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Pogonomyrmex barbatus
red harvester ant, red ant
Pogonomyrmex barbatus is a large harvester ant native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Colonies construct underground nests up to 2.5 meters deep in exposed areas, often marked by conspicuous cleared nest disks. Workers forage primarily for seeds, with foraging activity regulated through olfactory interactions involving brief antennal contacts that assess cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and seed odors. The species exhibits notable physiological variation among colonies in desiccation tolerance and foraging behavior, with some colonies reducing foraging in dry conditions while others maintain activity.
harvester-ant seed-dispersal myrmecochory desiccation-physiology dependent-lineage-system nestmate-recognition Schmidt-Sting-Pain-Index keystone-species indigenous-use ant-plant-interactions
Pogonomyrmex californicus
California harvester ant
Pogonomyrmex californicus is a seed-harvesting ant native to southwestern North America. It is the most widely distributed species in the genus Pogonomyrmex. The species exhibits a striking social polymorphism: most populations have single-queen colonies (monogyny), but some California populations show primary polygyny where multiple unrelated queens cooperate in colony founding and coexist in mature colonies. It possesses a powerful sting and has been used historically by Indigenous peoples for ritual and medicinal purposes. The species is a prominent model for studying the evolution of social behavior, cooperation, and epigenetic regulation of aggression.
harvester-ant seed-harvesting social-polymorphism polygyny pleometrosis keystone-species desert-ecology stinging-ant Indigenous-use epigenetics thermal-physiology genome-model
Pogonomyrmex californicus subnitidus
Pogonomyrmex californicus subnitidus is a subspecies of the California harvester ant, a seed-collecting ant native to arid regions of western North America. Like other harvester ants, it constructs conspicuous nest disks cleared of vegetation and plays significant ecological roles as a seed predator, soil engineer, and food source for vertebrate predators. The species possesses a powerful sting used defensively against mammalian threats. This subspecies is part of a taxon increasingly recognized as a keystone species in desert ecosystems rather than an agricultural pest.
harvester-ant seed-predation keystone-species desert-ecology myrmecochory stinging-ant nest-engineer soil-fertility Indigenous-use ecosystem-engineer
Pogonomyrmex occidentalis
western harvester ant
Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, the western harvester ant, is a seed-collecting ant native to arid regions of the American West. Colonies construct conspicuous gravel mounds up to 89 cm in diameter, surrounded by vegetation-free nest disks that serve as "islands of fertility" where plants thrive along nest rims. The species possesses a painful, venomous sting used defensively, and plays documented roles as a keystone species in desert ecosystems through soil modification, seed dispersal, and as prey for specialized predators.
harvester-ant western-harvester-ant seed-harvesting desert-ant keystone-species venomous-sting soil-engineer nest-mound myrmecology rangeland-ecology Indigenous-use Schmidt-Sting-Pain-Index
Rothschildia
Rothschildia is a genus of giant silkmoths in the family Saturniidae, first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1896. The genus contains approximately 30 described species distributed from the southern United States through Mexico and Central America to Argentina. Adults are characterized by large size, reduced or vestigial mouthparts, and often striking wing patterns including transparent "windows" devoid of scales. Several species have documented cultural significance for indigenous peoples, particularly the use of cocoons in ceremonial regalia.
giant-silkmoth Saturniidae neotropical cultural-entomology indigenous-use cocoon-harvest transparent-wing-windows non-feeding-adult
Rothschildia lebeau
Lebeau's Silk Moth, Forbes Moth
Rothschildia lebeau is a giant silkmoth in the family Saturniidae, distributed from the Lower Rio Grande Valley through eastern Mexico to Brazil. Adults are short-lived and do not feed, relying on fat reserves accumulated during larval development. The species exhibits a life history tradeoff between larval survival and adult body size based on host plant quality, with larger males showing higher mating success.
giant-silkmoth Saturniidae host-plant-tradeoff sexual-selection tropical-dry-forest Barro-Colorado-Island pheromone-communication non-feeding-adult complete-metamorphosis cultural-significance indigenous-use cocoon-harvesting mating-success body-size-dimorphism seasonal-variation microbial-associations protistan-diversity caterpillar-microbiome herbivore forest-ecology Neotropical Mexico Central-America South-America Panama Costa-Rica Brazil Texas Rio-Grande-Valley exhibit-species butterfly-house education conservation light-pollution suburban-sprawl introduced-parasites rearing cottage-industry vestigial-mouthparts fat-reserves short-lived-adult female-sedentary-behavior male-dispersal oviposition-site-selection fitness-consequences life-history-evolution quantitative-genetic-variation wet-season-phenology developmental-plasticity survival-size-tradeoff herbivore-performance plant-animal-interactions microbial-observatory molecular-characterization eukaryotic-microbiome saturniid-caterpillar Lepidoptera Bombycoidea Rothschildia Guérin-Méneville-1868 Attacus-lebeau Lebeau's-Silk-Moth Forbes-Moth Rothschildia-lebeau-forbesi windows transparent-wing-patches scale-less-wing-areas antennae sexual-dimorphism mate-choice sperm-competition reproductive-success larval-performance caterpillar-growth pupal-development adult-emergence longevity predation bat-predation nocturnal crepuscular moth silkmoth silkworm giant-moth forest-moth tropical-moth Neotropical-fauna biodiversity insect-collection museum-specimen Bohart-Museum American-Museum-of-Natural-History entomology lepidopterology systematics taxonomy natural-history field-study observational-study experimental-ecology evolutionary-ecology behavioral-ecology population-biology community-ecology ecosystem-function food-web trophic-interaction herbivory folivory tree-insect-interaction phenology climate-effects seasonality environmental-variation habitat-heterogeneity host-race ecotype local-adaptation phenotypic-plasticity genetic-variation quantitative-trait trade-off allocation reproductive-allocation parental-investment offspring-size offspring-number optimal-clutch-size mate-competition intrasexual-selection intersexual-selection ornament signal chemical-communication olfaction sensory-ecology foraging movement-ecology dispersal migration home-range activity-pattern diel-cycle circadian-rhythm photoperiod temperature humidity rainfall precipitation dry-season wet-season tropical-seasonality El-Niño climate-change global-warming habitat-disturbance forest-fragmentation deforestation agricultural-expansion urbanization conservation-biology threatened-species common-species population-decline extinction-risk protected-area national-park biological-reserve research-station Smithsonian-Tropical-Research-Institute Barro-Colorado-Island-Nature-Monument Gatun-Lake Panama-Canal Isthmus-of-Panama Central-American-isthmus land-bridge biogeography vicariance dispersal-limitation 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