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Joshua Tree Road Trip 2015 Part 6
Joshua Tree Road Trip Spring 2015 Part 6
Other Ant Species Observed On This Road Trip
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Rover ant (Brachymyrmex patagonius): This is an introduced South American species that is becoming quite common in well-watered desert areas of the southwestern United States.
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Ants on sidewalk along Indio Boulevard: A: California harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex californicus). B. Southern Fire ant (Solenopsis xyloni). C. Long-horned crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis). D. Rover ant (Brachymyrmex patagonius). At my home in San Marcos, CA these ants would be quickly eliminated by the aggressive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile). The long-horned crazy ant is an interesting species introduced from tropical Asia. In the 1990s this species invaded the Biosphere 2 ecosystem project in Oracle, Arizona.
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Orange desert ant (Forelius pruinosus). These minute, fast-moving, thermophilic ants typically run in columns. I cannot see any standing hairs on the antennal scapes, so I assume it is F. pruinosus and not the very similar species F. mccooki.
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Two Miscellaneous Non-Ant Images Worked On During This Trip
Candy Of The 1950s
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Remember When: Popular candy of the 1950s, purchased at a candy store in Palm Springs on this road trip. Image will appear on my "Remember When" Facebook series.
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The Heartbreak Of Anther Smut
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Silene verecunda ssp. platyota in the nearby San Jacinto Mountains. The flowers are suffering from a full-blown case of anther smut (Ustilago violacea). This sexually transmitted plant disease is spread by promiscuous insects. Inset: Finger cots are shown on the flower model. Image will appear on my "Trivia Notes" Facebook series.
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