Caste-determination
Guides
Cardiocondyla obscurior
Arboreal Sneaking Ant
Cardiocondyla obscurior is a small myrmicine ant with Indomalayan origins that has achieved cosmopolitan distribution as a tramp species. It exhibits distinctive reproductive traits including male polyphenism with both winged and wingless male morphs, and a unique aging strategy termed 'continuusparity' where queens maintain continuous reproduction with a fitness peak late in life. The species is primarily arboreal, nesting in plant cavities of low vegetation, and has been introduced to numerous regions including the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
Cyphomyrmex
fungus-growing ants
Cyphomyrmex is a genus of small, drab-colored fungus-growing ants in the tribe Attini, found primarily in the Neotropics. These ants cultivate fungi in the tribe Leucocoprineae as their primary food source, with most species growing fungal nodules rather than full mycelial gardens. Colonies are typically monogynous and small, rarely exceeding 500 workers. The genus is divided into two species complexes: the strigatus complex (South America only) and the rimosus complex (southern North America to South America). Cyphomyrmex represents a basal lineage among attine ants and serves as sister group to Mycetophylax.
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Typical American Harvester Ants, Harvester Ants
Pogonomyrmex is a genus of harvester ants comprising approximately 69 extant species, distributed primarily across arid and semi-arid regions of North, Central, and South America, with three endemic species from Haiti. These ants are characterized by their specialized seed-collecting behavior, constructing deep underground nests with conspicuous cleared nest disks that can exceed 10 meters in diameter. Workers of the subgenus sensu stricto possess a psammophore—a beard-like structure of long hairs beneath the head used for transporting seeds, sand, and eggs. The genus includes species with the most toxic insect venom documented, notably Pogonomyrmex maricopa, with an LD50 of 0.12 mg/kg in mice.
Pogonomyrmex rugosus
Rough Harvester Ant, Desert Harvester Ant
Pogonomyrmex rugosus, commonly known as the rough harvester ant or desert harvester ant, is a seed-harvesting ant species endemic to the southwestern United States. The species is notable for its large colony sizes reaching up to 15,000 workers, its use of permanent trunk trails for group foraging, and its potent venomous sting rated at level 3 on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. Research has demonstrated that trophic eggs play a previously unknown role in caste determination, with larvae developing into workers when fed trophic eggs and into queens when deprived of them. The species serves as a host for two workerless parasitic ant species, Pogonomyrmex anergismus and Pogonomyrmex colei.