''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
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
, 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 sou ...
, with a single endemic species from
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...
.
[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), souther ...
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
In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between ...
''
sensu stricto
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...
''. 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
''Pogonomyrmex maricopa'', the Maricopa harvester ant, is one of the most common species of harvester ant found in the U.S. state of Arizona, but it is also known from California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and Utah, and the Mexi ...
'' 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 t ...
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
''Clypeadon'' is a genus of wasps belonging to the family Crabronidae
The Crabronidae are a large paraphyletic group (nominally a family) of wasps, including nearly all of the species formerly comprising the now-defunct superfamily Sphecoid ...
'' 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
''Pogonomyrmex anergismus'' is a species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae
Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting ...
''
Cole, 1954
*''
Pogonomyrmex angustus''
Mayr, 1870
*''
Pogonomyrmex anzensis
''Pogonomyrmex anzensis'', the Anza desert harvester, is a species of 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 ances ...
''
Cole, 1968
*''
Pogonomyrmex apache''
Wheeler, 1902
*''
Pogonomyrmex atratus''
Santschi, 1922
*''
Pogonomyrmex badius
''Pogonomyrmex badius'', or the Florida harvester ant, is a species of harvester ant in the genus ''Pogonomyrmex''. It is the only ''Pogonomyrmex'' species found on the east coast of the United States and the only one in North America known to b ...
''
(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, 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''
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
''Pogonomyrmex'' is a genus of harvester ants, occurring primarily in the deserts of North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America, with a single endemic species from Haiti.Cole, A.C. 1968. Pogonomyrmex Harvester Ants: a study ...
''
Gallardo, 1931
*''
Pogonomyrmex magnacanthus''
Cole, 1968
*''
Pogonomyrmex marcusi
''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 Ameri ...
''
Kusnezov, 1951
*''
Pogonomyrmex maricopa
''Pogonomyrmex maricopa'', the Maricopa harvester ant, is one of the most common species of harvester ant found in the U.S. state of Arizona, but it is also known from California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and Utah, and the Mexi ...
''
Wheeler, 1914
*''
Pogonomyrmex mayri
''Pogonomyrmex'' is a genus of harvester ants, occurring primarily in the deserts of North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America, with a single endemic species from Haiti.Cole, A.C. 1968. Pogonomyrmex Harvester Ants: a study ...
''
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'' (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
''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 Ameri ...
'' Lattke, 1991
*'' Pogonomyrmex tenuipubens'' Santschi, 1936
*''Pogonomyrmex tenuispinus
''Pogonomyrmex'' is a genus of harvester ants, occurring primarily in the deserts of North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America, with a single endemic species from Haiti.Cole, A.C. 1968. Pogonomyrmex Harvester Ants: a study ...
'' Forel, 1914
*'' Pogonomyrmex texanus'' Francke & Merickel, 1982
*''Pogonomyrmex theresiae
''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 Ameri ...
'' 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