7 replies to this topic

[AntsSA]

Hi all.

I have 2 plectroctena mandibilaris queens.
They both started laying in the same week.
The one queen has a plump larvae and many eggs and lives in an antkit acrylic formicarium.
The other queen, has no larvae, 7 normal eggs and one black egg, she dug under her acrylic formicarium.

Could why would this egg go black?

[AntsSA]

https://imgur.com/a/aJlDLSC

Edited by AntsSA, November 25 2019 - 11:33 PM.

[ponerinecat]

first off, amazing ants. I don't know of anyone who keeps these. Looking forward to their progress. To answer your question, there's a few possible reasons. The egg could be dead or consumed by mold. There could be a parasite within the egg. The egg probably isn't healthy in any case. Hope this doesn't hinder them in any way. 

[ponerinecat]

Looking at all those brown eggs, there's a small chance that its healthy and just off colored or maturing. I really don't know

[Antennal_Scrobe]

The eggs of the bottom queen look totally healthy. Egg morphology varies more than most people realize. Colobopsis eggs look like noodles, and Myrmecia eggs aren't sticky at all; they just sit on the floor like pupae do. Brown eggs don't seem to far off, especially for such an unusual ant. 

[ponerinecat]

The eggs of the bottom queen look totally healthy. Egg morphology varies more than most people realize. Colobopsis eggs look like noodles, and Myrmecia eggs aren't sticky at all; they just sit on the floor like pupae do. Brown eggs don't seem to far off, especially for such an unusual ant. 

He means the black egg in the top photo I believe. also there is a larvae in the bottom so he should know when the eggs are normal, as he's seen some mature.

[AntsDakota]

The eggs of the bottom queen look totally healthy. Egg morphology varies more than most people realize. Colobopsis eggs look like noodles, and Myrmecia eggs aren't sticky at all; they just sit on the floor like pupae do. Brown eggs don't seem to far off, especially for such an unusual ant. 

Camponotus eggs can be white, yellow, orange, or pink.

[AntsSA]

first off, amazing ants. I don't know of anyone who keeps these. Looking forward to their progress. To answer your question, there's a few possible reasons. The egg could be dead or consumed by mold. There could be a parasite within the egg. The egg probably isn't healthy in any case. Hope this doesn't hinder them in any way. 

was probably something like this, the egg has disappeared now, not sure if she ate it or just threw it out, the other queen's larvae has almost doubled in size by now, and eaten the entire millipede