111 replies to this topic

[Leo]

Pretty sure I found those once...

[ponerinecat]

 

Is Cardiocondyla a cryptic species? I caught two queens this season, both of which passed...

I would say Cardiocondyla is a cryptic species.

 

I'm not too sure. I see cardiocondyla all over my school, foraging on the sidewalk. But I guess it depends on the species.

[ponerinecat]

How do you guys go by finding cryptic ant nests? I know what I think is a great place for them but need tips on what to look for.

Depends on your target species. Ponerines can be found under rocks or leaf litter, but I don't know much about other genera. I suggest rotten logs,rocks, and twigs/branches covered in soil.

[ponerinecat]

Found my second cryptic species. Small orange ant that curled up and then ran into a tunnel before I could catch it. Doesn't really match with anything in California. It looked almost like a cephalotes ant with a beaded waist. Found in a rotting log in a pine forest.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Found my second cryptic species. Small orange ant that curled up and then ran into a tunnel before I could catch it. Doesn't really match with anything in California. It looked almost like a cephalotes ant with a beaded waist. Found in a rotting log in a pine forest.

Cyphomyrmex wheeleri matches the description. They have massively enlarged frontal lobes(I actually mistook them for Cephalotes texanus when I saw Cyphomyrmex rimosus in Texas for the first time), they play dead when captured, they are orange, and they have a two segmented waist. I see Cyphomyrmex rimosus here in South Carolina, and they are absolutely gorgeous. They are gray as opposed to the orange Cyphomyrmex wheeleri.

Edited by CloudtheDinosaurKing, November 18 2018 - 5:37 AM.

[ponerinecat]

Not cyphomrmex. It had a brighter orange hue (almost solenopsis like) with a cardiocondyla like waist. I also doubt a cyphomyrmex worker would forage in a rotten log next to a formica colony. I'll be going back later this week, maybe I'll find another one.

[ponerinecat]

Also, 2 years ago, I found 2 rogeria colonies fighting on a log at Wente scout camp. It's not recent, but they should still be in that area.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Not cyphomrmex. It had a brighter orange hue (almost solenopsis like) with a cardiocondyla like waist. I also doubt a cyphomyrmex worker would forage in a rotten log next to a formica colony. I'll be going back later this week, maybe I'll find another one.

Maybe Stenamma?

[ponerinecat]

I have a stenamma queen, they're not alike. I'll identify it if I catch another one. If not, they'll just be that one unidentified ant speicies.

[Ferox_Formicae]

I found a large colony of Cyphomyrmex rimosus! I collected the queen, the fungus, and all the workers and brood I could find. These are my first fungus growers, and I am really excited to see where this goes. I will definitely be making a journal for them.

[ponerinecat]

I've never seen any hobbyists keep these, only laboratories...hope they do well!

[Ferox_Formicae]

I've never seen any hobbyists keep these, only laboratories...hope they do well!

I'll see how they do.

[ponerinecat]

Went to the forest last Sunday, didn't find the orange ants but did find a myrmica / myrmecina alate.

[ponerinecat]

Time to reboot this topic! Found 2 small hypoponera colonies under small rocks covered in leaf litter.

[ponerinecat]

So. I found 2 orange hypoponera workers. Anyone know what species they are?

[VoidElecent]

I love cryptic ants. I published a thread a while back, but it died kind of quickly. Good luck with your cryptic ant endeavors!

[Acutus]

Cryptic Ants?

[EthanNgo678]

I found a Stenamma queen last fall but a classmate flicked her away.

[ponerinecat]

I love cryptic ants. I published a thread a while back, but it died kind of quickly. Good luck with your cryptic ant endeavors!

Do you keep any? Nearly nothing is known about their biology.

 

Cryptic Ants?

 

Cryptobiotic. these are generally small specialized ants adapted to live in dark conditions. Look up proceratium, strumigenys, stenamma, melissotarsus,cyphomyrmex,ect.

 

 

 

 

Orange hypoponera died...

Edited by ponerinecat, April 28 2019 - 8:47 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

I just found a two queen colony of Strumigenys!

I found a Stenamma queen last fall but a classmate flicked her away.

I would probably get into a fight if someone did that to me...