ShowLow (Part 4)

	Wayne's Word		Index		Noteworthy Plants		Trivia		Lemnaceae		Biology 101		Botany		Scenic		Wildflowers		Trains		Spiders & Insects		Search

Increase The Size Of Display On Your Monitor:

PCs Type Control (Ctrl) +

MACs Type Command (⌘) +

Show Low Arizona Road Trip October 2019 (Part 4)

Home

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Ants Encountered On This Road Trip

Including Roadside Rest Stops, Show Low & Springerville

Dark Pogonomyrmex Similar To P. rugosus or Hybrid

Red Pogonomyrmex Similar To P. barbatus or Hybrid

Pyramid Ant (Dorymyrmex) Similar To D. insanus

Near BNSF Railroad tracks at La Posada Hotel In Winslow

Near Casa Malpais Museum In Springerville

Minute Ant At Casa Malpais Archeological Site Near Springerville

This may be the smallest Pheidole minor worker I have ever found! Unfortunately, after I taking this picture I inadvertently dropped my tiny ant, never to be found again--not even with my OCD.

This is a minute Pheidole minor worker. Major workers are larger with very large heads in proportion to their bodies. That is why they are called big-headed ants. I was unable to identify the species.

In case you haven't heard, Pheidole is an enormous genus of fascinating ants. In fact, on Christmas Eve 2014, I shared my granola bar with a Pheidole vistana while sitting on Owens Peak in San Marcos, CA. The remarkable book Pheidole in the New World is written by my hero Edward O. Wilson. The book includes 624 species and Wilson did all of the great illustrations! There are an estimated 1500 species worldwide.

Big-Headed Ants (Major & Minor Pheidole) Near Willcox, Arizona

The heads of major workers are much larger in proportion to their bodies. Minor workers are only 2 mm in length. Major workers duties include defending the colony against invaders, especially other ant species such as army ants (Neivamyrmex).

Army Ants In The Superstitions Of Arizona!

Honeypot Ant (Myrmecocystus) At Roadside Rest Stop

Enloying a sweet Werther's Original Butterscotch that I moistened for them!

Return To WAYNE'S WORD Home Page
Return To NOTEWORTHY PLANTS Page
Go To Biology GEE WHIZ TRIVIA Page
Go To The LEMNACEAE ON-LINE Page