the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico
Fine-art photographic collection
Novomessor cockerelli
A desert ant that sabotages rivals by physically plugging their nest entrances with stones and sand.
About this species
Novomessor cockerelli(André, 1893)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Novomessor cockerelli is a large desert ant of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Workers often forage singly, but they can recruit rapidly to large food and are famous for interference competition against neighbouring harvester ants.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Novomessor
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern MexicoBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Hot arid grassland, scrub and desert ground.
Foraging is timed to avoid the most lethal surface temperatures.
Dead insects and other animal material, with additional scavenged foods.
Social; colonies occupy deep ground nests.
What makes this species remarkable?
Workers carry sand, pebbles and debris to the entrances of neighbouring harvester-ant nests and plug them shut before the day’s foraging begins.
A blocked rival may lose one to three hours digging out — a serious handicap when safe desert-foraging time is extremely short.
Although single workers commonly search alone, a discovery of large prey can trigger rapid recruitment and cooperative transport back to the nest.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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