The Main Characteristics of Rough Harvester Ants

The rough harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex rugosus) is one of the 26 species of harvester ant found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Inhabiting deserts and semi-arid regions, the rough harvester ant collects seeds, which it stores in underground tunnels below its gravel-covered nest.

  1. Harvester Ants

    • Rough harvester ants collect seeds.

      Harvester ants derive their name from their way of clipping grass and collecting it to build their nests. Harvester ant colonies can be easily recognized from the ants' habit of clearing the space around their nest of vegetation, so it is surrounded by bare ground. Harvester ants feed mostly on seeds and other plant matter and also dead insects. Food is gathered and stored in the nests in underground chambers. Seed-gathering ants flourish particularly in desert areas, as having a store of seeds ensures the colony's food supply during a drought. It also means that harvester ants carry out the ecologically valuable function of seed dispersal. Harvester ant colonies can number up to ten thousand individuals. Despite the fact that harvester ants are known for their painful sting and bite, they are particularly popular ants for ant farms.

    Rough Harvester Ants

    • Rough harvester ants flourish in desert regions.

      The formal scientific name for the rough harvester ant is Pogonomyrmex rugosus. Pogonomyrmex means "bearded ant" in Greek and refers to the long, curling hairs growing beneath the ant's chin--called a psammophore or sand basket--which the worker uses to collect grains of sand. Over seventy species of Pogonomyrmex are found worldwide. The rough harvester ant is a species of Pogonomyrmex. The name "rough" or "rugosus" describes the rough ridges, "rugae," on the ant's head and body.

    Location, Appearance and Behavior

    • Rough harvester ants are found over a wide area of Mexico and parts of California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. Their coloring varies from red-black to almost entirely black. Rough harvester ants are fairly large; the length of workers varies from 7 mm to 9.5 mm. Rough harvester ants are notably fierce in their response to human intruders and deliver a particularly painful sting.

    Nests

    • The nests of the rough harvester ant are can be identified aboveground as flat gravel discs or low, gravel-covered mounds. A mature colony of rough harvester ants can have a population of up to eight thousand individuals. Rough harvester ants are trunk trail foragers; this means they follow set paths radiating out from their nests, which they mark for each other with a chemical trace. These trails also help to minimize conflict with other ant colonies, as they clarify territorial boundaries.