The Ant Fauna of Inland Sand Dune Communities in Worcester County, Maryland

Abstract

Abstract Ants inhabiting inland dune and ridge woodlands in Worcester County, MD, were surveyed in 2008 and 2009 using a combination of pitfall traps and litter samples. We employed both methods in 2008 and pitfall traps only in 2009. Thirty dune sites were targeted for survey work. We collected and identified a total of 44,930 ants representing 67 species. Data on annual and seasonal variation in the ant community are reported, as is variation in species composition based on trapping method. Expanding survey efforts to include multiple years, seasons, and trapping methodology served to increase the overall number of species encountered primarily through documenting the presence of rare or infrequent species. We provide a list of ant species collected from inland dune and ridge woodlands and discuss the significance of apparent habitat-restricted species.