Hey all
I've decided to start this journal due to interest about this sp. on my other post. (https://www.formicul...2435-black-egg/)
some basic background information about this species:
- Found throughout sub - Saharan Africa.
- very large ants, workers range between 15 -24mm
- they have ergatoid queens (wingless queens only identifiable through ocelli) which are 23-26 mm,some of the largest ants in south africa
- they feed almost exclusively on millipedes or millipede eggs,
- colonies seldom surpass 100 individuals
My queens
both queens were collected o 6 April 2019
they are housed in outworlds
instead of tubes, they are living in Ant kit size 1 nests, this is because their long mandibles can get tangled in the cotton wool, and also inhibits their ability to drink off the vertical surface.
both queens stared laying after winter was over in September.
29 - 11 - 2019
Queen 1
She has two larvae, one is about 2 weeks old, around 6mm , the other hatched last night as well as 12 eggs. something really interesting is how they feed directly from the carcass, probably my favourite dynamic of ponerinae larvae. These 2 larvae manage to chew through an entire millipede (2-3cm) every couple of days, but this is likely to increase as the larvae grow larger.
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Queen 2
1st of all,she didn't like her formicarium and decided to dig and make her nest underneath. she has 7 eggs and no larvae just yet, so she might be infertile,or she ate and replaced some of her eggs in between. She is still feeding well on millipedes, I offer every few days.
