''Pogonomyrmex'' is a
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 ...
of
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, occurring primarily in the deserts of
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north ...
,
Central, and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
, 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
Greek ( el, label= Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy ( Calabria and Salento), southe ...
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
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
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
The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for "bee", and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for "honey-bearing" or "honey carrying" ...
venom, at 2.8 mg/kg, and comparable to
cobra venom. The venom is presumed to be an antivertebrate defense, specifically against
predator
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...
s that have evolved to selectively feed on them such as
horned lizard
Horned lizards (''Phrynosoma''), also known as horny toads or horntoads, are a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies, ...
s. 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
''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. ...
''
Kusnezov, 1951
*''
Pogonomyrmex anergismus''
Cole, 1954
*''
Pogonomyrmex angustus
''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. ...
''
Mayr, 1870
*''
Pogonomyrmex anzensis''
Cole, 1968
*''
Pogonomyrmex apache
''Pogonomyrmex apache'' is a species of ant in the family Formicidae.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United St ...
''
Wheeler, 1902
*''
Pogonomyrmex atratus
''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. ...
''
Santschi, 1922
*''
Pogonomyrmex badius''
(Latreille, 1802)
*''
Pogonomyrmex barbatus
''Pogonomyrmex barbatus'' is a species of harvester ant from the genus ''Pogonomyrmex''. Its common names include red ant and red harvester ant. These large (5– to 7-mm) ants prefer arid chaparral habitats and are native to the Southwestern Uni ...
''
(Smith, 1858)
*''
Pogonomyrmex bicolor
''Pogonomyrmex bicolor'', the bicolored harvester ant, is a species of ant in the family Formicidae.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
bicolor
Articles created by Qbugbot
Insects described in 1968
{{ant-stub ...
''
Cole, 1968
*''
Pogonomyrmex bigbendensis
''Pogonomyrmex bigbendensis'' is a species of ant in the family Formicidae.
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
bigbendensis
Insects described in 1982
{{ant-stub ...
''
Francke & Merickel, 1982
*''
Pogonomyrmex bispinosus
''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. ...
''
(Spinola, 1851)
*''
Pogonomyrmex brevibarbis''
Emery, 1906
*''
Pogonomyrmex brevispinosus''
Cole, 1968
*''
Pogonomyrmex bruchi''
Forel, 1913
*''
Pogonomyrmex californicus
''Pogonomyrmex californicus'', or California harvester ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is native to North America, where it occurs in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is best known as the ant that i ...
''
(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, 2013[Johnson, 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
''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. ...
''
Wheeler, 1914
*''
Pogonomyrmex humerotumidus''
Vásquez-Bolaños & Mackay, 2004
*''
Pogonomyrmex imberbiculus''
Wheeler, 1902
*''
Pogonomyrmex inermis''
Forel, 1914
*''
Pogonomyrmex kusnezovi''
Cuezzo & Claver, 2009[Cuezzo, 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, 2009][Johnson, 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
''Pogonomyrmex occidentalis'', or the western harvester ant, is a species of ant that inhabits the deserts and arid grasslands of the American West at or below . Like other harvester ants in the genus ''Pogonomyrmex'', it is so called because of ...
'' (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, 2006[Lattke, 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
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q138710
Ant genera
Hymenoptera of North America
Hymenoptera of South America
Taxa named by Gustav Mayr