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That_one_ant_guy's Rare Aphaenogaster megommata Updated 11/8/2022


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#1 Offline That_one_ant_guy - Posted August 27 2022 - 11:07 AM

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A couple weeks ago I found this girl in the Mojave desert at around 10 pm , at first I thought it was some sort of Pheidole, but boy was I wrong. It was actually a Aphenogastor megommata. This sp. is rare and hard to find since they are 99% nocturnal, so I was pretty amazed that I was able to stumble across one. I tried to do some research but didn't find much, just a post from Nurbs, so I might have a lot of trial and error. :lol: But here she is!
20220827_104827.jpg 20220827_104816~2.jpg 20220825_132739.jpg
She has a couple of eggs, and she is gorgeoooouuuus <3 I'll update about every 3 days ( I won't update if nothing had changed though) since she doesnt seem to dislike the light too much.

Edited by That_one_ant_guy, November 8 2022 - 5:19 PM.

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#2 Offline FinWins - Posted August 27 2022 - 11:25 AM

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Cool, this should be important because there isn’t a ton of people who keep western aphenogaster. :D  :yahoo:


I keep: C. modoc, C. sansabeanus  :D, C. maritimus, Formica argentea, M. mexicanus  :D, Odontomachus brunneus :D, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, 

 


#3 Offline That_one_ant_guy - Posted August 30 2022 - 6:04 PM

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This queen is doing great, she has all her eggs in a neat little pile and I count 8* eggs now :)20220830_163542.jpg Random queen pic 20220830_163554.jpg I feel like the queen should have a name I was thinking of Onyx from wings of fire, any other suggestions?

Edited by That_one_ant_guy, August 31 2022 - 2:10 PM.

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#4 Offline bmb1bee - Posted August 30 2022 - 6:19 PM

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Onyx is the perfect name for her! (I read WoF too, it's a pretty good series :lol: ) This is probably by far the prettiest Californian ant queen I have ever seen. She almost looks like she's made of ivory, with some tiny embedded pieces of onyx...


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"Float like a butterfly sting like a bee, his eyes can't hit what the eyes can't see." - Muhammad Ali

 

Check out my shop and Camponotus journal! Discord user is bmb1bee if you'd like to chat.


#5 Offline NicholasP - Posted August 31 2022 - 7:55 AM

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This queen is doing great, she has all her eggs in a neat little pile and I count 7 eggs now :)attachicon.gif20220830_163542.jpg Random queen pic attachicon.gif20220830_163554.jpg I feel like the queen should have a name I was thinking of Onyx from wings of fire, any other suggestions?

She's so beautiful I'm so jealous.


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#6 Offline TacticalHandleGaming - Posted August 31 2022 - 11:15 AM

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I can't wait to see how this colony grows, the queen is so pretty! 


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Currently kept species

L. neoniger, P. occidentalis, C. modoc, C. novaeboracensis, C. vicinus, T. immigrans, A. occidentalis, S. molesta, P. imparis, M. kennedyi.

 

Previously kept species

T. rugatulus, B. depilis.

 

Looking for

Myrmecocystus pyramicus, Myrmecocystus semirufus, Myrmecocystus testaceus

Pheidole californica, Pheidole creightoni, Pheidole inquilina, Crematogaster coarctata, Crematogaster mutans

My youtube channel. 


#7 Offline ZTYguy - Posted August 31 2022 - 2:51 PM

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Sure does look like a fragilis and Novomessor hybrid. So funky lookin and so cool.


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Ant Keeping Since June 2018
Currently Keeping:
A. versicolor, C. us-ca02, C. yogi, C. Vicinus, C. laevigatus, C. clarithorax, C. maritimus, C. ocreatus, M. mexicanus, M. placodops 01, V. andrei, V. pergandei, N. cockerelli, P. barbata, P. montanus

Hoping to Catch This season:

M. romanei, M. placodops 02, P. imberbiculus, Polyergus sp., F. moki, A. megomatta, Cyphomyrmex sp.,Temnothorax sp.


#8 Offline That_one_ant_guy - Posted September 4 2022 - 8:47 PM

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Couldn't update yesterday, was at a freinds house. But she doing pretty good, she almost has larvae (I'll post pics tomorrow too tired today)

#9 Offline That_one_ant_guy - Posted September 5 2022 - 3:16 PM

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I guess yesterday I didn't check on her very good, because I checked up on her today and she has LARVAEEEE!! :yahoo: (sorry for bad pic she hid the larave in the torn up cotton)
20220905_155950~2.jpg Still can't believe I'm the second person to document this sp in formiculture history(I think). Queen pic Screenshot_20220905-161139_Photos~2.jpg

Edited by That_one_ant_guy, September 26 2022 - 1:23 PM.

