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Skocko76's Aphaenogaster epirotes journal

journal aphaenogaster epirotes

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#1 Offline skocko76 - Posted April 8 2020 - 6:58 AM

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Hello friends!

 

Starting a few weeks ago, being in quarantine and all, I payed more attention to my ants.

I had a curiously small, what I believed to be a Messor sp. queen, that I kept simply for being so small and unique.

I caught her in a huge Messor wasmanni nuptial flight, and she stood out from the rest by nothing but her noticeably smaller size.

She is around 8-9mm, where the other queens were 12-13 mm. Other than that, the colouring, bulk, shape, all seemed identical to me.

Once she got first workers, they showed interest in collecting seeds, blocking feeders with junk, nothing was amiss...at first.

I started noticing that the workers were more cautious than Messors, leaving test tube mostly by night.

The seeds weren't collected as food, but as material with which to plug the entrance to the test tube.

They dragged small flies to the brood pile to feed directly off the carcasses. The larvae are incredibly mobile, like little leaches, attaching their elongated necks to the insect, feeding. It is possible to see, with naked eye, the movements they make, as they chomp on unlucky pray.

Workers' heads seemed less bulky, elongated, and their walk and stance what less..."cramped" than in my Messors.

Also, all workers (around 10 of them at this time) are of exactly the same size.
 

So I took out my macro lens and spotted thorns on queen's propodeum. They were hard to spot, but they're there.

I am unsure which species it exactly is, but I think we're dealing with an Aphaenogaster sp. here.

 

I will provide photos later, as I don't have any sharp ones at the moment.

I will also ask you to help identify her.

Any tips on keeping Aphaenogaster? They are mostly carnivorous, right? In my observations, they weren't hot for sweet liquids...

 


Edited by skocko76, April 29 2020 - 5:26 AM.

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#2 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted April 8 2020 - 7:04 AM

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Yes they're mostly carnivorous, and will likely pile substrate on liquid food.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 8 2020 - 7:05 AM.


#3 Offline skocko76 - Posted April 8 2020 - 7:08 AM

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Thanks Ant_Dude!

I don't keep feeder insects, so that'll be a challenge for me. 
Well, it won't become a challenge until they grow a big collony.


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#4 Offline AntsDakota - Posted April 8 2020 - 7:25 AM

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As you already have found out, they also enjoy seeds every once and a while, but it is best to feed them protein.


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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#5 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted April 8 2020 - 7:47 AM

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As you already have found out, they also enjoy seeds every once and a while, but it is best to feed them protein.

Umm. Seeds are protein...

But yes, they do enjoy seeds if they are cracked open a bit. Without majors like Messor have, seeds can be a challenge naturally. My Aphaenogaster tennesseensis like chia seeds and small dandelion seeds, whereas my Aphaenogaster fulva prefer wheatgrass seeds and acorn bits.



#6 Offline Da_NewAntOnTheBlock - Posted April 8 2020 - 7:51 AM

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you should start an ID thread if you want to better suit her...


There is a important time for everything, important place for everyone, an important person for everybody, and an important ant for each and every ant keeper and myrmecologist alike


#7 Offline AntsDakota - Posted April 8 2020 - 7:54 AM

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As you already have found out, they also enjoy seeds every once and a while, but it is best to feed them protein.

Umm. Seeds are protein...

Sorry, I meant insects.


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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#8 Offline skocko76 - Posted April 8 2020 - 8:07 AM

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you should start an ID thread if you want to better suit her...

 

Yeah, will do once I have some crisp photos.



#9 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted April 8 2020 - 12:55 PM

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Myrmica have spikes too, right?


Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. -Proverbs 6: 6-8

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#10 Offline skocko76 - Posted April 9 2020 - 2:48 AM

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you should start an ID thread if you want to better suit her...

Took some photos.
Here it is: https://www.formicul...ics-id-request/



#11 Offline skocko76 - Posted April 29 2020 - 5:39 AM

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The colony is progressing nicely. There are 13 nanitics and about 15-20 large larvae. 

The larvae have been so large for about two weeks now, and I am expecting them to pupate pretty soon.

I will mark the appearance of the first pupa, and record how long it takes before the worker encloses.

They are starving for protein, but completely ignore sweets. I usually put a piece of insect at the opening of their nest, and they quickly discover it and drag it away.

They are very shy, daring to forage at night only. Put an insect an inch away from the nest, and they won't detect it until the nightfall.

 

Their small test tube got dried out, got mouldy too... they started digging themselves into the cotton, searching for moisture.

I connected a new nest to the other side of their outworld, but I am not sure they even discovered it for days.

Long story short, I ended up evicting them from the test tube - they quickly re-settled into the Aeacus Corinth small nest (my favourite).

Larvae are put directly on the hydration tile, indicating to me that they were indeed longing for a more moist environment.

They have too much space at the moment, but soon that will change :)

 

IMG 20200429 144801

 

 


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#12 Offline skocko76 - Posted May 13 2020 - 5:50 AM

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Still no pupae in sight. Room temperature is around 22C (71.5F) during the afternoons...looks like it's still too cold for rapid development.

Smaller larvae have grown and there is no size difference between them anymore.

A new batch of eggs has appeared, being carried by a worker in its mandibles.

They consume a housefly a day, and would probably accept more than that. Their appetite is astounding.

They have shown mild interest in green smoothie (chard, rocket, apple, banana, milk and water) and blended mango with water. They would wait for the droplets to dry, sometimes covering it with trash. Later, the bits were carried over to the larvae pile.

 

IMG 20200513 153833

 


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#13 Offline skocko76 - Posted May 22 2020 - 5:50 AM

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The room temperature is now at 24C (75F) in the afternoons, and still no pupae.

Some of the larvae have become .. umm ... opaque I guess is the word.

They are likely to pupate soon.

 

Looks like they don't like all species of flies. I put in pieces of a thick, fat fly and they immediately dragged it to the trash pile.

 

IMG 20200522 154537

 


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#14 Offline AntsDakota - Posted May 22 2020 - 6:00 AM

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I believe opaque larvae are getting ready to pupate.


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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#15 Offline skocko76 - Posted May 22 2020 - 6:47 AM

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Yeah! I'm excited to see the difference in size of nanitics and second gen workers!
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#16 Offline skocko76 - Posted May 27 2020 - 2:20 AM

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Their interest in insects has dropped drastically.

Initially I thought they did not like the specific type of fly I gave them. The reason seems to be the larvae have stopped eating.

They are all turning opaque. The shape of them is still very much larva-ish and not pupa-ish.

Some of the larvae were a couple of weeks older than others, but looks like they will be made to pupate at the same time.

 

IMG 20200527 121503

 


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#17 Offline skocko76 - Posted June 1 2020 - 5:16 AM

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The first pupae became apparent!!
So it took "only" about 45 days from the appearance of large larvae to pupae on temperature averaging 21C (70F).
The summer has been unusually cool for this part of Croatia, but temperatures are sure to pick up, which should speed up the development.
Now I have a certain date of the first pupa - Jun 1st. Let's see how long it takes to get a worker!

IMG 20200601 150751

Edited by skocko76, June 1 2020 - 11:37 AM.

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#18 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 1 2020 - 8:29 AM

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They look like they are doing well. Nice job!


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#19 Offline skocko76 - Posted June 1 2020 - 11:44 PM

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Many pupae visible in just a day's time!

The speed of larva to pupa metamorphosis is astonishing!

Temperature in the room is 22C (71.5F).

 

IMG 20200602 093634

 


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#20 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 2 2020 - 7:35 AM

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I really like the look of that nest.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.





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