Veromessor smithi

Nests in sandy exposed areas with mixed vegetation. Nest surmounted by 1 or 2 circular craters about 13 cm in diameter. Galleries penetrated the loose upper layer of sand to chamber up to 60 cm deep in firmer sand. Stored seeds in some chambers. Population of 1 nest: 275 workers, 1 queen, 27 winged females, and 97 males. The workers are crepuscular, timid, and sluggish (Cole 1963, 1966).

Identification Keys including this Taxon
Key to Veromessor species

Distribution
Arizona, California and Nevada.

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

Biology
Nevada, Wheeler and Wheeler (1986) - We have 22 records from 17 widely scattered localities (4,100-6,200 ft.) but none in the northeastern quarter nor along the western border. Three were in the Pinyon-Juniper Biome and 12 in the Cool Desert (3 in Sarcobatus Subclimax, 3 in Atriplex Subclimax, 1 on a revegetating playa, 1 from a disturbed habitat). Six nests were under half-buried stones; 9 were surmounted by craters 5-10 cm in diameter.

Nomenclature

 * . Veromessor smithi Cole, 1963: 678, figs. 1-4 (w.q.m.) U.S.A. (Nevada).
 * Type-material: holotype worker, paratype workers, paratype queens, paratype males (numbers not stated, “a long series”).
 * Type-locality: holotype U.S.A.: Nevada, Mercury, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission test site, 1962 (A.C. Cole); paratypes with same data.
 * Type-depositories: LACM (holotype); AMNH, DRIR, FMNH, LACM, MCZC, USNM (paratypes).
 * Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1972b: 240 (l.).
 * Combination in Messor: Bolton, 1982: 341 (in text);
 * combination in Veromessor: Ward, et al. 2015: 73.
 * Status as species: Cole, 1966: 11 (in key); Smith, M.R. 1967: 353; Hunt & Snelling, 1975: 21; Smith, D.R. 1979: 1365; Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1986g: 40; Bolton, 1995b: 257; Ward, 2005: 66.
 * Distribution: U.S.A.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Cole A. C., Jr. 1963. A new species of Veromessor from the Nevada Test Site and notes on related species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 56: 678-682.
 * Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
 * La Rivers I. 1968. A first listing of the ants of Nevada. Biological Society of Nevada, Occasional Papers 17: 1-12.
 * Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1986. The ants of Nevada. Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, vii + 138 pp.