Pogonomyrmex

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Hymenopterida
Ordo: Hymenoptera
Subordo: Apocrita
Superfamilia: Formicoidea

Familia: Formicidae
Subfamilia: Myrmicinae
Tribus: Pogonomyrmecini
Genus: Pogonomyrmex
Species: P. abdominalis – P. andinus – P. anergismus – P. angustus – P. anzensis – P. apache – P. atratus – P. badius – P. barbatus – P. bicolor – P. bigbendensis – P. bispinosus – P. brevibarbis – P. brevispinosus – P. bruchi – P. californicus – P. carbonarius – P. catanlilensis – P. coarctatus – P. colei – P. comanche – P. cunicularius – P. desertorum – P. guatemaltecus – P. hoelldobleri – P. huachucanus – P. humerotumidus – P. imberbiculus – P. inermis – P. kusnezovi – P. laevigatus – P. laevinodis – P. laticeps – P. lobatus – P. longibarbis – P. magnacanthus – P. marcusi – P. maricopa – P. mayri – P. mendozanus – P. meridionalis – P. micans – P. mohavensis – P. montanus – P. naegelii – P. occidentalis – P. odoratus – P. pima – P. pronotalis – P. rastratus – P. rugosus – P. salinus – P. saucius – P. schmitti – P. snellingi – P. stefani – P. striatinodis – P. subdentatus – P. subnitidus – P. sylvestris – P. tenuipubens – P. tenuispinus – P. texanus – P. theresiae – P. uruguayensis – P. variabilis – P. vermiculatus – P. wheeleri – †P. fossilis
Name

Pogonomyrmex Mayr, 1868: 169

Type species: Formica badia Latreille, designated by Wheeler, 1911.
Synonyms

Ephebomyrmex Wheeler
Forelomyrmex Wheeler
Janetia Forel
Pogonomyrmex (Ephebomyrmex) Wheeler
Pogonomyrmex (Forelomyrmex) Wheeler
Pogonomyrmex (Janetia) Forel
Pogonomyrmex (Pogonomyrmex) Mayr

References

Creighton. 1950: The ants of North America. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard College, 104: 1–585.
Cuezzo, F.; Claver, S. 2009: Two new species of the ant genus Pogonomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Argentina. Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina, 68 (1-2): 97–106.
Dalla Torre. 1893: Catalogus hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Volumen VII: Formicidae (Heterogyna). Sumptibus Guilelmi Engelmann, Lipsiae. 289 pp.
Johnson, R.A. 2015. A taxonomic revision of South American species of the seed-harvester ant genus Pogonomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Part I. Zootaxa 4029(1): 1–142. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4029.1.1. Preview (PDF) ISBN 978-1-77557-811-6 (paperback); ISBN 978-1-77557-812-3 (Online edition) Reference page.
Johnson, R.A. & Cover, S.P. 2015: A taxonomic revision of the seed-harvester ant genus Pogonomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on Hispaniola. Zootaxa 3972(2): 231–249. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3972.2.5. Preview (PDF) Reference page.
Johnson, R.A.; Overson, R.P. 2009: A new North American species of Pogonomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Mohave Desert of Eastern California and Western Nevada. Journal of Hymenoptera research, 18: 305–314. ISSN: 1070-9428
Lattke, J.E. 2006: A new species of Pogonomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from gallery forests of the Orinoco Watershed, Venezuela. Myrmecologische Nachrichten, 8: 53–57. PDF
Mayr, G. 1868: Formicidae novae americanae collectae a Prof. P. de Strobel. Annuario della Societa dei Naturalisti Modena, 3: 161–178.
Mayr, G. 1870: Neue Formiciden. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 20: 939–996.
Mayr, G. 1887: Südamerikanische Formiciden. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 37: 511–632.

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.[2]

Description

The genus name originated from the Greek language 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 sensu stricto. 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 documented in any insects, with Pogonomyrmex maricopa being the most toxic tested thus far.[3] It has an LD50 of only 0.12 mg/kg, compared to western honey bee venom, at 2.8 mg/kg, and comparable to cobra venom. The venom is presumed to be an antivertebrate defense, specifically against predators that have evolved to selectively feed on them such as horned lizards. 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 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.[2]
Species

As of 2014, there are 69 extant and 1 fossil species in the genus.[1]

Pogonomyrmex abdominalis Santschi, 1929
Pogonomyrmex andinus Kusnezov, 1951
Pogonomyrmex anergismus Cole, 1954
Pogonomyrmex angustus Mayr, 1870
Pogonomyrmex anzensis Cole, 1968
Pogonomyrmex apache Wheeler, 1902
Pogonomyrmex atratus Santschi, 1922
Pogonomyrmex badius (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[4]
Pogonomyrmex huachucanus Wheeler, 1914
Pogonomyrmex humerotumidus Vásquez-Bolaños & Mackay, 2004
Pogonomyrmex imberbiculus Wheeler, 1902
Pogonomyrmex inermis Forel, 1914
Pogonomyrmex kusnezovi Cuezzo & Claver, 2009[5]
Pogonomyrmex laevigatus Santschi, 1921
Pogonomyrmex laevinodis Snelling, 1982
Pogonomyrmex laticeps Santschi, 1922
Pogonomyrmex lobatus Santschi, 1921
Pogonomyrmex longibarbis Gallardo, 1931
Pogonomyrmex magnacanthus Cole, 1968
Pogonomyrmex marcusi Kusnezov, 1951
Pogonomyrmex maricopa Wheeler, 1914
Pogonomyrmex mayri Forel, 1899
Pogonomyrmex mendozanus Cuezzo & Claver, 2009[5]
Pogonomyrmex meridionalis Kusnezov, 1951
Pogonomyrmex micans Forel, 1914
Pogonomyrmex mohavensis Johnson & Overson, 2009[6]
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[7]
Pogonomyrmex striatinodus Fernández & Palacio, 1998
Pogonomyrmex subdentatus Mayr, 1870
Pogonomyrmex subnitidus Emery, 1895
Pogonomyrmex sylvestris Lattke, 1991
Pogonomyrmex tenuipubens Santschi, 1936
Pogonomyrmex tenuispinus Forel, 1914
Pogonomyrmex texanus Francke & Merickel, 1982
Pogonomyrmex theresiae Forel, 1899
Pogonomyrmex uruguayensis Mayr, 1887
Pogonomyrmex variabilis Santschi, 1916
Pogonomyrmex vermiculatus Emery, 1906
Pogonomyrmex wheeleri Olsen, 1934

References

Bolton, B. (2014). "Pogonomyrmex". AntCat. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
Cole, A.C. 1968. Pogonomyrmex Harvester Ants: a study of the genus in North America. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN.
W. L. Meyer (1996-05-01). "Chapter 23 — Most Toxic Insect Venom". Book of Insect Records. University of Florida. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13.
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.[permanent dead link] Zootaxa 3646(3), 201-27.
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.
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.
Lattke, J. E. (2006). A new species of Pogonomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from gallery forests of the Orinoco Watershed, Venezuela.[permanent dead link] Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8, 53-57.