A worker Pogonomyrmex rugosus, the rough harvester ant. This beautiful ant is a common species in deserts of southwestern North America, varying in color from red-black to nearly all black. Mojave National Preserve, California, USA - Alex Wild Photography - Insect Photography

Pogonomyrmex

is an iconic ant of deserts and other arid habitats in North and South America. These conspicuous insects are normally granivorous, playing ecologically important roles as scavengers and seed dispersers. Pogonomyrmex is also known for having a uniquely painful sting.

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Pogonomyrmex pima workers carrying excavated soil out of the nest.

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Pogonomyrmex pima is a small, inconspicuous species that unlike its larger cousins lacks the psammophore on the underside of the head. Here, a worker carries excavated soil out of the nest.

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Pogonomyrmex rastratus

Amaicha del Valle, Tucumán, Argentina

Pogonomyrmex rastratus, among the most colorful of the South American harvester ants.

Amaicha del Valle, Tucumán, Argentina

A worker Pogonomyrmex rugosus, the rough harvester ant. This beautiful ant is a common species in deserts of southwestern North America, varying in color from red-black to nearly all black.

Mojave National Preserve, California, USA

Pogonomyrmex rugosus, harvester ant worker cutting grass seeds off the stalk.

Tucson, Arizona, USA

A Pogonomyrmex rugosus worker shows off her psammophore, the basket of long hairs on the underside of her head used for carrying sand grains. This structure enticed Austrian taxonomist Gustav Mayr to name this genus Pogonomyrmex, or "bearded ant".

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Two harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex rugosus) from adjacent nests engaging in ritual warfare, pushing in a display of force but not actually harming each other. It is thought that colonies use these mock battles to gather information about their neighbors. Knowledge about the strength of competing colonies helps ants set territorial borders without loss of life.

Tucson, Arizona, USA

A worker Pogonomyrmex rugosus, the rough harvester ant. This beautiful ant is a common species in deserts of southwestern North America, varying in color from red-black to nearly all black.

Mojave National Preserve, California, USA

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Keywords: desert pogo insect insects deserts pogos formicidae myrmicinae harvester ants pogonomyrmex pogonomyrmex rugosus rough harvester ant

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Pogonomyrmex

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