A CHECKLIST OF THE ANTS OF MONTANA 
By George C. Wheeler and Jeanette Wheeler 
Research Associates, Florida Department of Agriculture 
The history of myrmecology in Montana probably began in 1913 
with Wheeler’s description of Formica subpolita from Helena and 
1914 when he described a new species, Manica hunteri from Gallatin 
County. A considerable hiatus ensued until 1932 when Cole 
recorded Pogonomyrmex occidentalis from Custer County. 
In 1973 Borchert and Anderson published a thorough ecological 
analysis of the ants of the Bearpaw Mountains, one of the small 
ranges, which is mostly in Hill County. Thirty-three species were 
reported. 
In 1984 Youngs and Campbell published the results of a study of 
ants preying upon the western spruce budworm near the western 
border. They reported 4 species of Camponotus and 7 species of 
Formica from 3 localities in Missoula County and one in Sanders 
County, but they failed to indicate which species was taken in which 
locality. These records are indicated by YC. 
Six other authors have contributed a few records each. From 
Wing we got four records as spots on maps. D. R. Smith contrib- 
uted three species for the whole state. Five records are represented 
by gifts of specimens from Creighton. 
Finally we are greatly indebted to Roy R. Snelling for sending us 
63 additional records based on specimens in the Los Angeles 
County Natural History Museum. 
During the summers of 1956, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1965, while we 
were still at the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks), we 
made seven field trips into Montana to observe and collect ants in 
32 of the 56 counties. These expeditions yielded a total of 151 
records in 64 species. (A record is a species in a locality.) 
From all these records we extracted a list of 76 species of ants for 
the state of Montana. 
♦Mailing address: George C. Wheeler and Jeanette Wheeler, 3358 NE 58th Avenue, 
Silver Springs, Florida 32688 
Manuscript received by the editor January 6, 1988. 
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