Comanche Harvester Ant
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Scientific Name:
Pogonomyrmex comanche Native
- Licenses/Permits
Description
A medium-sized, reddish brown ant with specialized beard used for carrying excavated sand grains from their nests.
Range and Habitat
Native to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Found in open, sandy, upland woodlands. In Louisiana, its nests can be found in sandy rights-of-way and trails, as well as recent clear cuts (although, nest longevity in clear cuts is unknown). Nests may be up to 2 feet in diameter and fairly flat, typically with one central entrance hole. Nests may have bits of charcoal on the mound.
Behavior
As their name suggests, harvester ants harvest plant material (mostly seeds) for food. Not considered pests in Louisiana due to their rarity and their food and habitat preferences. Capable of inflicting an excrutiatingly painful sting.
Population Status
Ranked globally as G2G3, ranked as S2 (imperiled) in Louisiana. Population status is uncertain, although extirpations have occurred in parts of its range. Likely limited by suitable habitat, which is often lost to human development. Red imported fire ants (and the ill-conceived chemical control of that species in the 1960s and 1970s) impacted (and may continue to impact) populations of harvester ants.