Veromessor is a genus of seed-harvesting ants distributed throughout arid and semi-arid regions of western United States and Mexico. The genus has been the subject of many studies of behavior and ecology and a recently completed systematic treatment. Despite relatively small number of species (10) and recent diversification, Veromessor species exhibit variation in several morphological and life-history traits, including colony size, foraging method, seasonality of mating flights, mating frequency, and colony founding strategy. We used Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs) sequenced from multiple populations of all species to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the genus.
