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Trager, James
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Missouri Botanical Garden (retired) james.trager@gmail.com
U. S. entomologist and naturalist. Born 5 September in Washington, D.C. to linguists Edith (Crowell) Trager and George L. Trager. Educated Northern Illinois University (B.S., 1974), University of Kansas (M.A., 1977); University of Florida (Ph.D., 1984). Professional experience: University of Florida, Assistant Research Scientist in Entomology, studying fire ants and other Formicidae in North and South America (1984-1988); University of Missouri-St. Louis, Mo., instructor (1988-1993); Harris-Stowe State University (St. Louis, Mo.), instructor (1990-1991); Shaw Nature Reserve of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Gray Summit, Mo., Biologist/Naturalist (1991-2019), in charge of ecological restoration, vegetation management, natural history education programs, and liaison to academic researchers (mostly ecologists) who used the Reserve as a field site. Trager still periodically publishes articles on ant taxonomy (peer-reviewed), and other natural history topics, and instructs at the North American iterations of Ant Course. Currently compiling an illustrated guide to the Formicidae of the US state of Missouri.
Works in progress:
- Guide to the ants of Missouri (book)
PUBLICATIONS
- Dall'Aglio-Holvorcem, C., Benson, W., Gilbert, L., Trager, J.C., Trigo, J. 2009. Chemical tools to distinguish the fire ant species Solenopsis invicta and S. saevissima (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in South East Brazil. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 37, 442-451 (doi:10.1016/j.bse.2009.05.017).
- Deyrup, M., Carlin, N., Trager, J.C. 1988. A review of the ants of the Florida Keys. Florida Entomologist 71(2): 163-176.
- Deyrup, M., Trager, J.C. 1985 [1984]. Strumigenys rogeri, an African dacetine ant new to the U.S. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 67: 512-516.
- Deyrup, M., Trager, J.C. 1986. Ants of the Archbold Biological Station, Highlands County, Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 69: 206-228.
- Deyrup, M., Trager, J.C., Carlin, N. 1985. The genus Odontomachus in the southeastern United States (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomololgical News 96: 188-195.
- Gomez, K., Lorite, P., Garcia, F., Tinaut, A., Espadaler, X., Palomeque, T., Sanllorente, O., Trager, J.C. 2018. Differentiating Iberoformica and Formica (Serviformica) with description of the sexual castes of Formica (Serviformica) gerardi Bondroit, 1917 stat. rev. Sociobiology 65: 463-470 (doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v65i3.3315).
- Greenberg, L., Johnson, C.A., Trager, J.C., McElfresh, J. S., Rodstein, J., Millar, J.G. 2018. Sex attractant pheromones of virgin aueens of sympatric slave-making ant species in the genus Polyergus, and their possible roles in reproductive isolation. Journal of Chemical Ecology 44, 547–555 (doi:10.1007/s10886-018-0966-9).
- King, J.R., Trager, J.C. 2007. Natural history of the slave making ant, Polyergus lucidus, sensu lato in northern Florida and its three Formica pallidefulva group hosts. Journal of Insect Science 7(42): 1-14.
- Moranz, R.A., Debinski, D.M., Winkler, L., Trager, J.C., McGranaham, D.A., Engle, D.M., Miller, J.R. 2013. Effects of grassland management practices on ant functional groups in central North America. Journal of Insect Conservation 17, 699–713 (doi:doi.org/10.1007/s10841-013-9554-z).
- Ross, K.G., Trager, J.C. 1990. Systematics and population genetics of fire ants (Solenopsis saevissima complex) from Argentina. Evolution 44: 2113-2134.
- Steiner, F.M., Schlick-Steiner, B.C., Trager, J.C., Moder, K., Sanetra, M., Christian, E., Stauffer, C. 2006. Tetramorium tsushimae, a new invasive ant in North America. Biological Invasions 8:117–123. [2006-03]
- Stockan, J., Robinson, E., Trager, J.C., Yao, I., Seifert, B. 2016. Introducing wood ants: Evolution, phylogeny, identification and distribution. In J. Stockan & E. Robinson (Eds.), Wood Ant Ecology and Conservation (Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation, pp. 1-36). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (doi:10.1017/CBO9781107261402.002).
- Trager, J.C. 1984[1983]. A new Paratrechina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Machu Picchu, Peru. Florida Entomologist 66: 482-486.
- Trager, J.C. 1984. A revision of the genus Paratrechina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the continental United States. Sociobiology 9: 49-162.
- Trager, J.C. 1988. A revision of Conomyrma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the southeastern United States, especially Florida, with keys to the species. Florida Entomologist 71: 11-29.
- Trager, J.C. 1988. George C. Wheeler - An Appreciation. Advances in myrmecology. E. J. Brill, New York. 551 pp.
- Trager, J.C. 1991. A revision of the fire ants, Solenopsis geminata group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society 99: 141-198.
- Trager, J.C. 1998. An introduction to ants (Formicidae) of the tallgrass prairie. Missouri Prairie Journal 18(4): 4–8.
- Trager, J.C. 2013. Global revision of the dulotic ant genus Polyergus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Formicinae, Formicini). Zootaxa 3722, 501–548.
- Trager, J.C. 2016. Diversity, ecology and conservation of wood ants in North America. In J. Stockan & E. Robinson (Eds.), Wood Ant Ecology and Conservation (Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation, pp. 221-237) (doi:10.1017/CBO9781107261402).
- Trager, J.C., Johnson, C. 1985. A slave-making ant in Florida: Polyergus lucidus with observations on the natural history of its host Formica archboldi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 68: 261-266.
- Trager, J.C., Johnson, C. 1988. The ant genus Leptogenys (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Ponerinae) in the United States. Pp. 29-34 in: Trager, J.C. (ed.) Advances in myrmecology. Leiden: E. J. Brill, xxvii + 551 pp.
- Trager, J.C., MacGown, J.A., Trager, M.D. 2007. Revision of the Nearctic endemic Formica pallidefulva group (pp. 610-636). In Snelling, R.R., Fisher, B.L. & Ward, P.S. (eds). Advances in ant systematics: homage to E.O. Wilson – 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80: 690 pp.