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Oregon Queen ID- July 30, 2018


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#1 Offline mike.omeg - Posted July 30 2018 - 6:11 AM

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Location of collection: The Dalles, Oregon.

Date of collection: July 1st, 2018

Habitat of collection: Oak savanah but caught in rural yard.
Length: about 7mm (see pics)

 

I caught this queen during one of our two massive swarm Tetramorium flights.  When first caught I did not notice she was different and she went in with my Tetramorium queens.  However the other day I was checking in on the queens (housecleaning, giving a dab of honey, reviewing brood, etc.) and I saw that she had only a few eggs (vs the massive piles of eggs/larvae with the other queens).  Upon further review I noticed that she looked different that the queens I had collected.  Her thorax is much smaller and her abdomen more bulbous that the Tetramorium queens (see comparison photos below).  In addition her color is lighter.  I am not an expert in ants but she stands out as being different looking.

 

I know she may be a Tetramorium as there is diversity in any species phenotype.  But this one seems an outlier. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer.  I tried to take the best photos I could but my phone in macro mode, even with a lens, is not the best, especially through a test tube.

 

 

 

Thanks, Mike

 

This queen is lighter in color and has a smaller thorax that the other Tetramorium queens:
 
20180728 134522

 

 
A photo of one of many Tetramorium queen I have caught for comparison:
 
20170722 125733
 
Many more photos of the unknown queen: 
 
20180728 134532
Album: Queen #3 ID needed
17 images
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#2 Offline rbarreto - Posted July 30 2018 - 7:03 AM

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Possibly Aphaenogaster occidentalis.


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#3 Offline LC3 - Posted July 30 2018 - 12:37 PM

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Definitely Aphaenogaster occidentalis
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