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Dspdrew's Dorymyrmex bicolor Journal [220] (Updated 2-9-2024)

dspdrew journal dorymyrmex bicolor cone ants pyramid ants

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63 replies to this topic

#1 Offline dspdrew - Posted August 14 2014 - 10:35 AM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA
8-14-2014
 
Species: Dorymyrmex sp.
Date collected: 8-4-2014.
Location collected: Near Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Collection method: Found wandering around.
 
I found tons of these Dorymyrmex sp. alates on my black light earlier, but none of them seem to be fertile. A little later that night I found this dealate wandering around. She started laying eggs a couple days later.
 
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#2 Offline dspdrew - Posted August 26 2014 - 5:51 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA
Updated 8-26-2014
 
So far it looks like this queen is indeed fertile.
 
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#3 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted August 26 2014 - 6:23 PM

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Is it just the lighting, or is she velvety like that?



#4 Offline dspdrew - Posted August 26 2014 - 6:55 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Not sure. She probably does have some pubescence on her gaster.



#5 Offline Myrmicinae - Posted August 26 2014 - 7:02 PM

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Judging from their opaqueness, they look very close to pupating.


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#6 Offline DesertAntz - Posted September 8 2014 - 9:11 PM

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I caught 4 dorymrymex bicolor queens tonight in my backyard (there were tons more wandering around but I only have room for so many :) ). I'm excited for this species. 


The good man is the friend of all living things. - Gandhi 


#7 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted September 8 2014 - 9:19 PM

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Nice! It sounds like an interesting species to keep.



#8 Offline dspdrew - Posted September 10 2014 - 6:30 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA
Updated 9-10-2014
 
Two days ago this queen got her first workers.
 
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#9 Offline dspdrew - Posted March 5 2015 - 10:27 PM

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  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Updated 3-5-2015

 

The queen had a small colony for a while, but after they slowly died off, she has now died too.



#10 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted March 5 2015 - 11:18 PM

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Shame... :( This was a cool species.



#11 Offline dspdrew - Posted July 10 2015 - 12:52 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA
7-10-2015
 
1. Location of collection: Goffs, California.
2. Date of collection: 7-7-2015.
3. Habitat of collection:  High desert.
4. Length (from head to gaster):  7mm
 
I dug a bunch of these queens up from founding chambers in the desert out in Goffs, California, on 7-7-2015. A storm went through two days before, dropping a little over an inch of rain.
 
A few of these died soon after getting them home, leaving me with six. Since most people hava had a lot of trouble raising these, I took James C. Trager's advice, and I boosted all but one of them with D. insanus brood. The one I didn't boost had already laid her own little pile of eggs.
 
So far I put one of these in one of my small ant farm boxes, and he rest I have in test tubes.
 
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#12 Offline Foogoo - Posted July 10 2015 - 1:24 PM

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Where their founding chambers just tiny mounds of dirt like the ones I found instead of the typical hole with a fan of dirt? Hope these do better than the Dorymyrmex I caught!


Camponotus vicinus, Crematogaster 1, Crematogaster 2, Formica francoeuri, *, *, Myrmecocystus testaceus, Novomessor cockerelli, Pheidole hyatti, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Solenopsis invicta


#13 Offline dspdrew - Posted July 10 2015 - 1:44 PM

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  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

These were tiny mounds of dirt.



#14 Offline kellakk - Posted July 10 2015 - 2:59 PM

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That's weird that yours dug up piles, the D. bicolor I dug up around here didn't make the typical Dorymyrmex mound.


Current Species:
Camponotus fragilis

Novomessor cockerelli

Pogonomyrmex montanus

Pogonomyrmex rugosus

Manica bradleyi

 

 


#15 Offline Foogoo - Posted July 10 2015 - 8:10 PM

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That's weird that yours dug up piles, the D. bicolor I dug up around here didn't make the typical Dorymyrmex mound.

What were they? Like the typical hole and fan?


Camponotus vicinus, Crematogaster 1, Crematogaster 2, Formica francoeuri, *, *, Myrmecocystus testaceus, Novomessor cockerelli, Pheidole hyatti, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Solenopsis invicta


#16 Offline kellakk - Posted July 11 2015 - 9:35 AM

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Yeah, they made the hole and fan. Now I'm thinking I might have caught them early on in their burrow-digging, before they had a chance to make a mound.

Current Species:
Camponotus fragilis

Novomessor cockerelli

Pogonomyrmex montanus

Pogonomyrmex rugosus

Manica bradleyi

 

 


#17 Offline dspdrew - Posted July 11 2015 - 10:13 AM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

That's weird. I've never seen Dorymyrmex make founding chambers like that. I guess it's possible. I always thought all Pheidole made little mounts too, until I dug some species I never found before out of a typical fan shaped nest.


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#18 Offline dspdrew - Posted July 11 2015 - 12:59 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA
Update 7-11-2015
 
The queen in the dirt has finished her nest. I can see she only went down about 3/4 of an inch and then headed sideways. Since one of my Pogonomyrmex magnacanthus queens died, I put another one of these in the vacant ant farm box.
 
med_gallery_2_443_57299.jpg
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#19 Offline Foogoo - Posted July 12 2015 - 9:57 AM

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Have you had relatively good luck with all the species you've tried in the dirt boxes? Of the three Pogonomyrmex I tried in similar setups, only one dug (then died). My other two never attempted to dig, even with starting holes.


Camponotus vicinus, Crematogaster 1, Crematogaster 2, Formica francoeuri, *, *, Myrmecocystus testaceus, Novomessor cockerelli, Pheidole hyatti, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Solenopsis invicta


#20 Offline dspdrew - Posted July 12 2015 - 1:32 PM

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  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Yes they have worked pretty well.

 

Pogonomyrmex do that some times. I've had a lot of different species wait a while before digging.







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