Jump to content

  • Chat
  •  
  •  

Welcome to Formiculture.com!

This is a website for anyone interested in Myrmecology and all aspects of finding, keeping, and studying ants. The site and forum are free to use. Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation points to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, post status updates, manage your profile and so much more. If you already have an account, login here - otherwise create an account for free today!

Photo

Temnothorax curvispinosus Journal

temnothorax journal formicarium

  • Please log in to reply
34 replies to this topic

#21 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted July 17 2019 - 8:53 AM

Antennal_Scrobe

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 933 posts
  • LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

Here are the pictures:

Small Queen 1
Small Queen 2
Small Queen 3
Small Queen 4

They don't accurately convey the smallness of the weird queen, probably because she is in the foreground and because the other queen shown here is probably the smallest normal one. trust me though, she looks quite small in real life. The last one shows size the best.


Edited by Antennal_Scrobe, July 17 2019 - 8:57 AM.

  • Karma likes this

Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis


#22 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted July 17 2019 - 9:02 AM

Antennal_Scrobe

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 933 posts
  • LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

If only she was next to one of the other queens, then you would really be able to see the size difference.


Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis


#23 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted July 17 2019 - 9:23 AM

TennesseeAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,920 posts
  • LocationNashville, Tennessee
I just got a colony of Temnothorax curvispinosus without a curvispinosus queen, and with a parasitic Temnothorax queen.
  • Antennal_Scrobe likes this

#24 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted July 17 2019 - 9:28 AM

Antennal_Scrobe

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 933 posts
  • LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

A shame... How could you tell without a size comparison?


Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis


#25 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted July 17 2019 - 9:33 AM

TennesseeAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,920 posts
  • LocationNashville, Tennessee
I am glad! The parasitic queen is skinny and brown/black with a large head.
  • Antennal_Scrobe likes this

#26 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted July 17 2019 - 9:40 AM

Antennal_Scrobe

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 933 posts
  • LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

Oh, so is she a normal social parasite species that makes workers? My parasite queen is workerless, she lays eggs that hatch into alates when cared for by the host workers and queens.


Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis


#27 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted July 17 2019 - 10:02 AM

Antennal_Scrobe

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 933 posts
  • LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

Did I mention these ants are master escape artists? The one paperback I had at first didn't stop them, now I have 3 hardcovers on top of their setup, which seems to be working, I haven't seen an escaped ant in weeks.


Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis


#28 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted July 17 2019 - 11:17 AM

TennesseeAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,920 posts
  • LocationNashville, Tennessee
Yeah mine has workers.

#29 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted July 17 2019 - 3:19 PM

Antennal_Scrobe

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 933 posts
  • LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

What species is she? I imagine they have different ones in Tennessee.


Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis


#30 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted July 17 2019 - 6:32 PM

TennesseeAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,920 posts
  • LocationNashville, Tennessee
I don't know yet. I will key her out tomorrow.

#31 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted July 24 2019 - 9:42 AM

Antennal_Scrobe

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 933 posts
  • LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

They are all in the artificial nest now.


Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis


#32 Offline Canadian anter - Posted July 24 2019 - 12:18 PM

Canadian anter

    Vendor

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,541 posts
  • LocationToronto,Canada

Yeah mine has workers.

Temnothorax minutissimus does not produce workers.I suggest you recheck your ID


Visit us at www.canada-ant-colony.com !

#33 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted July 24 2019 - 1:10 PM

Antennal_Scrobe

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 933 posts
  • LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

T. minutissimus is an inquiline parasite species, whose queens live inside functional colonies of other ants, in this case T. curvispinosus. They are mostly identical to the host queens except for the fact that they are only about two thirds the size. My colony has three normal curvispinosus queens and one very small, differently colored, and strangely behaving queen who seems to be T. minutissimus. the workers are not hers, but if she produces alates, I can confirm my ID.

 

Yeah mine has workers.

Temnothorax minutissimus does not produce workers.I suggest you recheck your ID

 


Edited by Antennal_Scrobe, July 24 2019 - 1:10 PM.

Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis


#34 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted July 24 2019 - 2:08 PM

TennesseeAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,920 posts
  • LocationNashville, Tennessee

Yeah mine has workers.

Temnothorax minutissimus does not produce workers.I suggest you recheck your ID

I know. I meant mine produces workers, and is a temporary social parasite.
  • Antennal_Scrobe likes this

#35 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted August 2 2019 - 1:35 PM

Antennal_Scrobe

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 933 posts
  • LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

The are several male alates present in this colony now. The worker count does not appear to have increased or decreased. I am pretty sure they are not producing any new brood.


Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis






Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: temnothorax, journal, formicarium

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users