Pogonomyrmex colei

A workerless inquiline species. Its host is the congeneric Pogonomyrmex rugosus.

Distribution
Southern Nevada and central Arizona.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: United States.



Genetics
The genome of P. colei was sequenced for a study examining how this and other parasitic ants with no worker caste may have altered their genome to arrive at a workerless state. In comparison to ants with a full complement of castes, there appeared to be no loss of genes in the parasitic ants. This suggests regulatory differences and not sequence differences predominate in gains and losses of castes (phenotypes). (Smith et al. 2015)

Nomenclature

 *  colei. Pogonomyrmex (Pogonomyrmex) colei Snelling, R.R. 1982a: 99, figs. 1-11 (q.m.) U.S.A. See also: Rissing, 1983: 321; Johnson, R.A., Parker & Rissing, 1996: 69.