The Laboratory for Environmental Biology (LEB) is part of the research division of the Centennial Museum, concentrating primarily on research into the natural history of the Greater El Paso Region.

This website contains keys to the genera and species of North American ants. In many cases, all of the New World ants are included. The keys are based on the literature, which have been updated to include recently described species, as well as on unpublished keys. Many of the keys are preliminary drafts, and may contain errors. All keys are subject to updates as more material becomes available. Keys are presented in MS Word format, and can be opened by double-clicking on the genus name. This should open your wordprocessor, which will allow you to print the key, together with the illustrations. Links in red are more or less ready to be used, those in brown are not yet available.

MISSION: The mission of the LEB includes collections-related research in the biological sciences, curatorial responsibility for the biological research collections and for collections utilized primarily for teaching within the Department of Biological Sciences; provision of work space, equipment, and other facilities to classes, individual students, staff, and visiting professionals; interaction with professional institutions and societies; provision of informational services to the professional and general public; and both formal and informal interaction with non-traditional students.

Our web pages cover on a variety of topics: collections (plants and both Recent and fossil vertebrates and invertebrates), LEB curators, checklists of vertebrates (modern and Pleistocene) of the El Paso region, an introduction to the Chihuahuan Desert, and an informal, in-progress compilation of data on Pleistocene vertebrate sites. There also are links to information on the Casas Grandes Interaction Sphere and to a number of other sites having to do with natural and cultural history. A link to the home page of the Centennial Museum is a gateway to more information on natural and cultural history of the Greater El Paso Region. An index map can be reached from the first item on the menu to the left. We would appreciate any feedback (phone, fax, and e-mail information is at the bottom of this page).

The University is a member of the Natural Science Collections Alliance, and the mammalogy collections are accredited by the American Society of Mammalogists.

Original materials on this web site are copyrighted. Limited use for educational purposes is allowed provided proper credit is given; as a courtesy, please inform us of such use. Commercial use of images or text, in whole or in part, is expressly forbidden without formal, written approval. Contact the Laboratory for copyright information.