title: Ant diversity and distribution in Acadia National Park, Maine.
abstract: Exotic ant species are a primary threat to ant biological diversity, posing a negative impact to native ant communities. In this study, we examine species richness of ants (family Formicidae) in Acadia National Park, ME, as a fundamental step toward understanding the present impact  of the exotic species Myrmica rubra on native ant species. Twelve habitat types were sampled, along six transects, with pitfall traps, visual searching, bait traps, and leaf litter extraction, and the aid of 34 volunteers. We report 42 species of ants in Acadia National Park, comprising five  subfamilies (Amblyoponinae, Dolichoderinae, Formicinae, Myrmicinae, and Ponerinae) and 15 genera; the cataloged species represents 75% of the species originally recorded in the area by Procter (1946). Our findings suggest M. rubra is currently  not a dominant species throughout the entire island. However, where this species has invaded locally, few competing native species coexist. The species Lasius alienus, Formica subsericea, Myrmica detritinodis, Camponotus herculeanus, Formica argentea, Formica aserva, and Tapinoma sessile occurred  most often in our survey. We report the ant species Amblyopone pallipes and Dolichoderus mariae as two new records for the state of Maine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, 1805 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, USA.
authors.forename: Gary D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Ouellette
authors.forename: Francis A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Drummond
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Choate
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Groden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D058448:Biota; D004777:Environment; D058865:Introduced Species; D008281:Maine