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pogolumina  > Other ants > Messor
Images of Messor harvester ants in Arizona, USA. More coming soon!
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pogolumina > ● Fernley [Lyon Co], NV USA [el. 1271 m / 4171 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 6/22/10 7:09AM sunny, air temp: 15°C / 59°F [IMAGE 1 of 4] The beautiful Messor lariversi, imaged in northern Nevada. This rare nocturnal harvester is seldom seen. Like many other ants on this site, M. lariversi workers posses a prominent psammophore, the basket-like (or beard-like) structure of hairs on the underside of the head. [scroll down for additional notes/references] ADDITIONAL NOTES/REFERENCES: This unusual member of the genus Messor is a nocturnal/twilight forager. These ants subsist mostly on harvested seeds, though they will scavenge dead insects (and other arthropods) as well. Messror lariversi workers are honey-colored, and have very large eyes well suited to their nocturnal habits. Their small (7.6 cm / 3 inch diameter) nests are found in sandy areas of Nevada, and California, USA. Colonies are small, containing several hundred members, and the workers are gentle and inoffensive - showing no signs of aggressive/defensive behavior when being imaged. These ants are quite rare, and are not often encountered. ·Cole, A.C. 1966. Ants of the Nevada Test Site. Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series - Vol. VII, Number 3, June 1966·Fisher, B.L. & S.P. Cover. 2007. Ants of North America: A Guide to the Genera. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA, University of California Press·Johnson, R.A. 2000. Seed Harvesting Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of North America: An Overview of Ecology and Biogeography. Sociobiology Vol.36, No. 1, 2000
pogolumina > ● Fernley [Lyon Co], NV USA [el. 1271 m / 4171 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 6/22/10 7:09AM sunny, air temp: 15°C / 59°F [IMAGE 2 of 4] The first thing one notices about Messor lariversi workers, are the large, light-gathering eyes. These ants apparently forage for seeds during the night, and at twilight. The workers shown here, however, were observed and imaged while conducting early morning nest maintenance - on a bright, sunny day. [scroll down for additional notes/references] ADDITIONAL NOTES/REFERENCES: This unusual member of the genus Messor is a nocturnal/twilight forager. These ants subsist mostly on harvested seeds, though they will scavenge dead insects (and other arthropods) as well. Messror lariversi workers are honey-colored, and have very large eyes well suited to their nocturnal habits. Their small (7.6 cm / 3 inch diameter) nests are found in sandy areas of Nevada, and California, USA. Colonies are small, containing several hundred members, and the workers are gentle and inoffensive - showing no signs of aggressive/defensive behavior when being imaged. These ants are quite rare, and are not often encountered. ·Cole, A.C. 1966. Ants of the Nevada Test Site. Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series - Vol. VII, Number 3, June 1966·Fisher, B.L. & S.P. Cover. 2007. Ants of North America: A Guide to the Genera. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA, University of California Press·Johnson, R.A. 2000. Seed Harvesting Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of North America: An Overview of Ecology and Biogeography. Sociobiology Vol.36, No. 1, 2000
pogolumina > ● Fernley [Lyon Co], NV USA [el. 1271 m / 4171 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 6/23/10 6:34AM partly cloudy, air temp: 17°C / 62°F [IMAGE 3 of 4] M. lariversi workers appear to be very timid. They were often unwilling to exit the nest if I was near. Here, a worker peers from the nest entrance, with antennae waving - trying to decide whether it's safe to come out, or not. I remained very still, and she eventually (and very cautiously) emerged. [scroll down for additional notes/references] ADDITIONAL NOTES/REFERENCES: This unusual member of the genus Messor is a nocturnal/twilight forager. These ants subsist mostly on harvested seeds, though they will scavenge dead insects (and other arthropods) as well. Messror lariversi workers are honey-colored, and have very large eyes well suited to their nocturnal habits. Their small (7.6 cm / 3 inch diameter) nests are found in sandy areas of Nevada, and California, USA. Colonies are small, containing several hundred members, and the workers are gentle and inoffensive - showing no signs of aggressive/defensive behavior when being imaged. These ants are quite rare, and are not often encountered. ·Cole, A.C. 1966. Ants of the Nevada Test Site. Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series - Vol. VII, Number 3, June 1966·Fisher, B.L. & S.P. Cover. 2007. Ants of North America: A Guide to the Genera. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA, University of California Press·Johnson, R.A. 2000. Seed Harvesting Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of North America: An Overview of Ecology and Biogeography. Sociobiology Vol.36, No. 1, 2000
