Small to medium workers; repletes become far larger in volume when filled.
Fine-art photographic collection
Myrmecocystus navajo
A desert food-storage society hidden beneath the American Southwest.
About this species
Navajo honeypot ant
Myrmecocystus navajoWheeler, 1908
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Myrmecocystus navajo is a honeypot ant of the southern United States and northern Mexico. Colonies exploit seasonal pulses of nectar and honeydew and preserve part of the surplus in replete workers deep underground.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Formicinae · Lasiini · Myrmecocystus
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
American SouthwestBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
Southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Desert, dry grassland, sandy flats and open scrub.
Often crepuscular or nocturnal in hot weather.
Nectar, honeydew and arthropod food.
Deep soil nests with replete workers suspended from chamber ceilings.
What makes this species remarkable?
A replete’s abdomen can expand until the worker is unable to walk normally.
Stored food helps the colony survive long dry intervals.
The nest is much deeper and more complex than the small surface entrance suggests.