Nearctic: Alberta

Alberta Ants

James Glasier

The ant fauna of the province of Alberta consists of 69 known species comprising three subfamilies and 14 genera. Alberta’s landscape is diverse, with boreal forest in the north, prairies in the south, the Rocky Mountains at the western border and a central region dominated by aspen parkland. This variety of ecosystems helps to promote the diversity of ant assemblages across the province.

Alberta’s ant diversity is dominated by the genus Formica, with about 20 species. Other speciose genera include Camponotus, Myrmica and Lasius. In the southeastern part of the province, which is vegetated by prairie, grassland genera such as Pogonomyrmex and Monomorium can be found. Several rare endemic species are found in the Rocky Mountains such as Leptothorax faberi and Leptothorax pocahontas.

Recent work has greatly improved our knowledge of Alberta ants, since previous studies were typically highly localized, not vouchered with specimens, or conducted many decades ago.