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What ant species did you get completely wrong as a beginner?


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72 replies to this topic

#41 Offline Broncos - Posted October 28 2019 - 11:40 AM

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I saw a Pogonomyrmex californicus and thought it was P barbatus.


Currently Keeping:

Pogonomyrmex Californicus Bicolor & Concolor

Pogonomyrmex Subnitidius

Camponotus Sansabeanus

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#42 Offline ANTdrew - Posted October 28 2019 - 4:24 PM

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I saw a Pogonomyrmex californicus and thought it was P barbatus.

For most insects, if you can narrow it down to genus you’re pretty good. Most people don’t even try to name bees to species level, for example.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#43 Offline ponerinecat - Posted October 30 2019 - 7:30 PM

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Just look online. Some guy posted a pic of two mating beetles asking for an ID and some other guy IDed it as an ant.



#44 Offline CampoKing - Posted December 13 2019 - 10:45 AM

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[deleted]

Edited by CampoKing, December 21 2019 - 5:41 AM.


#45 Offline Formicoidea - Posted December 15 2019 - 3:50 AM

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Sorry but i am still a beginner, and i am still getting the speci... i mean.. genus.. wrong.

The most recent was the sudden realisation that my colony of "Iridomymex bicknelli" (which i've had for about a year) are probably Anonchromymex...


Current Queens/Colonies:

- Iridomyrmex Bicknelli                          - Iridomyrmex Sp. (x2)

- Camponotus Consobrinus                - Camponotus Sp.

- Myrmecia Sp.                                        - Rhytidoponera Metallica

- Rhytidoponera victoriae                       - Notoncus Sp. (x2)

- Anonychomyrma Cf. Froggatti (x6)


#46 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted February 16 2020 - 11:21 AM

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I thought that a formica sp. queen pupa was an egg...


Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. -Proverbs 6: 6-8

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#47 Offline AntsDakota - Posted February 16 2020 - 2:29 PM

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We actually thought worker pupae were eggs and queen pupae were worker pupae.
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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#48 Offline Leptomyrmx - Posted September 25 2021 - 10:53 PM

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Leptomyrmex brings a thread back from the dead yet again, beginner antkeeper me identified my Pheidole sp. colony as Anonychomyrma sp.

Then I realised I shouldn't always rely on my nuptial flight timeline. I laugh at myself for doing that now.


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My Ants:

Colonies: Camponotus humilior 1w, Opisthopsis rufithorax 11w, Aphaenogaster longiceps ~5w, Pheidole sp. ~235w ~15m, Iridomyrmex sp. 2q 1w, Brachyponera lutea 6w, Crematogaster sp. ~20w, Podomyrma sp. 1w

Queens: Polyrhachis cf. robinsoni, Polyrhachis (Campomyrma) sp. (likely infertile)

Previously Kept: Colobopsis gasseri, Technomyrmex sp., Rhytidoponera victorae, Nylanderia cf. rosae, Myrmecia brevinoda/forficata, Polyrhachis australis, Solenopsis/Monomorium

Key: Q = Queen, W = Worker, M = Major

Youtube Channel: Ants of Sydney - YouTube

Patreon (for YouTube channel): https://www.patreon.com/antsofsydney


#49 Offline KadinB - Posted September 25 2021 - 10:56 PM

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I thought a polyergus mexicanus queen was a invicta worker smh. Super funny to think about.



#50 Offline SYUTEO - Posted September 26 2021 - 12:02 AM

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I once mistaken Iridomyrmex anceps as Paratrechina longicornis, Carebara as Aenictus, Meranoplus bicolor as Crematogaster and even a Vespa tropica worker as a Dinomyrmex gigas queen. :facepalm:


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Began antkeeping in 2018  :)

 

All ant journal: https://www.formicul...os-ant-journal/


#51 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted September 27 2021 - 3:39 PM

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Strumigenys pilinasis queen as a S. molesta queen, Formica group fusca as Camponotus, Manica hunteri queen as Aphaenogaster queen and Leptothorax canadensis as myrmica(that last one was from May :blush: )


1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

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#52 Offline DaAnt - Posted September 27 2021 - 5:47 PM

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I thought a brachymyrmex patagonicus queen was a linepithema humile queen.   :facepalm:


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#53 Offline AntBoi3030 - Posted September 27 2021 - 6:14 PM

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I put a parisitic Lasius queen in a test tube and I was really disappointed when I didn’t get any tetramoruim workers

Edited by AntBoi3030, September 27 2021 - 6:14 PM.

