Pogonomyrmex salinus

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Pogonomyrmex salinus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Pogonomyrmecini
Genus: Pogonomyrmex
Species group: occidentalis
Species: P. salinus
Binomial name
Pogonomyrmex salinus
Olsen, 1934

Pogonomyrmex salinus casent0005719 profile 1.jpg

Pogonomyrmex salinus casent0005719 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen Label

Synonyms

Generally constructs conical pebble mounds with basal entrances and peripherally cleared areas. Larger nest cones are indistinguishable from those of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, and they occur in similar ecologic areas and at similar elevations. Nests can also be found that have a less pronounced gravel mound or a flat gravel disk. Workers of the this species seem to be equally antagonistic to intruders as P. occidentalis and sting with the same vigor.

Identification

Keys including this Species

Distribution

United States – Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, extreme southern Utah, northwestern Wyoming and eastern California.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 48.902637° to 30.20444°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: Canada, United States (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • salinus. Pogonomyrmex salinus Olsen, 1934: 510, pl. 5, fig. 3 (w.) U.S.A. Cole, 1968: 108 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1972b: 237 (l.). Junior synonym of occidentalis: Smith, M.R. 1953g: 132. Revived from synonymy: Cole, 1968: 106. Senior synonym of owyheei: Shattuck, 1987: 173.
  • owyheei. Pogonomyrmex occidentalis subsp. owyheei Cole, 1938a: 240 (w.q.) U.S.A. Cole, 1968: 102 (m.). Raised to species: Creighton, 1950a: 130. Junior synonym of salinus: Shattuck, 1987: 173.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Cole (1968) - HL 1.41-1.52 mm, HW 1.41-1.63 mm, CI 100.0-107.2, SL 1.18-1.37 mm, SI 83.5-84.0, EL 0.34-0.42 mm, EW 0.19-0.27 mm, OI 24.1-27.6, WL 1.60-1.90 mm, PNL 0.38-0.46 mm, PNW 0.34-0.46 mm, PPL 0.38-0.49 mm, PPW 0.49-0.57 mm.

Mandible as illustrated in Pl. III, Fig. 5; basal most tooth not offset from the straight basal mandibular margin. Base of antennal scape as shown in PI. IV, Fig. 3; superior lobe broadly and evenly convex, not bearing a peripheral carina. Cephalic interrugal punctures strong and dense, as in occidentalis and owyheei.

Contours of thorax, petiole, and post petiole, in lateral view, as in Pl. VI, Fig. 3; the thoracic dorsum broadly but distinctly convex between base of epinotal spine and the pronotum; epinotal spines short to long, directed strongly upward and somewhat backward; venter of petiolar peduncle generally without a process; apex of petiolar node strongly acute, nipple prominent; postpetiolar ventral process broad, strongly developed. Contours of petiole and postpetiole, in dorsal view, as shown in Pl. VIII, Fig. 3. Pronotal humeri densely and strongly punctate, the punctures often largely obscuring or replacing the rugae. Dorsum of petiolar and postpetiolar nodes generally with a prominent rugae which are usually transverse, wavy, subparallel, and closely spaced; the interspaces densely punctate. Base of dorsum of first gastric segment frequently densely and coarsely punctate and opaque, sometimes only very finely punctate or densely shagreened and subopaque or shining. Body color generally a very deep ferrugineous red.

Queen

Cole (1968) - HL 1.63-1.75 mm, HW 1.79-1.86 mm, CI 106.3-109.8, SL 1.33-1.41 mm, SI 74.3-75.8, EL 0.42-0.47 mm, EW 0.23-0.27 mm, OI 25.8-26.8, WL 2.32-2.67 mm, PNL 0.47-0.49 mm, PNW 0.49-0.53 mm, PPL 0.53-0.57 mm, PPW 0.80-0.87 mm.

Conformation of mandible and base of antennal scape as in the worker. Cephalic interrugal spaces sparsely, unevenly, and finely punctate; subopaque. Epinotum with a pair of prominent angles or short to medium spines. Sculpture of petiole, postpetiole, and gaster similar to that of worker; body color a little paler.

