A minor worker of Pheidole aberrans, a small but ambitious South American harvester ant, lugs a grass seed to her nest. Correa, Santa Fe, Argentina
A trail of Pheidole rhea, North America's largest Pheidole species. Tucson, Arizona, USA
Pheidole
Many Pheidole species are granivorous. This nest contains stores of gathered seeds, and the large ant belongs to a specialized seed-milling caste. Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Meranoplus unicolor. An Australian harvester ant carries a seed back to her nest. Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia
Novomessor cockerelli
Novomessor cockerelli, one of the most conspicuous harvester ants of American southwest, carries a mesquite seed back to her nest. Tucson, Arizona, USA
Novomessor albisetosa
Harvester ants carry a seed back to their nest. Portal, Arizona, USA
Veromessor pergandei
Mojave National Preserve, California, USA
Veromessor pergandei seed-harvesting ants, with seeds. Colonies of this species contain worker ants of different sizes, while most other seed harvesters in the Mojave desert have monomorphic workers. Anza Borrego Desert, California, USA
Veromessor lariversi
Veromessor lariversi carrying a seed back to her nest. Night-active species are often lighter in color than their day-active counterparts. Sand Springs Dune, Nevada, USA
A busy colony of black harvester ants in the Colorado desert. Anza Borrego, California, USA.
Predatory Euryopis spiders snatch foraging harvester ants and drag them up grass blades to feed. Here, a spider consumes a worker Messor pergandei. Mojave National Preserve, California, USA
Veromessor pergandei is among the most common seed harvesting ants in southern California. Colonies of this species contain worker ants of different sizes, while most other seed harvesters in the region have monomorphic workers. Here, a major worker carries a seed back to the nest. Anza Borrego Desert, California, USA
Veromessor andrei
Harvester ant workers carry grass seeds back to their nest along a busy trail. Hastings Reserve, Carmel Valley, California.
On a cold spring day, harvester ants cluster around their nest entrance to warm up in the sun before heading out to forage. Frank Raines State Park, California, USA
Pogonomyrmex badius
Pogonomyrmex badius, the Florida harvester ant Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
Pogonomyrmex badius, the Florida harvester ant, queen. Her enlarged thorax holds muscles from younger days when she had wings for dispersing from her natal nest. Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
A nest of Pogonomyrmex badius, the Florida harvester ant. Nests of this species are characteristically ringed with debris and small pieces of charcoal, which are thought to serve as a boundary to keep other ants away from the nest entrance. Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
The Florida harvester ant Pogonomyrmex badius is the only North American pogo found east of the Mississippi, and the only species that is polymorphic in the worker caste. The individual on the right is a major worker whose enlarged head holds muscles useful for milling seeds. Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
Pogonomyrmex maricopa, a harvester ant Tucson, Arizona, USA
Pogonomyrmex desertorum. Harvester ants sometimes climb up grass stalks to collect seeds. Tucson, Arizona, USA
