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Aaron's Camponotus inaequalis Journal (Updated 8/8/21)

camponotus journal camponotusjournal tortuganus sexguttatus

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23 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Aaron567 - Posted July 29 2017 - 5:48 PM

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On the night of July 22, I was using my black light outdoors while visiting Fort Pierce, Florida, for vacation. The area has completely different ants than what I find at home. At the black light at around 9:00, there were several Camponotus males flying in, and eventually some queens.

 

I ended up collecting queens of Camponotus inaequalis, Camponotus floridanus, and Camponotus sexguttatus while using the black light. Here is a journal on the Camponotus inaequalis.

 

Camponotus inaequalis

 

Camponotus inaequalis is a native peninsular Floridian ant that is found from the Florida Keys to as far north as St. Augustine on the Atlantic coast. It is in the Camponotus maculatus species complex and is a close relative to neotropical species such as C. conspicuus and C. zonatus. Color in this species is variable and can range from a dull, loosely bicolored brown to bicolored red and black like floridanus, to almost entirely orangey in color.

 

This queen is 12mm. I think she's pretty cool looking. 

 

July 22, 2017

 

7z9xxfi.jpg

 

July 28, 2017

 

Wings shed!

 

ecQny3a.jpg

 

July 29, 2017

 

First egg laid  :D

 

qG0GMb3.jpg


Edited by Aaron567, August 8 2021 - 3:28 PM.

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#2 Offline T.C. - Posted July 29 2017 - 7:19 PM

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Nice! What are you using for a camera?
“If I am killed for simply living, let death be kinder than man.” -Althea Davis

#3 Offline Aaron567 - Posted August 11 2017 - 10:17 PM

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August 11, 2017

 

This queen has gotten her first larva. I'm sure this larva stage will go by very quickly like it always does.

 

AunZnNM.jpg

phTsBCi.jpg

3KBzRbe.jpg

 

 

 


Edited by Aaron567, May 16 2021 - 1:16 PM.

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#4 Offline Aaron567 - Posted August 19 2017 - 9:36 AM

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August 18, 2017

 

One week after this queen got her first larva, she already has her first pupa. I'm excited for nanitics! I have never seen workers of this species in person so seeing nanitics will be very cool.

 

3EX3WAD.jpg

TrsIyBP.jpg


Edited by Aaron567, May 16 2021 - 1:18 PM.

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#5 Offline Aaron567 - Posted August 30 2017 - 8:02 PM

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August 29, 2017

 

This queen's nanitic eclosed yesterday as a beautiful yellow worker. It is still the same color today, but it should eventually get quite a bit darker to match closely with the queen's coloration. The head shape with this species is interesting.. long head with their large eyes at the top.

 

IJFLwUA.jpg

nn2c8LB.jpg

Nm5hLbe.jpg

d3jPEP8.jpg

yNEFQP1.jpg


Edited by Aaron567, May 16 2021 - 1:20 PM.

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#6 Offline VoidElecent - Posted August 31 2017 - 7:32 AM

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Wow, beautiful! That C. sexguttatus nanitic looks like a Formica worker!


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#7 Offline Aaron567 - Posted November 5 2017 - 3:17 PM

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November 5, 2017

 

It's been hard getting this queen to lay eggs! She lays a few eggs, but I guess the eggs are so large and her gaster is so small that she cannot produce many at this stage of their life. The third generation of workers has not even arrived yet.

 

The colony has 5 workers right now, and just a few pieces of brood. I just wish the queen would lay a big batch of eggs. She looks very fat right now so maybe she'll lay soon. The colony is doing fine, other than that. They are active and are accepting food. I have also given them a little outworld.

 

oFPbGp8.jpg

5srWjjo.jpg

pLQbPPR.jpg

SiQAx9p.jpg


Edited by Aaron567, May 16 2021 - 1:22 PM.

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#8 Offline Aaron567 - Posted January 19 2018 - 4:18 PM

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January 19, 2018

 

I'm glad to this colony has done well since the last update. Today they got their first major! The colony now has 13 workers in total, with a few large/medium larvae and over a dozen eggs/instar larvae.

 

These are pictures from yesterday, before the major eclosed.

