Broad-headed Amazon Ant
Polyergus breviceps
This record describes Polyergus breviceps (species). Recorded family: Formicidae. Recorded order: Hymenoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
- Superfamily
- Formicoidea
- Family
- Formicidae (Ants)
- Subfamily
- Formicinae
- Tribe
- Formicini
- Genus
- Polyergus (Amazon Ants)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Habitat
Sedge meadows, montane meadows, bluestem prairie, cordgrass prairie, or open riparian woodlands. This ant in occurs in mixed colonies, with the host workers, usually with one or more of the following species: Formica montana, F. canadensis, F. altipetens or F. neoclara , these generally outnumbering the P. breviceps workers by as much as 10:1.
Geographic Range
Western Great Lakes Region from Indiana to Wisconsin, the Dakotas, west and south to mountain meadows of Colorado and northeastern Arizona.
Seasonal Activity
Raiding season is July-August. Peak alate flight season is late July-early August. Both events occur on warm, sunny afternoons.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: brev-short + ceps-headed, hence the English name. Transverse axis of head capsule is usual as or more long as the sagittal axis.
About Flies: the wider group
Order-level background for Hymenoptera, the group containing Polyergus breviceps. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Hymenoptera includes over 150,000 described species of ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies. Earth harbors approximately 20 quadrillion (20×10^15) ants, with a combined biomass of ~12 megatons of dry carbon - exceeding the combined biomass of all wild birds and mammals (PNAS, 2022).
Ecological role of the group
About 35% of the world's food crops depend on animal pollinators. The chocolate industry, valued at over $100 billion, depends on pollinating flies and midges. Ants are the dominant soil engineers in most terrestrial ecosystems, turning more soil than earthworms in many habitats.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Pollinators contribute $235-577 billion worth of annual global food production (FAO). In the U.S., bee pollination alone benefits crops valued at $18 billion annually, and honey bees are responsible for $5.4 billion in agricultural productivity. Between April 2023-2024, 55.1% of managed honey bee colonies were lost. The U.S. bee population dropped from 5 million to 2.5 million.
Recorded sources for this group: FAO, USDA, EPA, PNAS (2022), US Fish & Wildlife Service. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Broad-headed Amazon Ant (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by James C. Trager; Additional contributions by v belov , Oliver.Yung