2 replies to this topic

[Acutus]

Was catching termites again for my ants and came across this colony in the ground under a small dead branch.

 

Some of the ants looked like this

 

 

and others looked like this.

 

 

Are the Red and black ants a slavemaker formica, maybe F. exsectoides, species and the black ones Formica subsericea??

 

 

[AntsBC]

The red ant is a slave raider, from the Formica sanguinea group, (Likely Formica pergandei). Although, without better photos, there's no way to know for sure. Formica exsectoides is in the Formica rufa group; they are not slave raiders although they do start colonies via social parasitism.

 

The black ants are slaves of the Formica sanguinea group colony, from the Formica fusca group. Probably Formica subaenescens, based on how pilose they are. They are very typical slaves of Raptiformica spp. (Raptiformica is another name for the Formica sanguinea group).

 

Sorry, without better photos I cannot give you conclusive identifications. If I did, I would be lying because with those photos there is no way to narrow it down to the exact species.

Edited by AntsBC, May 27 2019 - 9:05 PM.

[Acutus]

 

 

Sorry, without better photos I cannot give you conclusive identifications. If I did, I would be lying because with those photos there is no way to narrow it down to the exact species.

 

Not at all!! I was sure actual ID wouldn't be possible but I wanted to understand what was going on. Thank you very much for your explanation!