Novomessor

Emery, 1915

Desert Long-legged Ants

Species Guides

Novomessor albisetosus(desert harvester ant)
Novomessor cockerelli

Novomessor is a of desert-dwelling ants comprising three . The genus was described by Carlo Emery in 1915, treated as a synonym of Aphaenogaster for decades, and reinstated as valid in 2015 based on phylogenetic evidence. Species inhabit arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where they function as important granivores and exhibit sophisticated foraging including cooperative prey retrieval and multimodal navigation.

Novomessor cockerelli by (c) Jonghyun Park, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jonghyun Park. Used under a CC-BY license.

Novomessor cockerelli by no rights reserved, uploaded by Jesse Rorabaugh. Used under a CC0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Novomessor: //ˌnoʊvoʊˈmɛsɔr//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Novomessor can be distinguished from the closely related Aphaenogaster by phylogenetic and morphological characters that supported its separation in 2015; specific diagnostic features for genus-level identification require examination of . Within the genus, N. albisetosus and N. cockerelli show differentiation with limited geographic overlap.

Images

Habitat

Desert and arid grassland environments. N. cockerelli is associated with mesquite-grassland , while N. albisetosus occupies desert grassland and pinyon-juniper woodland. Both construct crater nests with single or multiple entrances in soil.

Distribution

Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. N. albisetosus occurs in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. N. cockerelli ranges from Texas through New Mexico, Arizona, and California into northern Mexico.

Seasonality

Active year-round in suitable conditions; primarily and thermophilic, with foraging activity at high temperatures.

Diet

Seeds; the is granivorous and considered an important granivore in desert . Large prey items are also retrieved cooperatively when encountered.

Life Cycle

Colonies are moderate in size, ranging from approximately 100 to 400 . The is polydomous, with colonies occupying multiple nest sites. Social regulation of worker and behavioral development has been documented.

Behavior

and thermophilic foraging. use multiple navigational strategies including path integration and visual panorama cues, with context-dependent weighting between these systems. Stridulation signals modulate responsiveness to other stimuli during foraging. Two recruitment techniques facilitate cooperative retrieval of large prey: short-range aerial release of poison gland secretion attracting nestmates up to 2 m upwind, and long-range chemical trails from prey to nest using the same secretion. are short-lived, producing brief recruitment pulses. Cooperative transport enables competitive success against mass-recruiting .

Ecological Role

Important granivores in desert . The competes with mass-recruiting such as Solenopsis and Iridomyrmex for food resources, with recruitment providing a counter to interference competition.

Similar Taxa

AphaenogasterNovomessor was historically treated as a synonym of this until 2015 phylogenetic studies demonstrated their distinctness; the two genera share morphological similarities and ecological preferences.

Misconceptions

Previously considered individual foragers; research has demonstrated that Novomessor employ cooperative recruitment and food retrieval for large prey items.

More Details

Taxonomic History

The was synonymized with Aphaenogaster for most of the 20th century. A 2015 phylogenetic study using molecular data resurrected Novomessor as a valid genus, a change reflected in current .

Communication Signals

Stridulation in Novomessor does not function as a long-distance signal but rather modulates responsiveness to chemical recruitment cues, enhancing the effectiveness of cooperative foraging.