Pogonomyrmex barbatus is a
species of
harvester ant from the
genus Pogonomyrmex. Its
common names include
red ant and
red harvester ant. These large (5–7 millimeters)
ants prefer arid
chaparral habitats and are native to the
southwest United States. Nests are made underground (up to 2.5 meters deep) in exposed areas. Their diets consist primarily of seeds, and they consequently participate in
myrmecochory, an ant-plant interaction through which the ants gain nutrients and the plants benefit through
seed dispersal. Red harvester ants are often mistaken for
fire ants, but are not closely related to any fire ant species, native or introduced.