 

LB8F9TP.jpg

UN86WE4.jpg

 

And here is the major today. I am surprised by how large she is and how wide her head is, being only the first one.

 

yO39WeO.jpg

RW1ILGm.jpg

qZ5fYcz.jpg


Edited by Aaron567, May 16 2021 - 1:23 PM.

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#9 Offline anttics - Posted January 26 2018 - 2:38 PM

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that's a midget major lol. beautiful species. I would like a Camponotus species some day.

#10 Offline KBant - Posted January 26 2018 - 3:03 PM

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yo, nice pictures!



#11 Offline Serafine - Posted January 28 2018 - 1:47 AM

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that's a midget major lol.

I don't think it even is a major, looks more like a big-headed media.

Those ants are really beautiful, the color scheme is so nice.


We should respect all forms of consciousness. The body is just a vessel, a mere hull.

Welcome to Lazy Tube - My Camponotus Journal


#12 Offline Aaron567 - Posted March 2 2018 - 3:14 PM

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March 2, 2018 - A few setbacks

 

This colony has never had any setbacks until now. They have been consistently growing without any workers dying and without eating any brood. One of the nanitics died a few weeks ago, which was only their first death. 

 

The colony has 20 workers total now. I had a ytong AntsAustralia nest that I attempted to move them into, and it did not go so well. When I move my colonies, it is almost always immediately successful because I force them to move by dumping them out of their nest or test tube. I dumped the colony into their outworld so they would soon discover the new formicarium and move in. But, instead, they decided they hated the nest and wanted nothing to do with it, so they sat in their outworld for three days. Usually, ants would move into an area that has ideal temperature and humidity, but these did not. They would rather sit in the outworld and let themselves die of dehydration. So, I check on them to find one dead minor worker and their first and only major nearly dead. I quickly made a new test tube setup and put that in there, and they moved in quickly. I guess they are not ready for a formicarium quite yet, but they would've looked nice in that nest.

 

They are accepting a wide variety of foods still and are going to be just fine by the looks of it. It really sucks that their awesome major has died, though.

 

Here is a picture of when they were living in the outworld.

glTUXkm.jpg

 

The dead major. May she rest in peace.

N4OzIr0.jpg


Edited by Aaron567, May 16 2021 - 1:24 PM.

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#13 Offline Aaron567 - Posted July 3 2018 - 1:52 PM

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July 3, 2018

 

Over the 11 months that I've had this colony, it has grown slowly but surely. They are at about 40 workers now and only a couple pupae and a few small larvae. A new batch of eggs (around 10) was laid yesterday. They have one media worker and one small major. 

 

I just moved them into a new formicarium yesterday. This photo is a little cloudy from condensation. 

 

TRujPON.jpg

 

 

The media worker.

 

fVgOlGB.jpg

 

 

Pictures from when I was moving them.

 

ub3Q5Bl.jpg

eKT15Nd.jpg

9fTkX56.jpg

Sa7xMsI.jpg


Edited by Aaron567, May 16 2021 - 1:26 PM.

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#14 Offline Aaron567 - Posted December 15 2018 - 7:14 PM

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December 15, 2018

 

A few months ago when this colony had around 50 workers I forgot to hydrate their nest (like I always do with all of my colonies) and they had a big die-off... more than half of the colony died. They are just fine and have been recovering. The queen is still laying eggs as this species does not undergo diapause in most of their range.

 

TjSGzU4.jpg

maVURYc.jpg

y8gIBwF.jpg


Edited by Aaron567, May 16 2021 - 1:26 PM.

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#15 Offline Rstheant - Posted January 13 2019 - 2:35 PM

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Update??

#16 Offline EthanNgo678 - Posted May 13 2019 - 7:17 PM

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update?


Plants r cool


#17 Offline Acutus - Posted May 13 2019 - 8:02 PM

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And what are you using to take the pictures??? these are amazing!!! :D


Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea


#18 Offline FSTP - Posted May 13 2019 - 8:46 PM

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Hopefully they're all still doing good. 



#19 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 15 2019 - 5:51 PM

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Update!

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#20 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted May 16 2019 - 2:28 AM

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I love the C. sexguttatus





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