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My favorite queens/colony’s:
Pheidole Tysoni, Selonopis Molesta, Brachymyrmex Depilis, Tetramorium Immagrians, Prenolepis Imparis, Pheidole Bicirinata 


#54 Offline KadinB - Posted September 27 2021 - 6:16 PM

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I thought a brachymyrmex patagonicus queen was a linepithema humile queen.   :facepalm:

I think that has happened to almost anyone haha. Including me.


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#55 Offline AntsLA-1 - Posted September 27 2021 - 6:44 PM

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I made the classic mistake of confusing Pogonomyrmex with Solenopsis the first time I saw them.

Same, even someone that walked by said "be careful of those fire ants!"


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Ants are cute, that's that.

 

 

Currently Keeping:

 

Nothing


#56 Offline antgallery - Posted September 27 2021 - 8:06 PM

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Somehow I managed to mistake a Crematogaster queen for a Tapinoma Sessile queen lol.


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#57 Offline Chickalo - Posted September 28 2021 - 4:13 AM

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I always cringe at my past self for thinking two Lasius claviger queens were Tetramorium immigrans and Camponotus pennsylavnicus.  IN MY DEFENSE HOWEVER, I was going of the iNats in my area (thought that was all there was) and those were the first queens I've seen, size difference was something completely non-existant when I was smaller.  Yes, now I can tell the difference between the three there was at the time (since Formica was added), and I expanded from that to healthy 20+ species (get your game on, Swampscott iNaturalistic users!)


シグナチャーです。예.

 


#58 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted April 7 2022 - 9:23 PM

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I'm going to revive this, just because it seems interesting. 
Strangely, the only queens I have ever misidentified were a Nylanderia queen, which I thought was Pseudolasius pygmaeus until her nanitics arrived, and a Myopias alate, which I mistook for a Stigmatomma sp. alate.


Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): Camponotus irritans inferior, Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, Nylanderia sp., Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.

#59 Offline Leptomyrmx - Posted April 7 2022 - 9:30 PM

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I'm going to revive this, just because it seems interesting. 
Strangely, the only queens I have ever misidentified were a Nylanderia queen, which I thought was Pseudolasius pygmaeus until her nanitics arrived, and a Myopias alate, which I mistook for a Stigmatomma sp. alate.

 

I agree this thread deserves to be revived.

I identified a Nylanderia queen as a Crematogaster queen.

Also that would have sucked thinking you found PSEUDOLASIUS and all you get is Nylanderia.


My Ants:

Colonies: Camponotus humilior 1w, Opisthopsis rufithorax 11w, Aphaenogaster longiceps ~5w, Pheidole sp. ~235w ~15m, Iridomyrmex sp. 2q 1w, Brachyponera lutea 6w, Crematogaster sp. ~20w, Podomyrma sp. 1w

Queens: Polyrhachis cf. robinsoni, Polyrhachis (Campomyrma) sp. (likely infertile)

Previously Kept: Colobopsis gasseri, Technomyrmex sp., Rhytidoponera victorae, Nylanderia cf. rosae, Myrmecia brevinoda/forficata, Polyrhachis australis, Solenopsis/Monomorium

Key: Q = Queen, W = Worker, M = Major

Youtube Channel: Ants of Sydney - YouTube

Patreon (for YouTube channel): https://www.patreon.com/antsofsydney


#60 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted April 7 2022 - 9:44 PM

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I'm going to revive this, just because it seems interesting. 
Strangely, the only queens I have ever misidentified were a Nylanderia queen, which I thought was Pseudolasius pygmaeus until her nanitics arrived, and a Myopias alate, which I mistook for a Stigmatomma sp. alate.

 

I agree this thread deserves to be revived.

I identified a Nylanderia queen as a Crematogaster queen.

Also that would have sucked thinking you found PSEUDOLASIUS and all you get is Nylanderia.

 

Well I find Pseudolasius quite often when I return to Mentakab, and Nylanderia are pretty neat. I did end up with actual Pseudolasius a week later, but those died. And apparently Myopias and Stigmatomma are elusive in Malaysia. I don't understand how I find hypogaeic species in very exposed urban areas.


Edited by ANTS_KL, April 7 2022 - 9:46 PM.

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Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): Camponotus irritans inferior, Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, Nylanderia sp., Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.




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