#pogonomyrmex badius

[platycryptus]

a team of florida harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex badius) carrying a yellowjacket corpse back to their nest (Florida, 4/25/22). Harvester ants feed mainly on seeds which are stored in large subterranean granaries, but won’t pass up the opportunity to scavenge insects as well.

Found in dry, sandy habitats along the southeastern coastal plain, P. badius is only Pogonomyrmex native to the region, the rest being found mainly in southwestern deserts. It’s also unique among its genus for its dimorphic worker castes- smaller, more agile minor workers and larger majors with huge heads and jaws for crushing seeds and dismembering enemies.

Pogonomyrmex workers also have the most toxic venom known from any insect (or at least, the most toxic to mammals). They have an extremely painful sting to match, though it’s not as bad as some larger insects that inject a greater quantity of less toxic venom.

[topofreddit]

Florida harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex badius, have developed the first example of a farming strategy where they plant seeds, wait for them to germinate and then eat the soft spoils (compared to the Fijian ants which grow plants and harvest the fruits).

Original post | Reddit thread

[host24space]

Snippet: Slow-motion video reveals how ants deliver their painful venom

Snippet: Slow-motion video reveals how ants deliver their painful venom

The trap-jaw ant (Odontomachus ruginodis) and the Florida harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex badius) can deliver up to 13 drops of venom per second

Read more: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/08/slow-motion-video-reveals-how-ants-deliver-their-painful-venom

Watch the researcher explain the footage: https://youtu.be/_jygY-ZHPxQ

Credit: Adrian Smith

About Science Snippets

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[eurekamag--com]

Tool using behavior of Pogonomyrmex badius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

http://dlvr.it/PKN7Qs

[posterityobscured]

Colonies of P. badius

[eurekamag--com]

Observations on the foraging behavior of the southern harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius

http://dlvr.it/NvyrlC