The natural history of Manica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Manica was long regarded as a subgenus of Myrmica; the differences between these two genera are shown in a table. Keys are given to the species of Manica. M. rubida is Eurasian; bradleyi, hunter, mutica, and parasitica occur in North America west of the hundredth meridian and north of the thirty-fourth parallel. M. rubida inhabits the mountains of Europe, Asia Minor, northern Asia, and the Caucasus; bradleyi occurs in the mountains of California and adjacent western Nevada; parasitica is known from only two localities in the Sierra Nevada; hunter is the northern montane species. M. mutica has the most xeric, the most extensive (Great Plains and Great Basin and northward to Alaska) and the lowest (down to 1,100 feet in British Columbia) range; nevertheless it is also found in mountains (above 7,000 feet) in California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Spot maps illustrate the distribution of the four American species. Throughout the ranges, distribution is sporadic, but any species may be locally abundant. In spite of the remarkable anatomical similarity among the five species, it is difficult to generalize about their ecology and habits. Since almost nothing is known about Manica parasitica, except that it is presumably a social parasite on M. bradleyi, it is not considered further. M. bradleyi and hunter are typically found in openings in coniferous forests; mutica and rubida occur in a greater variety of habitats. M. mutica is the most xerophilous; the others prefer moderately moist soil and can even tolerate mud. The basic nest structure is probably the same for all four: a reticulum of chambers and galleries connected with chambers under stones opening to the surface by holes in the bottom of one or more small craters constructed of excavated soil; but great plasticity is manifest in the variations on the basic plan. The nests are usually polycalic, and their limits almost impossible to determine. Food is an unsolved mystery. Workers do take insects into the nest; but (in bradleyi and hunteri) only a few are out at any time, for only a few hours during the day and rarely at night; surely they cannot support a flourishing colony. Colonies are small; the authors would guess a thousand workers to be the maximum for a mature colony. A polycalic colony probably has many queens. Little is known about the nuptial flight. The ants of this genus are not aggressive, but when their nest is disturbed, the workers sting promptly and effectively. The sting has been reported to be very painful, but only moderately so with three of our American species. The gait of workers of three of our American species is characteristic: steady, deliberate, and unhurried, but never sluggish. The three common American species—bradleyi, hunteri, and mutica—are treated under the headings description, nuptial flight, census, relations with other ants, miscellaneous notes, range, records, and literature. The discussion of M. rubida is based on the literature.

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ELECTRONIC FILE - Zoology: Invertebrates

Citation (CSE style, mostly): Wheeler GC, Wheeler J. 1970. The natural history of Manica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 43(2):129-162. Available at: http://www.antwiki.net/wiki/images/0/0e/Wheeler_%26_Wheeler_1970a.pdf.