Pogonomyrmex cunicularius

A South American seed harvesting ant found in arid habitats.

Identification
Key to South American Pogonomyrmex

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay.

Biology
This ant was found to be an important seed disperser of Jatropha excisa seeds by Aranda-Rickert and Fracchia (2011). As part of their field study, in the Monte Desert biome of northern Argentina, they found that nests of Pogonomyrmex cunicularius were ~ 60 cm deep with an average of 13 chambers. The entrance to the soil nest were surrounded by a characteristic 20-cm diameter disk made of course soil particles. Worker number per nest averaged around 600 workers (n=6).

Pogonomyrmex cunicularius foraging behavior has also been studied (Aranda-Rickert and Fracchia 2012). This ant is a subordinate species with solitary foragers. They will typically abandon baits when challenged by other ants but also employ an opportunistic robbing behaviour: "when a bait was being monopolized by other species, the ant rapidly took a piece of food while avoiding the other species attack and then returned with the prey to the nest." These ants are highly thermophilic. They are active outside the nest during the warmest part of the day, when soil temperatures can reach as high as 61C.

Nomenclature

 *  cunicularius. Pogonomyrmex cunicularius Mayr, 1887: 613 (w.m.) ARGENTINA. [Misspelled as cunicularis by Santschi, 1922b: 349 and some subsequent authors.] Senior synonym of brevispinus, carnivora, pencosensis, serpens and material of the unavailable name dubia referred here: Kusnezov, 1951a: 251.
 * pencosensis. Pogonomyrmex cunicularius r. pencosensis Forel, 1914d: 265 (w.m.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of cunicularius: Kusnezov, 1951a: 251.
 * serpens. Pogonomyrmex cunicularis var. serpens Santschi, 1922b: 349 (w.) BOLIVIA. Junior synonym of cunicularius: Kusnezov, 1951a: 251.
 * carnivora. Pogonomyrmex cunicularis var. carnivora Santschi, 1925e: 155, fig. 2 (w.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of cunicularius: Kusnezov, 1951a: 251. Revived from synonymy and raised to species: Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1972b: 236. Junior synonym of cunicularius: Bolton, 1995b: 340.
 * brevispinus. Pogonomyrmex cunicularis var. brevispinus Santschi, 1931e: 275 (w. ergatoid q.m.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of cunicularius: Kusnezov, 1951a: 251.