What's New?
Pogolumina is active and being updated again, as of March 2019! MANY new Pogos, and non-Pogo species coming soon. Here are the most recent additions. SCROLL DOWN BELOW BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR FULL IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS.
Read More
Pogonomyrmex barbatus
● MARICOPA CO, Tonto Nat’l Forest (Granite Reef Rec Area) AZ USA [el. 405 m / 1330 ft] ● 3/20/2019 1:53PM sunny, air temp: 28°C / 84°F
[IMAGE 1 of ] A Pogonomyrmex barbatus worker just emerging from the nest entrance. With an air temperature of 28°C / 84°F, these ants were moving quickly and were extremely aggressive.
ADDITIONAL NOTES/REFERENCES: Officially known as the 'red harvester', this large Pogo is often erroneously referred to as the 'Texas harvester' (a name correctly applied to Pogonomyrmex texanus only).
Typical length of worker ranges from 7.0mm to 9.5mm [Taber 1998], and typical coloration ranges from bright red, to deep red. There are areas where this ant has hybridized with Pogonomyrmex rugosus, resulting in lineages possessing some morphological traits of both species.
Pogonomyrmex barbatus makes substantial gravel nest mounds of varying heights, often with central depressions, although the structures sometimes take the form of flat gravel discs. Nest population can reach 12,000 ants in a mature colony. P. barbatus is a trunk-trail forager.
The US range of this ant includes Texas, and parts of the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and possibly Nevada and Utah. Its range covers most of Mexico, excluding some northwestern, and central-western areas.
