Pogonomyrmex Desertorum Casent0000258 Dorsal 1

''Pogonomyrmex'' is a genus of harvester ants, occurring primarily in the deserts of North, Central, and South America, with a single endemic species from Haiti.Cole, A.C. 1968. Pogonomyrmex Harvester Ants: a study of the genus in North America. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN.

Description

The genus name originated from the Greek language and refers to a beard-like structure, the psammophore, below the head (Greek πώγων/''pōgōn'', "beard" + μύρμηξ/''murmēx'', "ant"), which can be found in most species of the subgenus ''sensu stricto''. The psammophore is used for gathering small seeds, helping to increase the efficiency of transportation of fine sand and pebbles during nest construction, or to carry eggs. However, this structure is missing in species of the subgenus ''Ephebomyrmex'' (Greek ἔφηβος/''ephēbos'', "beardless lad"), and these species generally have smaller individuals and colonies.

Venom

''Pogonomyrmex'' (''sensu stricto'') workers have the most toxic venom documented in any insects, with ''Pogonomyrmex maricopa'' being the most toxic tested thus far. It has an of only 0.12 mg/kg, compared to western honey bee venom, at 2.8 mg/kg, and comparable to cobra venom. The venom is presumed to be an antivertebrate defense, specifically against predators that have evolved to selectively feed on them such as horned lizards. Very few insects have had the toxicity of their venoms formally tested, and other insects likely have more potent venoms.

Nests

These ants dig very deep nests with many underground chambers in which they keep seeds, from which they derive food for their larvae. The areas around most ''Pogonomyrmex'' (''sensu stricto'') nests tend to be utterly devoid of vegetation, and are easily seen from a distance.

Predation

In addition to horned lizards, predatory wasps in the genus ''Clypeadon'' feed only on ''Pogonomyrmex'' workers, paralyzing them with their venom, and carrying them back to a burrow where they will serve as food for the wasp's larva.

Species

As of 2014, there are 69 extant and 1 fossil species in the genus.

