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The Ants of North America - William and Emma Mackay,
Genus Crematogaster These aaare acrobatic ants, so named as living specimens wave their
gasters above their bodies, ready to dab noxious chemicals on any nearby predator.
Although they cannot sting, they are able to inflict a poainful bite and are very fastidious when walking
over the body of the myrmecologist.
They are easily recognized as the post petiole is attached to the dorsum of the gaster,
the only genus in the New World with this conformation. The gaster is heart-shaped when viewed from above.
There are numerous species and they are difficult to identify. Three keys are presented, onf for the United States, a second for
the Rocky Mountains, and the third is a rough key of the Latin American species, which is incomplete
and has many problems. Hopefully these keys will be of some use in the identification of these interesting ants.
Late Update: 1 June 2001 |