Male

Cole (1968) - HL 1.14-1.44 mm, HW 1.18-1.56 mm, CI 103.5-108.3, SL 0.19-0.76 mm, SI 41.5-48.7, EL 0.46-0.57 mm, EW 0.27-0.34 mm, OI 32.6-38.9, WL 2.05-2.43 mm. PNL 0.42-0.46 mm, PNW 0.42-0.49 mill, PPL 0.46-0.57 mm, PPW 0.72-0.80 mm.

Similar to the male of owyheei. Mandible (Pl. VIII, Fig. I) with 4 or 5 teeth, the basalmost tooth not offset from the straight basal mandibular margin. Cephalic interrugal punctures sparse, the interspaces shining. Epinotal armature tuberculate to angulate. Ventral process of postpetiole weakly developed. Paramere as shown in Pl. X, Fig. 3 and Pl. XI, Fig. 3; apex convex. Body color generally a rather uniform, deep brownish black.

Type Material

Type locality: Near Soda Springs, Bridgeport, California. Museum of Comparative Zoology

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Allred D. M. 1982. Ants of Utah. The Great Basin Naturalist 42: 415-511.
  • Allred D. M. and A. C. Cole. 1971. Ants of the national reactor testing station. Great Basin Naturalist. 31: 237-242
  • Allred, D.M. 1982. The ants of Utah. Great Basin Naturalist 42:415-511.
  • Anderson, K.E. and A.C. Keyel. 2006. Mating flight, metrosis, and semi-claustrality in the seed-harvester ant Pogonomyrmex salinus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Insectes Sociaux 53:92-96
  • Clark W. H., and P. E. Blom. 1991. Observations of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae, Formicinae, Dolichoderinae) utilizing carrion. The Southwestern Naturalist 36(1): 140-142.
  • Cole A. C., Jr. 1938. Suggestions concerning taxonomic nomenclature of the hymenopterous family Formicidae, and descriptions of three new ants. American Midland Naturalist 19: 236-241.
  • Cole A. C., Jr. 1966. Keys to the subgenera, complexes, and species of the genus Pogonomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in North America, for identification of the workers. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 59: 528-530.
  • Glasier J. R. N., J. H. Acorn, S. E. Nielsen, and H. Proctor. 2013. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alberta: A key to species based primarily on the worker caste. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification 22: 1-104.
  • Hoey-Chamberlain R. V., L. D. Hansen, J. H. Klotz and C. McNeeley. 2010. A survey of the ants of Washington and Surrounding areas in Idaho and Oregon focusing on disturbed sites (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology. 56: 195-207
  • Johnson R. A. 2000. Seed-harvester ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of North America: an overview of ecology and biogeography. Sociobiology 36(1): 89-122.
  • Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
  • Johnson, R.A. 2000. Reproductive biology of the seed-harvester ants Messor julianus (Pergande) and Messor pergandei (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Baja California, Mexico. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 9(2):377-384.
  • Knowlton G. F. 1970. Ants of Curlew Valley. Proceedings of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters 47(1): 208-212.
  • Kusnezov N. 1951. El género Pogonomyrmex Mayr (Hym., Formicidae). Acta Zoologica Lilloana 11: 227-333.
  • La Rivers I. 1968. A first listing of the ants of Nevada. Biological Society of Nevada, Occasional Papers 17: 1-12.
  • Mallis A. 1941. A list of the ants of California with notes on their habits and distribution. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 40: 61-100. 
  • Olsen O. W. 1934. Notes on the North American harvesting ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex Mayr. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 77: 493-514.
  • Parker, J.D. and S.W. Rissing. 2002. Molecular Evidence for the Origin of Workerless Social Parasites in the Ant Genus Pogonomyrmex. Evolution 56(10):2017-2028
  • Shattuck S. O. 1987. An analysis of geographic variation in the Pogonomyrmex occidentalis complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche (Cambridge) 94: 159-179.
  • Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1986. The ants of Nevada. Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, vii + 138 pp.
  • Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1988. A checklist of the ants of Wyoming. Insecta Mundi 2(3&4):230-239
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