Messor

Messor is a genus of myrmicine ants with more than 100 species, all of which are harvester ants; the generic name comes from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor. The subterranean colonies tend to be found in open fields and near roadsides, openings are directly to the surface.

Colonies can achieve huge sizes and are notable for their intricately designed granaries in which seeds are stored in dry conditions, preventing germination. The structure of Messor spp. nests is complex and the genus on the whole is one of very accomplished architects.[citation needed]

Messor spp. are polymorphic and have a distinct caste of macrocephalic dinoergates whose role is carrying and cutting the large seeds which comprise much of the colonies' subsistence. Although they primarily feed on seeds, they occasionally eat insects and snails.[citation needed] Some snail shells possibly are taken into the nest because of their grain-like shape.

Equipped with a tough, shining cuticle, Messor spp. are slow-moving and form long, seed-carrying runs. Colonies tend to be monogynous - founded by a single queen alone.[citation needed]

Looking specifically at the M. arenarius species for example, like some other types of harvester ants, they emit trail pheromones as well as operating on an individual level when looking for food sources.

Species

Messor abdelazizi Santschi, 1921
Messor aciculatus (Smith, 1874)
Messor aegyptiacus (Emery, 1878)
Messor alexandri Tohme, 1981
Messor angularis Santschi, 1928
Messor antennatus Emery, 1908
Messor aphenogasteroides Pisarski, 1967
Messor aralocaspius Ruzsky, 1902
Messor arenarius (Fabricius, 1787)
Messor asmaae (Sharaf, 2018)
Messor atanassovii Atanassov, 1982
Messor barbarus (Linnaeus, 1767)
Messor berbericus Bernard, 1955
Messor bernardi Cagniant, 1967
Messor bouvieri Bondroit, 1918
Messor boyeri Cagniant, 2006
Messor brevispinosus Santschi, 1923
Messor bucephalus Salata et al., 2023
Messor buettikeri Collingwood, 1985
Messor caducus (Victor, 1839)
Messor capensis (Mayr, 1862)
Messor capitatus (Latreille, 1798)
Messor carpathous Menozzi, 1936
Messor caviceps (Forel, 1902)
Messor celiae Reyes, 1985
Messor cephalotes (Emery, 1895)
Messor ceresis Santschi, 1934
Messor clivorum (Ruzsky, 1905)
Messor clypeatus Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927
Messor collingwoodi Bolton, 1982
Messor concolor Santschi, 1927
Messor crawleyi Santschi, 1928
Messor creticus Salata & Borowiec, 2019
Messor danaes Salata et al., 2023
Messor decipiens Santschi, 1917
Messor dentatus Santschi, 1927
Messor denticornis Forel, 1910
Messor denticulatus Santschi, 1927
Messor desertora He & Song, 2009
Messor diabarensis Arnol'di, 1969
†Messor draxil Fisher, 2025
Messor ebeninus Santschi, 1927
Messor eglalae Sharaf, 2007
Messor erectus Espadaler, 1998
Messor erwini Orou et al., 2023
Messor excursionis Ruzsky, 1905
Messor ferreri Collingwood, 1993
Messor foreli Santschi, 1923
Messor galla (Mayr, 1904)
Messor grandinidus Emery, 1912
Messor hebraeus Santschi, 1927
Messor hellenius Agosti & Collingwood, 1987
Messor himalayanus (Forel, 1902)
Messor hismai Collingwood & Agosti, 1996
Messor hispanicus Santschi, 1919
Messor hodnii Barech et al., 2020
Messor hoggarensis Santschi, 1929
Messor ibericus Santschi, 1931
Messor incisus Stitz, 1923
Messor incorruptus Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929
Messor inermis Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929
Messor instabilis (Smith, 1858)
Messor intermedius Santschi, 1927
Messor isekram (Bernard, 1977)
Messor kardamenae Salata & Borowiec, 2023
Messor kasakorum Arnol'di, 1969
Messor kisilkumensis Arnol'di, 1969
Messor laboriosus Santschi, 1927
Messor lamellicornis Arnol'di, 1968
Messor lobicornis Forel, 1894
Messor luebberti Forel, 1910
Messor luridus Santschi, 1927
Messor lusitanicus Tinaut, 1985
Messor maculifrons Santschi, 1927
Messor marikovskii Arnol'di, 1969
Messor marocanus Santschi, 1927
Messor mcarthuri Steiner et al., 2018
Messor medioruber Santschi, 1910
Messor mediosanguineus Donisthorpe, 1946
Messor melancholicus Arnol'di, 1977
Messor meridionalis (André, 1883)
Messor minor (Andre, 1883)
Messor muraywahus Collingwood & Agosti, 1996
Messor muscatus Collingwood & Agosti, 1996
Messor muticus (Nylander, 1849)
Messor nahali Tohme, 1981
Messor niloticus Santschi, 1938
Messor nondentatus He & Song, 2009
Messor nuvia Fisher, 2025
Messor obscurior Pashaei Rad et al., 2018
Messor odrysarum Lapeva-Gjonova & Borowiec, 2026
Messor oertzeni Forel, 1910
Messor olegianus Arnol'di, 1969
Messor orientalis (Emery, 1898)
Messor perantennatus Arnol'di, 1969
Messor piceus Stitz, 1923
Messor picturatus Santschi, 1927
Messor platyceras Crawley, 1920
Messor ponticus Steiner et al., 2018
Messor postpetiolatus Santschi, 1917
Messor postquadratus Santschi, 1932
Messor punctaticeps Barech et al., 2020
Messor regalis (Emery, 1892)
Messor reticuliventris Karavaiev, 1910
Messor rufotestaceus (Foerster, 1850)
Messor rufus Santschi, 1923
Messor ruginodis Stitz, 1916
Messor rugosus (Andre, 1881)
Messor sanctus Emery, 1921
Messor sanganus Collingwood & Agosti, 1996
Messor santschii Santschi, 1910
Messor semirufus (Andre, 1883)
Messor semoni (Forel, 1906)
Messor sordidus (Forel, 1892)
Messor striatellus Arnol'di, 1969
Messor striaticeps (Andre, 1883)
Messor striatifrons Stitz, 1923
Messor striativentris Emery, 1908
Messor striatulus (Dalla Torre, 1893)
Messor structor (Latreille, 1798)
Messor subgracilinodis Arnol'di, 1969
Messor sultanus Santschi, 1917
Messor syriacus Tohme, 1969
Messor tadzhikorum Arnol'di, 1970
Messor tataricus (Ruzsky, 1905)
Messor testaceus Donisthorpe, 1950
Messor timidus (Espadaler, 1997)
Messor tropicorum Wheeler, 1922
Messor turcmenochorassanicus Arnol'di, 1977
Messor valentinae Arnol'di, 1969
Messor variabilis Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927
Messor varrialei Emery, 1921
Messor vaucheri Emery, 1908
Messor veneris Salata et al., 2023
Messor vicinus Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927
Messor wasmanni Krausse, 1910

External links

Media related to Messor at Wikimedia Commons