''Messor'' is a myrmicine

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

s with more than 100

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, all of which are

harvester ant Harvester ant, also known as harvesting ant, is a common name for any of the species or genera of ants that collect seeds (called seed predation), or mushrooms as in the case of '' Euprenolepis procera'', which are stored in the nest in commu ...

s; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roadsides, openings are directly to the surface. Colonies can achieve huge sizes and are notable for their intricately designed

granaries A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...

in which seeds are stored in dry conditions, preventing germination. The structure of ''Messor'' spp. nests is complex and the genus on the whole is one of very accomplished architects. ''Messor'' spp. are polymorphic and have a distinct caste of macrocephalic dinoergates whose role is carrying and cutting the large seeds which comprise much of the colonies' subsistence. Although they primarily feed on seeds, they occasionally eat insects and snails. Some snail shells possibly are taken into the nest because of their grain-like shape. Equipped with a tough, shining cuticle, ''Messor'' spp. are slow-moving and form long, seed-carrying runs. Colonies tend to be monogynous - founded by a single queen alone. Looking specifically at the ''M. arenarius'' species for example, like some other types of

harvester ants Harvester ant, also known as harvesting ant, is a common name for any of the species or genera of ants that collect seeds (called seed predation), or mushrooms as in the case of ''Euprenolepis procera'', which are stored in the nest in commun ...

, they emit trail pheromones as well as operating on an individual level when looking for food sources.

Species

* '' Messor abdelazizi'' Santschi, 1921 * '' Messor aciculatus'' (Smith, 1874) * '' Messor aegyptiacus'' (Emery, 1878) * '' Messor alexandri'' Tohme, 1981 * '' Messor andrei'' (Mayr, 1886) * '' Messor angularis'' Santschi, 1928 * '' Messor antennatus'' Emery, 1908 * '' Messor aphaenogasteroides'' Pisarski, 1967 * ''

Messor aralocaspius ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' Ruzsky, 1902 * '' Messor arenarius'' (Fabricius, 1787) * '' Messor atanassovii'' Atanassov, 1982 * '' Messor barbarus'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1767) * ''

Messor beduinus ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' Emery, 1922 * ''

Messor berbericus ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' Bernard, 1955 * ''

Messor bernardi ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' Cagniant, 1967 * ''

Messor bouvieri ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near road ...

'' Bondroit, 1918 * ''

Messor buettikeri ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' Collingwood, 1985 * ''

Messor caducus ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' (Victor, 1839) * ''

Messor capensis ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' (Mayr, 1862) * ''

Messor capitatus ''Messor capitatus'' is an ant species part of the genus '' Messor''. This genus includes about 40 specialized species that are found in dry areas of Mediterranean countries such as Africa, Southern Europe, and Asia.''Messor capitatus'' are known ...

'' (Latreille, 1798) * ''

Messor carthaginensis ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' Bernard, 1980 * ''

Messor caviceps ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' (Forel, 1902) * '' Messor celiae'' Reyes, 1985 * '' Messor cephalotes'' (Emery, 1895) * '' Messor ceresis'' Santschi, 1934 * '' Messor chamberlini'' Wheeler, 1915 * '' Messor clypeatus'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927 * '' Messor collingwoodi'' Bolton, 1982 * '' Messor concolor'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor decipiens'' Santschi, 1917 * '' Messor dentatus'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor denticornis'' Forel, 1910 * '' Messor denticulatus'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor diabarensis'' Arnol'di, 1969 * '' Messor ebeninus'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor excursionis'' Ruzsky, 1905 * '' Messor ferreri'' Collingwood, 1993 * '' Messor foreli'' Santschi, 1923 * '' Messor fraternus'' Ruzsky, 1905 * '' Messor galla'' (Mayr, 1904) * '' Messor hebraeus'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor hellenius'' Agosti & Collingwood, 1987 * '' Messor himalayanus'' (Forel, 1902) * '' Messor hispanicus'' Santschi, 1919 * '' Messor ibericus'' Santschi, 1931 * '' Messor incisus'' Stitz, 1923 * '' Messor incorruptus'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929 * '' Messor inermis'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929 * '' Messor instabilis'' (Smith, 1858) * '' Messor intermedius'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor julianus'' (Pergande, 1894) * '' Messor kasakorum'' Arnol'di, 1969 * '' Messor kisilkumensis'' Arnol'di, 1969 * '' Messor lamellicornis'' Arnol'di, 1968 * '' Messor lariversi'' (Smith, 1951) * '' Messor lobicornis'' Forel, 1894 * '' Messor lobognathus'' Andrews, 1916 * '' Messor luebberti'' Forel, 1910 * '' Messor luridus'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor lusitanicus'' Tinaut, 1985 * '' Messor maculifrons'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor marikovskii'' Arnol'di, 1969 * '' Messor marocanus'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor medioruber'' Santschi, 1910 * '' Messor melancholicus'' Arnol'di, 1977 * ''

Messor minor ''Messor'' is a myrmicine genus of ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roa ...

'' (Andre, 1883) * '' Messor nahali'' Tohme, 1981 * '' Messor niloticus'' Santschi, 1938 * '' Messor oertzeni'' Forel, 1910 * '' Messor olegianus'' Arnol'di, 1969 * '' Messor orientalis'' (Emery, 1898) * '' Messor perantennatus'' Arnol'di, 1969 * '' Messor pergandei'' (Mayr, 1886) * '' Messor piceus'' Stitz, 1923 * '' Messor picturatus'' Santschi, 1927 * '' Messor planiceps'' Stitz, 1917 * '' Messor postpetiolatus'' Santschi, 1917 * '' Messor regalis'' (Emery, 1892) * '' Messor reticuliventris'' Karavaiev, 1910 * '' Messor rufotestaceus'' (Foerster, 1850) * '' Messor rufus'' Santschi, 1923 * '' Messor ruginodis'' Stitz, 1916 * '' Messor rugosus'' (Andre, 1881) * '' Messor sanctus'' Emery, 1921 * '' Messor sculpturatus'' Carpenter, 1930 * '' Messor semirufus'' (Andre, 1883) * '' Messor semoni'' (Forel, 1906) * '' Messor smithi'' (Cole, 1963) * '' Messor sordidus'' (Forel, 1892) * '' Messor stoddardi'' (Emery, 1895) * '' Messor striatellus'' Arnol'di, 1969 * '' Messor striaticeps'' (Andre, 1883) * '' Messor striatifrons'' Stitz, 1923 * '' Messor striativentris'' Emery, 1908 * '' Messor structor'' (Latreille, 1798) * '' Messor subgracilinodis'' Arnol'di, 1969 * '' Messor sultanus'' Santschi, 1917 * '' Messor syriacus'' Tohme, 1969 * '' Messor testaceus'' Donisthorpe, 1950 * '' Messor timidus'' (Espadaler, 1997) * '' Messor tropicorum'' Wheeler, 1922 * '' Messor turcmenochorassanicus'' Arnol'di, 1977 * '' Messor valentinae'' Arnol'di, 1969 * '' Messor variabilis'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927 * '' Messor vaucheri'' Emery, 1908 * '' Messor vicinus'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927 * '' Messor wasmanni'' Krausse, 1910 Ant 2007-1

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q311125 Myrmicinae Ant genera