Veromessor pergandei

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Messor pergandei
M. pergandei worker from the United States
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Genus: Veromessor
Species:
V. pergandei
Binomial name
Veromessor pergandei
(Mayr, 1886)

Veromessor pergandei is a species of harvester ant native to the Southwestern United States, especially the deserts of southeastern California. It has also been identified in the Baja California peninsula of Mexico.[1] It was first described by Gustav Mayr, who named it Aphaenogaster pergandei.[2][3] It can also be referred to as a black harvester ant or desert harvester ant, although these common names have also been applied to other species.[4][5]

Description

V. pergandei has a head of equal length and width, with very large mandibles. It has short white or yellow hair and a large thorax. Males typically measure about 8.5 mm (0.33 in) and females about 10 mm (0.39 in).[1] However, individual size can vary based on factors such as availability of food and interspecific competition. The species is named after American myrmecologist Theodore Pergande.[6] The genus was for some time synonymized under Messor but has been split out based on a 2015 study.[7]

  • nest mound
    nest mound
  • worker
    worker

Ecology

Like other

perennial shrubs such as Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa are included in its diet.[8]

References

  1. ^
    JSTOR 20023057
    . Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  2. ^ Mayr, Gustav (1886). "Die Formiciden der Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika" (PDF). Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft (in German). 36. Vienna: 419–464. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Veromessor". AntWiki. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  4. PMID 16593953
    .
  5. ^ "Black Harvester Ant". Orkin. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  6. S2CID 84302379
    . Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  7. S2CID 83986771
    .
  8. OCLC 823874661
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Messor pergandei.
Wikispecies has information related to Veromessor pergandei.
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