Messor pergandei, page 3

Here are some more pictures of the nest entrances during active periods. In the photo on the far right, you can see the omatidia on the ant at the lower left of the image.
 
These photos to the left show activity on the midden pile. In the nearer of the photos, you can see a flake of reptile (lizard?) skin that the larger worker has just deposited. The variety of shapes and textures of objects that ends up in the middens is pretty neat.
 
Still *more* pictures of Messor pergandei around the nest entrance. Do you get the idea that this is the easiest place to photograph them ? These photos really show the metallic quality that M. pergandei displays in certain lights.
 
It should be fairly evident that ants are quite numerous in the Sonoran Desert, and Messor pergandei is one of the more common species. You would think that all of this biomass would make a tempting lunch for somebody, and you would be right. One of the more interesting and gruesome things about Messor pergandei is its relationship with one of its predators - a spider named Euryopis.
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