Veromessor

Veromessor
V. pergandei nest entrance
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Stenammini
Genus: Veromessor
Forel, 1917
Type species
Aphaenogaster andrei
Mayr, 1886
Diversity[1]
10 species

Veromessor is a genus of North American harvester ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae.[1] The genus was previously classified as a synonym of Messor, but was revived as a genus by Ward et al. (2015).[2] They are primarily found in arid and semi-arid regions of western North America, with the greatest diversity in California.[3]

Distribution

Veromessor ants are endemic to arid and semi-arid regions of North America. V. lobognathus may stretch as far northeast as North Dakota, while most of the genus is concentrated in the American Southwest and the Baja California peninsula.[3]

Ecology

Veromessor harvester ants are granivores, meaning they primarily eat and collect seeds to consume. They typically live in arid and semi-arid regions like creosote bush scrub or chaparral. Colony sizes for mature colonies may range from less than 1,000 workers in most species to over 50,000 in V. andrei, V. julianus, and V. pergandei. Nuptial flights occur in summer for most species except for V. julianus and V. pergandei, whose nuptial flights occur from late winter to early spring.[3]

Species

As of 2025, the genus comprises ten species, all of which are endemic to western and central North America.[1]

Phylogeny

Borowiec et al. 2025 provided three hypotheses for the evolution of Veromessor species. The maximum-probability cladogram is shown here.[3]

Veromessor

References

  1. ^ a b c Bolton, B. (2025). "Veromessor". AntCat. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  2. ^ Ward, Philip S.; Brady, Sean G.; Fisher, Brian L.; Schultz, Ted R. (2015). "The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)" (PDF). Systematic Entomology. 40 (1): 61–81. Bibcode:2015SysEn..40...61W. doi:10.1111/syen.12090. ISSN 1365-3113. S2CID 83986771.
  3. ^ a b c d Borowiec, Marek L; Eskew, Stephanie L.; Noble-Stuen, Andrea; Williams, Jason L.; Johnson, Robert A. (18 September 2025). "Evolution of the North American seed-harvester ant genus Veromessor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Systematic Entomology. e70002: 1–15. doi:10.1111/syen.70002. Retrieved 25 October 2025.

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