Veromessor pergandei explained

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 8.5mm and females about 10mm.[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]

Ecology

Like other harvester ants, V. pergandei gathers fruits and seeds for food. The seeds of perennial shrubs such as Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa are included in its diet.[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Wheeler . William Morton . William Morton Wheeler . Creighton . William Steel . 1934 . A study of the ant genera Novomessor and Veromessor . Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . 69 . 9 . 341–387 . 10 January 2013 . 10.2307/20023057. 20023057 .
  2. Mayr . Gustav . Gustav Mayr . 1886 . Die Formiciden der Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika . Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft . 36 . 419–464 . Vienna . German . 10 January 2013.
  3. Web site: Veromessor . AntWiki . 10 January 2013.
  4. Lighton . J.R. . Bartholomew . G.A. . George Bartholomew (biologist) . 1988 . Standard energy metabolism of a desert harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex rugosus: Effects of temperature, body mass, group size, and humidity . . 85 . 13 . 4765–4769 . 16593953 . 10.1073/pnas.85.13.4765 . 280516. 1988PNAS...85.4765L . free .
  5. Web site: Black Harvester Ant . . 10 January 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120830174202/http://www.orkin.com/ants/harvester-ant/black-harvester-ant/ . 30 August 2012 .
  6. Davidson . Diane W. . 1978 . Size variability in the worker caste of a social insect (Veromessor pergandei Mayr) as a function of the competitive environment . . 112 . 985 . 523–532 . 10 January 2013 . 10.1086/283294. 84302379 .
  7. Ward. Philip S.. Brady. Seán G.. Fisher. Brian L.. Schultz. Ted R.. 2015. The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Phylogeny and evolution of myrmicine ants. Systematic Entomology. en. 40. 1. 61–81. 10.1111/syen.12090. 2015SysEn..40...61W . 83986771 .
  8. Perennial shrub and harvester ant responses to environmental gradients in southern California deserts . Wissinger . Benjamin D. . 2012 . . 823874661.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Veromessor pergandei".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.