Pogonomyrmex barbatus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Pogonomyrmex barbatus is a species of harvester ant from the genus Pogonomyrmex. Its common names include red ant and red harvester ant. These large (5 to 7 mm) ants prefer arid chaparral habitats and are native to the Southwestern United States. Nests are made underground (up to 2.5 m deep) in exposed areas. Their diets consist primarily of seeds, and they consequently participate in myrmecochory, an ant-plant interaction through which the ants gain nutrients and the plants benefit through seed dispersal. Red harvester ants are often mistaken for fire ants, but are not closely related to any fire ant species, native or introduced.
Red harvester ant nests are characterized by a lack of plant growth and small pebbles surrounding the entrance to the tunnel, which usually descends at a pronounced angle. Hulls of seeds may be found scattered around the nest. In grassland areas, such as ranches, the lack of plant life makes red harvester ant colonies very easy to spot, and where they are very plentiful, they may make serious inroads into the grazing available to livestock. The mounds are typically flat and broad, up to 100 mm (3.9 in) high, and 300 to 1,200 mm (12 to 47... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red Harvester Ant sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 633rd most-seen of the 1057 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red Harvester Ant in Houston on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Harvester Ant sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Red Harvester Ant sightings, Houston ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 10%), Monterrey (México, about 10%) and Mexico City (México, about 10%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Red Harvester Ant that you can see in Houston (family Formicidae, Ants) are Red Imported Fire Ant (about 10%), Graceful Twig Ant (about 10%) and Eastern Black Carpenter Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Harvester Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Houston (12 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
