12 replies to this topic

[BrittonLS]

1. Location of collection: Found in a clear dirt area in a neighborhood part surrounded by oak trees.
2. Date of collection: 6/22/15
3. Habitat of collection: Dug from founding chamber in the dirt right next to the sidewalk
4. Length (from head to gaster): 5mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: Brown to tan color. No apparent patterns
6. Distinguishing characteristics: Lots of spines and very spiky and rough looking
7. Anything else distinctive: 
8. Nest description: Single hole with a semi circle of dirt a few inches from the entrance

 

Sorry, I had the worst time getting pictures of her, so I'm just including a whole bunch in the hope it helps figure her out. She was apparently extremely camera shy.
 

Multiple pictures: http://imgur.com/a/hJ8gC

 

 

[LC3]

Hmm weird ant. I don't think I ever seen it before.   It's most likely Cyphomyrmex a fungus growing species. I think it could either be C. wheeleri or 

C.minutus.

[Ants4fun]

She most likely dropped her fungus, if she already had an established home. They do it right after they finish digging.

[BrittonLS]

Well that's super frustrating. Any suggestions for her? Can't believe I caught just two queens on Monday and one died and the other is unable to be raised XP

 

The worst part is she's already started laying a few eggs in the test tube... Why are you taunting me...

[Jonathan21700]

I think she might be a Trachymyrmex sp.

[BrittonLS]

Hrm, that also seems to be a good guess... I'm definitely going to need better pictures but I kinda think I shouldn't keep picking her up and putting my microscope on her test tube lol

 

Trachymyrmex sp. Might be more likely because she definitely has a spine that I don't see on the Cyphomyrmex sp.

Edited by BrittonLS, June 27 2015 - 1:48 PM.

[LC3]

You should give us a detailed description.

There are a few other fungus ants but I doubt they are this species because these other ants live in the neotropics. 

 

I don't know Trachymyrmex and Cyphomyrmex well enough to identify this species

 

Fungus ants in the neotropics:

Mycetosoritis

Mycetarotes

Mycocepurus

Edited by LC3, June 27 2015 - 2:35 PM.

[dspdrew]

Some better pictures would help.

[Jonathan21700]

Cyphomyrmex have a different head shape than this queen. Trachymyrmex looks more likely to me.

[BrittonLS]

Here are more subpar pictures of the ant, just follow the link. You can see the spine I mentioned better here, But I couldn't quite get a good head shot.

 

http://imgur.com/a/M7XBc

 

[LC3]

Cyphomyrmex have a different head shape than this queen. Trachymyrmex looks more likely to me.

I agree with you because Cyphomyrmex has ridges along it's exoskeleton while Trachymyrmex has lots of spines and a prickly texture.

[cpman]

It is Trachymyrmex. Cyphomyrmex is a lot less than 5mm -- even queens. Mycetosoritis hartmanni is also too small and, although it exists in South Texas, doesn't reach as far north as Tarrant County.
Because of the location, my best guess as to species would be T. septentrionalis or T. turrifex (although the latter may or may not have been recorded from Tarrant County). The other species in this genus in Texas are too far west and south.

Because this genus uses the same fungus as Atta and Acromyrmex, if you could get a sample of leafcutter fungus, you may be able to get her to take care of it. This species mostly subsists on insect droppings as fungal substrate, so would likely be hard to care for in the long term.

[BrittonLS]

Awesome, cpman. Great analysis, thank you. Yeah, I remember seeing that's what they use, I guess that would be pretty hard to maintain. Perhaps I'll try to let her loose. Or should make her a specimen. But that is so cold lol.