Welcome to Formica ants in Manitoba!!!

This website provides information about the ants of genus Formica in Manitoba. This online resource contains photographs and information about the diversity, distribution and notes on the biology and ecology of the Formica ant species of Manitoba. This site was created in the intention of providing key information on the Formica ants of Manitoba for any person interested in the subject and as well as encouraging the study and conservation of these delightful creatures.

Ants in Manitoba

There are 52 ant species recognized from Manitoba, Canada. These 52 species are represented in three subfamilies: Myrmicinae, Dolichoderinae and Formicinae. The subfamily Myrmicinae has ten species consisting of the three genera Myrmica , Solenopsis and Leptothorax . Dolichoderinae subfamily consists of three species of ants that belongs two genera Dolichoderus and Tapinoma . The subfamily Formicinae is represented by 23 species that belongs to genus Formica (Wheeler et al, 1989).

<font color=#F8F8F8 ,size="1">Photo Credit: Alex Wild

The Province of Manitoba

The word "Manitoba" comes from the native word manitou, meaning spirit. The province comprises with an area of 649,950 square kilometres (250,900 sq. mi) and its northern and southern boundaries are on 490 and 600 parallels respectively. Due to these higher-middle latitudes, the province is characterized by great seasonal changes in temperature including long and extremely cold winters and brief, warm summers with little precipitation. The north-eastern one-thirds of Manitoba is upland (over 450 m) and the remainder is lowland. There are five elevated areas along the western and south-western boarders: Duck Mountain (reaching the provincial maximum altitude of 831 m at Mount Badly), Riding Mountain, Porcupine Mountain, Pembina Mountain and Turtle Mountain. Prairie, coniferous forests and tundra are the biomes presented in the province.

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