pogolumina > ● Fernley [Lyon Co], NV USA [el. 1271 m / 4171 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 6/23/10 6:34AM partly cloudy, air temp: 17°C / 62°F [IMAGE 4 of 4] I watched as M. lariversi workers brought up loads of excavated soil particles from the nest interior. Here, a worker is imaged just after releasing some gravel. This material (the byproduct of tunnel excavation in the nest interior), is dumped outside the nest entrance, forming the small crater-like nest structures typical of this species. [scroll down for additional notes/references] ADDITIONAL NOTES/REFERENCES: This unusual member of the genus Messor is a nocturnal/twilight forager. These ants subsist mostly on harvested seeds, though they will scavenge dead insects (and other arthropods) as well. Messror lariversi workers are honey-colored, and have very large eyes well suited to their nocturnal habits. Their small (7.6 cm / 3 inch diameter) nests are found in sandy areas of Nevada, and California, USA. Colonies are small, containing several hundred members, and the workers are gentle and inoffensive - showing no signs of aggressive/defensive behavior when being imaged. These ants are quite rare, and are not often encountered. ·Cole, A.C. 1966. Ants of the Nevada Test Site. Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series - Vol. VII, Number 3, June 1966·Fisher, B.L. & S.P. Cover. 2007. Ants of North America: A Guide to the Genera. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA, University of California Press·Johnson, R.A. 2000. Seed Harvesting Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of North America: An Overview of Ecology and Biogeography. Sociobiology Vol.36, No. 1, 2000
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 7:18AM sunny, air temp: 14°C / 58°F In this close-up of a Messor pergandei worker, the propodeal spines and the psammophore can be seen.
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 7:18AM sunny, air temp: 14°C / 58°F Another view of the Messor pergandei worker from the previous image.
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 7:47AM sunny, air temp: 17°C / 62°F When I first arrived, this large M. pergandei nest was relatively quiet, with just a few workers active. That all changed dramatically however, when the direct rays of the morning sun hit the nest at about 7:45AM. At this point, with an air temperature of 18°C / 64°F, hundreds off eager foragers poured out of the nest entrance in a single, wide column. This image shows the differently-sized workers that are are produced by the colony as availability of resources fluctuates during the year. [scroll down for additional notes/references] ADDITIONAL NOTES/REFERENCES: ·Rissing, S.W. 1986. Annual Cycles in Worker Size of the Seed Harvesting Ant Veromessor pergandei (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (1987) 20:117-124
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 7:50AM sunny, air temp: 17°C / 62°F This Messor pergandei nest was surrounded by a thick layer of 'chaff' - in this case, the discarded remnants of grasses. Often, large parts of grass stems are harvested, then the bulk of this material is dumped around the outside of the nest after the nutritious seeds have been removed. Here, foraging workers can be seen traversing this material as they head out in search of more food for the colony.
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 8:44AM sunny, air temp: 21°C / 70°F The physical dimensions of this M. pergandei nest were difficult to determine. The crater-like structure was approximately 0.76m / 2.5 ft wide, but was composed entirely of plant material discarded by the ants (chaff). I expected to find a raised sand and gravel structure beneath this fluffy chaff (as would be typical for this species), but it wasn't there. The nest entrance is located in the shaded area, at center. If you enlarge this image (by hovering your mouse cursor over it, and selecting a larger size from the menu), you can see foraging workers streaming out toward the right.
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 10:32AM sunny, air temp: 26°C / 79°F Another view of the same Messor pergandei nest showing crater-like structure composed entirely of plant material discarded by the ants. Ruler shows thickness of 'chaff' to be over 90mm / 3.54 inches (white arrow indicates 90mm). Standing grass stems that have been shorn of their seeds by foraging workers, can be seen here as well.
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 8:01AM sunny, air temp: 18°C / 64°F The entrance to this M. pergandei nest was approximately 5 cm / 2 inches in diameter at its widest point, with a cavernous space just inside. It appeared that heavy rains may have eroded the nest structure at some point in the recent past.