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#10 Offline lazyant - Posted September 5 2022 - 8:10 PM

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Nice! Never have seen an Aphaenogaster before in the wild!


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#11 Offline ZTYguy - Posted September 5 2022 - 10:34 PM

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Question, are you heating it in any way. Incubator, heat cable? She could definitely benefit from that. Double her current first gen.


Edited by ZTYguy, September 5 2022 - 10:34 PM.

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Ant Keeping Since June 2018
Currently Keeping:
A. versicolor, C. us-ca02, C. yogi, C. Vicinus, C. laevigatus, C. clarithorax, C. maritimus, C. ocreatus, M. mexicanus, M. placodops 01, V. andrei, V. pergandei, N. cockerelli, P. barbata, P. montanus

Hoping to Catch This season:

M. romanei, M. placodops 02, P. imberbiculus, Polyergus sp., F. moki, A. megomatta, Cyphomyrmex sp.,Temnothorax sp.


#12 Offline That_one_ant_guy - Posted September 6 2022 - 6:03 AM

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Question, are you heating it in any way. Incubator, heat cable? She could definitely benefit from that. Double her current first gen.

Yes I have her on a heating pad at around 85-86, you can't really tell but she has 5 larvae, she hid two in one space and three in another.

Edited by That_one_ant_guy, September 6 2022 - 6:11 AM.

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#13 Offline That_one_ant_guy - Posted September 9 2022 - 5:43 PM

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Updateeee timeee! Not much to update, just that the larvae got a bit bigger. Still wasn't able to get good brood pics, wish I put a sponge on there instead of cotton lol...

#14 Offline Lamarr - Posted September 12 2022 - 11:34 PM

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Great color on this species!



#15 Offline That_one_ant_guy - Posted September 18 2022 - 1:56 PM

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So slight mishap. Queen Onyx's water turned pink, no idea why it just did and it made her brood shrivel up and die. So I had to transport her into a new test tube. This time with a sponge. I also gave her some by formica nector. Hopefully she can recover... 20220918_141716.jpg 20220918_141729.jpg

Edited by That_one_ant_guy, September 20 2022 - 6:09 AM.

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#16 Offline Jonathan5608 - Posted September 19 2022 - 12:27 PM

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I would take a record of where you found her. Perhaps you can them again next year

#17 Offline That_one_ant_guy - Posted September 19 2022 - 12:51 PM

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I would take a record of where you found her. Perhaps you can them again next year

yep already did
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#18 Offline antsriondel - Posted September 19 2022 - 6:23 PM

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Wow! Hopefully she can recover. ( I am a Wof fan as well  (y))



#19 Offline That_one_ant_guy - Posted September 22 2022 - 3:47 PM

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Hey, so I moved her to a new setup, kudos to zeisis, 20220922_162658.jpg

basically Onyx is in a installated box with super soft foam at the bottom, and I made a hole in the lid so that I can put the heating cable in there, but it's only gonna hang out at the top to act like a space heater. The box stays at around 84-86. And I guess Zeisis's idea works, because now Onyx has 3 eggies :yahoo: 20220922_163028~2.jpg  

Also I think I just photographed the best pic of Onyx so far :) 20220922_163150~2.jpg  

What do yall think?


Edited by That_one_ant_guy, September 22 2022 - 4:11 PM.

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#20 Offline AntsCali098 - Posted September 22 2022 - 6:08 PM

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Hope she gets workers soon!
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Interested buying in ants? Feel free to check out my shop

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Atta sp (wish they were in CA), Crematogaster cerasi, Most Pheidole species

 

 





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