Temnothorax rugatulus

T. rugatulus is distributed across all of the western U.S.A, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Western Texas. The species has a presence in the northern Mexican states Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua. The species' range extends north into Canada, occupying the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon Territories.

For T. rugatulus ants, visual cues help them understand their surroundings and include celestial, local landmarks, or memorization of their surroundings. When presented with a choice of different sensory cues, T. rugatulus steadily chose visual cues over other forms of navigational cues. If and when visual cues were blocked with all else staying equal, the ants were heavily disoriented. The age of the ant also affects the type of navigational cues it uses. Older ants that are more familiar with their surroundings will primarily use visual cues, whereas naive ants will use pheromone signals instead.