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 8:10AM sunny, air temp: 18°C / 64°F When foraging, Messor pergandei workers typically retrieve seeds on the ground, which have fallen naturally. Occasionally however, they will remove seeds directly from plants. At this location we observed three workers clipping seeds from an unidentified grass species. This was a tiny percent of the foraging worker force active at the time, which numbered many hundreds of ants. Regarding the often-harvested seeds of the grass Schismus arabicus, S.W. Rissing observed "...'clipping' on less than 10 occasions (always by less than 5% of the current foraging force) during several thousand hours of field observations." [scroll down for additional notes/references] ADDITIONAL NOTES/REFERENCES: ·Rissing, S.W. 1986. Annual Cycles in Worker Size of the Seed Harvesting Ant Veromessor pergandei (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (1987) 20:117-124
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 8:14AM sunny, air temp: 18°C / 64°F As part of a large foraging column, these M. pergandei workers are retrieving plant parts and carrying them back to the nest.
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 9:31AM sunny, air temp: 23°C / 73°F [IMAGE 1 of 3] Approximately 36 cm / 14 inches away from the entrance of this large Messor pergandei nest, a female crab spider (probably of the genus Xysticus) sits motionlessly... [scroll down for additional notes/references] ADDITIONAL NOTES/REFERENCES: This spider's coloration was an almost exact match with the grass debris surrounding the Messor pergandei nest. It is tempting to think that this very effective camouflage aided the predator by allowing it to escape being seen by the ants (who would then presumably avoid, or attack it). Because ants communicate chemically, and rely to a very small extent on their poorly developed visual sense, the spider's ability to blend in probably afforded it no (or very little) advantage in capturing these ants. The true benefit of being camouflaged was most likely the spider's ability to avoid being eaten itself, by larger predators such as birds, or insects.
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 9:33AM sunny, air temp: 23°C / 73°F [IMAGE 2 of 3] The spider was located about 30° to the east of the main foraging column of ants. This allowed the predator to sit and wait for the occasional nest maintenance worker to wander by. Here comes one now... [scroll down for additional notes/references] ADDITIONAL NOTES/REFERENCES: This spider's coloration was an almost exact match with the grass debris surrounding the Messor pergandei nest. It is tempting to think that this very effective camouflage aided the predator by allowing it to escape being seen by the ants (who would then presumably avoid, or attack it). Because ants communicate chemically, and rely to a very small extent on their poorly developed visual sense, the spider's ability to blend in probably afforded it no (or very little) advantage in capturing these ants. The true benefit of being camouflaged was most likely the spider's ability to avoid being eaten itself, by larger predators such as birds, or insects.
● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps »
● 11/06/10 7:50AM sunny, air temp: 17°C / 62°F

This Messor pergandei nest was surrounded by a thick layer of 'chaff' - in this case, the discarded remnants of grasses. Often, large parts of grass stems are harvested, then the bulk of this material is dumped around the outside of the nest after the nutritious seeds have been removed. Here, foraging workers can be seen traversing this material as they head out in search of more food for the colony.
pogolumina > ● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps » ● 11/06/10 7:50AM sunny, air temp: 17°C / 62°F This Messor pergandei nest was surrounded by a thick layer of 'chaff' - in this case, the discarded remnants of grasses. Often, large parts of grass stems are harvested, then the bulk of this material is dumped around the outside of the nest after the nutritious seeds have been removed. Here, foraging workers can be seen traversing this material as they head out in search of more food for the colony.
● Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita [Pima Co], AZ USA [el. 882 m / 2893 ft] view location in Google Maps »
● 11/06/10 7:50AM sunny, air temp: 17°C / 62°F

This Messor pergandei nest was surrounded by a thick layer of 'chaff' - in this case, the discarded remnants of grasses. Often, large parts of grass stems are harvested, then the bulk of this material is dumped around the outside of the nest after the nutritious seeds have been removed. Here, foraging workers can be seen traversing this material as they head out in search of more food for the colony.
Camera: Canon (Canon Eos 7d) |
more details: exif |
original size: 5184px x 3456px |
Current: 600px x 400px |
Other sizes: S • Medium • L |
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All Images, Video and Text (unless otherwise noted) © 2010/11/12 David Louis Quinn