Messor aciculatus is a black harvester ant of East Asia that gathers grass seeds and stores them in nests usually 10–16 ft (3–5 m) underground. It lives in Korea, Japan, China, and Mongolia and does not occur in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Workers are about 3/16 in (4–5 mm) long. The body is black; the head and thorax are dull, and only the abdomen is shiny. Like other ants in its subfamily, it has a two-segmented waist.
Where it lives
- Range
- Temperate East Asia: Korea, Japan, China, and Mongolia. Not found in North America.
- Preferred conditions
- Dry, short grassland, fields, vacant lots, and city parks.
Behavior
- Diet
- Mainly seeds of grasses and other small plants, which workers carry back one at a time and store in the nest.
- Activity
- Workers come above ground mostly in spring and fall (in Japan, mainly October–November) and rarely at other times.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- Mating flights happen in late April and May.
- Nest
- A nearly vertical shaft roughly 10–16 ft (3–5 m) deep, with side chambers along it. Japanese records report depths of up to 23 ft (7 m).
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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