*''Pogonomyrmex abdominalis'' Santschi, 1929
*'' Pogonomyrmex andinus'' Kusnezov, 1951
*''Pogonomyrmex anergismus'' Cole, 1954
*'' Pogonomyrmex angustus'' Mayr, 1870
*''Pogonomyrmex anzensis'' Cole, 1968
*'' Pogonomyrmex apache'' Wheeler, 1902
*'' Pogonomyrmex atratus'' Santschi, 1922
*''Pogonomyrmex badius'' (Latreille, 1802)
*'' Pogonomyrmex barbatus'' (Smith, 1858)
*'' Pogonomyrmex bicolor'' Cole, 1968
*'' Pogonomyrmex bigbendensis'' Francke & Merickel, 1982
*'' Pogonomyrmex bispinosus'' (Spinola, 1851)
*''Pogonomyrmex brevibarbis'' Emery, 1906
*''Pogonomyrmex brevispinosus'' Cole, 1968
*''Pogonomyrmex bruchi'' Forel, 1913
*'' Pogonomyrmex californicus'' (Buckley, 1866)
*'' Pogonomyrmex carbonarius'' Mayr, 1868
*''Pogonomyrmex catanlilensis'' Gallardo, 1931
*''Pogonomyrmex coarctatus'' Mayr, 1868
*''Pogonomyrmex colei'' Snelling, 1982
*''Pogonomyrmex comanche'' Wheeler, 1902
*'' Pogonomyrmex cunicularius'' Mayr, 1887
*''Pogonomyrmex desertorum'' Wheeler, 1902
*†'' Pogonomyrmex fossilis'' Carpenter, 1930
*'' Pogonomyrmex guatemaltecus'' Wheeler, 1914
*'' Pogonomyrmex hoelldobleri'' Johnson, Overson & Moreau, 2013Johnson, R. A., et al. (2013)
A new species of seed-harvester ant, ''Pogonomyrmex hoelldobleri'' (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), from the Mohave and Sonoran Deserts of North America.
''Zootaxa'' 3646(3), 201-27.
*'' Pogonomyrmex huachucanus'' Wheeler, 1914
*'' Pogonomyrmex humerotumidus'' Vásquez-Bolaños & Mackay, 2004
*''Pogonomyrmex imberbiculus'' Wheeler, 1902
*''Pogonomyrmex inermis'' Forel, 1914
*''Pogonomyrmex kusnezovi'' Cuezzo & Claver, 2009Cuezzo, F. and S. Claver. (2009)
Two new species of the ant genus ''Pogonomyrmex'' (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Argentina.
''Rev. Soc. Entomol. Argent'' 68(1-2), 97-106.
*''Pogonomyrmex laevigatus'' Santschi, 1921
*''Pogonomyrmex laevinodis'' Snelling, 1982
*''Pogonomyrmex laticeps'' Santschi, 1922
*'' Pogonomyrmex lobatus'' Santschi, 1921
*'' Pogonomyrmex longibarbis'' Gallardo, 1931
*''Pogonomyrmex magnacanthus'' Cole, 1968
*''Pogonomyrmex marcusi'' Kusnezov, 1951
*''Pogonomyrmex maricopa'' Wheeler, 1914
*''Pogonomyrmex mayri'' Forel, 1899
*''Pogonomyrmex mendozanus'' Cuezzo & Claver, 2009
*'' Pogonomyrmex meridionalis'' Kusnezov, 1951
*'' Pogonomyrmex micans'' Forel, 1914
*''Pogonomyrmex mohavensis'' Johnson & Overson, 2009Johnson, R. A. and R. P. Overson. (2009)
A new North american species of ''Pogonomyrmex'' (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Mohave Desert of eastern California and western Nevada.
''Journal of Hymenptera Research'' 18(2), 305-14.
*'' Pogonomyrmex montanus'' MacKay, 1980
*''Pogonomyrmex naegelii'' Emery, 1878
*''Pogonomyrmex occidentalis'' (Cresson, 1865)
*'' Pogonomyrmex odoratus'' Kusnezov, 1949
*'' Pogonomyrmex pima'' Wheeler, 1909
*'' Pogonomyrmex pronotalis'' Santschi, 1922
*'' Pogonomyrmex rastratus'' Mayr, 1868
*'' Pogonomyrmex rugosus'' Emery, 1895
*''Pogonomyrmex salinus'' Olsen, 1934
*'' Pogonomyrmex saucius'' Wheeler & Mann, 1914
*''Pogonomyrmex schmitti'' Forel, 1901
*'' Pogonomyrmex snellingi'' Taber, 1998
*'' Pogonomyrmex stefani'' Lattke, 2006Lattke, J. E. (2006)
A new species of ''Pogonomyrmex'' (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from gallery forests of the Orinoco Watershed, Venezuela.
''Myrmecologische Nachrichten'' 8, 53-57.
*'' Pogonomyrmex striatinodus'' Fernández & Palacio, 1998
*''Pogonomyrmex subdentatus'' Mayr, 1870
*''Pogonomyrmex subnitidus'' Emery, 1895
*''Pogonomyrmex sylvestris'' Lattke, 1991
*''Pogonomyrmex tenuipubens'' Santschi, 1936
*'' Pogonomyrmex tenuispinus'' Forel, 1914
*'' Pogonomyrmex texanus'' Francke & Merickel, 1982
*''Pogonomyrmex theresiae'' Forel, 1899
*'' Pogonomyrmex uruguayensis'' Mayr, 1887
*''Pogonomyrmex variabilis'' Santschi, 1916
*''Pogonomyrmex vermiculatus'' Emery, 1906
*''Pogonomyrmex wheeleri'' Olsen, 1934

Gallery

Pogonomyrmex californicus 2003-05-19.jpg, ''P. californicus''
BARB2.jpg, ''P. barbatus'' with psammophore visible
Ants Eating A Caterpillar.jpg, ''Pogonomyrmex'' collecting food item
Pogonomyrmex.barbatus.larvae.-.wheeler.svg, Larvae of ''P. barbatus''

References

External links

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q138710

Ant genera
Hymenoptera of North America
Hymenoptera of South America
Taxa named by Gustav Mayr