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Posted April 25 2020 - 7:32 PM
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1. Location (on a map) of collection: La Mesa
2. Date of collection: 4/45/2020
3. Habitat of collection: Urban
4. Length (from head to gaster): 3/4 inch
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture:Black
6. Nuptial flight time and date: Today
Edited by M_Ants, April 26 2020 - 9:15 AM.
Veromessor pergandei
Veromessor andrei
Crematogaster sp.
Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus
Various Pheidole
C. yogi
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Posted April 25 2020 - 8:25 PM
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Posted April 25 2020 - 8:26 PM
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yeah, looks like a camponotus male, although males can be hard to ID. on a completely unrelated note, who the heck calls male ants kings?
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Posted April 26 2020 - 2:28 AM
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Well, calling males kings makes sense for terrmites. For ants - not so much.
Ant males are basically one-use sperm-loaded queen-seeking cruise missiles bred for one purpose and one pruprose only (there are a few exceptions of males staying with the colony and defending their own territories within the hive but that's very rare and only true for some super obscure species).
Edited by Serafine, April 26 2020 - 2:30 AM.
We should respect all forms of consciousness. The body is just a vessel, a mere hull.
Welcome to Lazy Tube - My Camponotus Journal
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Posted April 26 2020 - 6:20 AM
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I found one just like that on the 31st of march.
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).
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Posted April 26 2020 - 7:06 AM
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’Prince’ would be more accurate.Well, calling males kings makes sense for terrmites. For ants - not so much.
Ant males are basically one-use sperm-loaded queen-seeking cruise missiles bred for one purpose and one pruprose only (there are a few exceptions of males staying with the colony and defending their own territories within the hive but that's very rare and only true for some super obscure species).
"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
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Posted April 26 2020 - 8:12 AM
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Not really. Disposable one use trash would be the most accurate.
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Posted April 26 2020 - 12:02 PM
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Ant males aren't trash, they are extremely efficient tools for a very streamlined mating process.
Unlike termites ants do not have to bother with keeping both males and females alive, by disposing the males immediately after the mating they have less mouths to feed which is a great thing during the founding process. Also ant males usually are thin, agile, very skilled flyers (unlike the fat queens) and due to their thin stature and their one-use nature the ants can minimize the resources going into their breeding and feeding program until they fly off to fulfil their purpose. Usually the colony doesn't even need to dispose of them because that's already part of the flight process (unlike bee drones which often return to the hive when they didn't manage to find a queen ant males usually don't do that, they just stay outside to try on the next day until they succeed, get eaten by a predator or die from exhaustion).
Edited by Serafine, April 26 2020 - 12:03 PM.
We should respect all forms of consciousness. The body is just a vessel, a mere hull.
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