Sandy-soils

Guides

• Pogonomyrmex comanche

  Comanche harvester ant

  Pogonomyrmex comanche, the Comanche harvester ant, is an endangered harvester ant species endemic to the western Gulf Coastal Plain of North America. Genetic studies indicate central Texas serves as the center of genetic diversity, consistent with Pleistocene refugia patterns observed in many regional species. Northern populations in Arkansas and Oklahoma exhibit lower genetic diversity and evidence of population contraction rather than recent range expansion. The species shows signs of dispersal limitation, with high genetic diversity and few identical sequences among sampled individuals. Its decline appears driven by a combination of habitat loss and limited dispersal capacity, though exact mechanisms remain under investigation.

  endangeredharvester-antPogonomyrmexwestern-Gulf-Coastal-PlainphylogeographyPleistocene-refugiadispersal-limitationconservationFormicidaeNorth-AmericaTexasOklahomaArkansassandy-soilsprairiesavanna

• Tricrania sanguinipennis

  Blood-winged Blister Beetle

  Tricrania sanguinipennis is a flightless blister beetle (family Meloidae) native to eastern North America. Adults are 9–15 mm long with bright red, leathery elytra that conceal vestigial wings. The species is a parasitoid of solitary bees in the genus Colletes, particularly Colletes inaequalis. Its life cycle involves hypermetamorphosis, with a mobile triungulin larva that hitchhikes on male bees to access underground nest cells. The beetle has been documented from Saskatchewan to northern Florida, with Kansas marking its western limit.

  hypermetamorphosistriungulinparasitoidflightlessColletescellophane-beesearly-springsandy-soils