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In 1976 we published "Ant Larvae: Review and Synthesis," which we regarded as a summary of our life-time of research. During the following years so many new larvae were added to our collection and so much was published about ant larvae that we decided another general treatment was desirable; so in 1986 we published a "Ten-Year Supplement" to include additions and revisions to our Memoir. In 1987 and 1988 additional material warranted a supplement to the "10-year Supplement" in 1989a. This article is the third supplement to the Memoir. In the supplement, two genera are characterized, one generic characterization is revised, and references in the literature are increased by 43. Changes in our Memoir (1976) and its supplements (1986, 1989a) are noted.
The history of myrmrecology in Wyoming began when Fore1 described a new species, obscuripes in the genus Formica from Green River in 1886, four years before Wyoming Territory became a state. There was a long hiatus until 1932 when Cole cited ten records for Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. Since then a dozen authors have published one to many records each. During the summers of 1957, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1964,1965 and 1966, while we were still at the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks), we made a dozen field trips into Wyoming to observe and collect ants in 12 of the 23 counties and in Yellowstone National Park. These expeditions yielded a total of 168 records for 45 species (a record is a species in a locality).
In 1960 we published "Techniques for the study of ant larvae." We referred to it in 1976 and again in 1986. In the intervening years three authors have cited it and the quality of their drawings suggest they have benefited from our suggestions. The poor quality of most other recent drawings suggest they have not seen our article. Perhaps a 1960 reference is too old to be caught in latter-day "literature searches." Or, if the searcher did find it, he was unwilling to take the trouble to follow the recommended techniques. And troublesome they are, especially if one does not have readily available the required apparatus and chemicals.
The recent (1986) publication of “My Association with William Morton Wheeler” evidently stirred my latent autobiographical urge. It is quite reasonable that I should next apply it to William Steel Creighton, for he certainly ranks next to W. M. Wheeler among American myrmecologists. It will be quite different, however, because my actual association with Creighton was very brief twice a dinner guest in New York City and two visits in La Feria, Texas. Correspondence, however, is quite different. I received 45 letters from W. M. Wheeler between 1919 and 1936; the last was dated four months before his death. They dealt chiefly with our proposed treatise on ant larvae; only two ran over to the second page. From Creighton I received 81 letters between 1929 (while he was still a graduate student at Harvard) and 1973 (dated 12 days before his death). His early letters filled one page; the length increased gradually to three pages. The subject matter was chiefly practical taxonomy, but the wide variety of topics treated makes them just as interesting as when they were written.