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Paintsville, Kentucky (9-15-19)


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#1 Offline DJoseph98 - Posted September 15 2019 - 1:47 PM

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1. Location (on a map) of collection: Paintsville, KY
2. Date of collection: 9/2/19
3. Habitat of collection: Dry area near a lot of black berry patches and other shrubs and tall grass.
4. Length (from head to gaster): 8 mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: Very dark brown or red to a more reddish hue on petioles and legs. Shiny. You looks very dark colored though without bright lighting.
6. Distinguishing characteristics: Eyes look somewhat small but stick out of her head. Definitely has a small stinger.
7. Distinguishing behavior: I suspected she was semiclaustral or parasitic because of her gaster’s small size so I gave her some live fruit flies that had been slowed in the fridge with an outworld. She killed all seven in less than 15 minutes, using a stinger (which I was able to see while she was just in a test tube). Drank a lot of honey with a growing gaster and fruit flies were dry after a day of leaving them with her.
8. Nest description: n/a
9. Nuptial flight time and date: No way to be certain as she is definitely semi claustral from her behavior. I may have kidnapped some larvae’s mother.

I’m guessing that since she is semiclaustral, this queen is most likely of the genus Myrmica. Although I am not quite sure if Aphaenogaster has semiclaustral queens or not. I also appreciate any tips that anyone has on the care of either species would be great. I think I read somewhere that with Myrmica they wait until spring to start laying eggs.

fY4d5bX.jpg

Current Colonies

1 x Camponotus nearcticus (Monogynous), 1 x Crematogaster cerasi (Monogynous), 1 x Formica cf. subsericea (Polygynous Two-Queen), 1 x Formica cf. pallidefulva (Monogynous, single worker),

1 x Lasius cf. americanus (Pleometrotic Founding, now Monogynous), 1 x Tetramorium immigrans (Monogynous)

 

Current Founding Units

1 x Formica cf. subsericea (Monogynous)

 

Up-To-Date as of 9/15/2020

 


#2 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted September 15 2019 - 1:49 PM

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Myrmica.


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


#3 Offline DJoseph98 - Posted September 15 2019 - 5:01 PM

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Myrmica.


Is there any way to tell if it’s parasitic? I know most Myrmica are supposed to be semiclaustral but I don’t know if a parasitic queen uses the hunting behavior in this genus or not (and since both types would have similarly smaller gasters).

Current Colonies

1 x Camponotus nearcticus (Monogynous), 1 x Crematogaster cerasi (Monogynous), 1 x Formica cf. subsericea (Polygynous Two-Queen), 1 x Formica cf. pallidefulva (Monogynous, single worker),

1 x Lasius cf. americanus (Pleometrotic Founding, now Monogynous), 1 x Tetramorium immigrans (Monogynous)

 

Current Founding Units

1 x Formica cf. subsericea (Monogynous)

 

Up-To-Date as of 9/15/2020

 


#4 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted September 15 2019 - 5:17 PM

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As far as I know there are very few parasitic Myrmica, and if yours was parasitic, it would probably be much smaller than 8 millimeters, which is pretty big for Myrmica.


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


#5 Offline ponerinecat - Posted September 15 2019 - 7:07 PM

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they hibernate and like sugars and small insects.






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