Pogonomyrmex comanche is a rare harvester ant species that is found only in deep sand habitats. Historically its range included central Texas, central Oklahoma, and a few populations in Kansas and Louisiana. However, its current range may be restricted to a few sites in central Texas. In this study we examined the task allocation of workers. We found that living in deep sand habitats causes a large portion of the worker population to maintain the colony, leaving a relatively small proportion of the colony to forage. This species may compensate for decreased colony foraging effort by extending foraging time, which is the case when compared to sympatric Pogonomyrmex barbatus
Species 1: Hymenoptera Formicidae Pogonomyrmex comanche
Keywords: foraging, nest maintenance
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