Northern army ant - Neivamyrmex nigrescens - BugGuide.Net

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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Ants (Formicoidea) » Ants (Formicidae) » Army Ants (Dorylinae) » Army Ants (Ecitonini) » Common Army Ants (Neivamyrmex) » Neivamyrmex nigrescens

Photo#383238

Copyright © 2010 James C. Trager

Northern army ant - Neivamyrmex nigrescens

Shaw Nature Reserve near Gray Summit, Franklin County, Missouri, USA
April 5, 2010
Size: 3-6 mm

Neivamyrmex nigrescens is the most widely and northerly distributed army ant (followed closely in extent by N. opacithorax), extending well into Iowa along the Missouri River. The worker's almost uniform dusky red coloring and matte mesosoma (and usually the head) are distinctive. Note the scooped out rear margin of the head, with acuminate corners.
Colonies often gather under large rocks in sunny places in spring, as these were, commencing the first of their monthly brood cycles for the season. The last brood is reared in September. Food is largely the brood of other ants.

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Northern army ant - Neivamyrmex nigrescens

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Contributed by James C. Trager on 8 April, 2010 - 2:48pm

James-- nice addition, interesting info

the info you provide here belongs on species info page, though; i digested it the best i could and put it there -- pls check and edit as appropriate, i'm sure you'll do it better

… v belov, 8 April, 2010 - 3:35pm

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Done, thanks for getting it started, V.

Should I now also reduce the amount of info here? Still learning how BG works...

… James C. Trager, 8 April, 2010 - 3:44pm

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amount of info

reliance on one's best judgment and common sense is how BG works -- or should work, in my opinion :)
so it's your discretion, and if you post pix of something rather uncommon it's advisable to go into some detail in your remarks included in the submission form, but people will look for general info on each taxon on the Info page, and that would be the right place for whatever applies to the taxon -- rather than to the specific situation depicted on a particular photo; put stuff where the users may be reasonably expected to look for it -- that's the idea (now that sounds snooty and patronizing, damn it :)

… v belov, 8 April, 2010 - 3:59pm

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