its nests were intimately connected with the galleries and 
chambers of Myrmica brevinodis nests. In this and a later 
paper (1903a) on provancheri, Wheeler presented an in- 
teresting and detailed analysis of the symbiotic relation- 
ship between provancheri and its host. 
Wheeler stated that the nests of these two ants were 
found in the Litchfield Hills near Colebrook, Connecticut, 
“under some small stones that were rather deeply im- 
bedded in the moss bordering the exposed glaciated rock 
of the hilltop” (1901, p. 432). The habitat of provancheri 
was later expanded by Wheeler (1903b, p. 231) to include 
nests with M. brevinodis “in the hummocks of moss ( Poly - 
trichum commune ), under stones, bits of wood, etc., in 
rather damp, grassy bogs.” 
The ants of three sphagnum bogs in Livingston and 
Washtenaw counties, Michigan, have been under study 
for the last four years. The occurrence of several species 
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