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Iowa, 7/23/22 - got a 2fer!


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9 replies to this topic

#1 Offline nofuel11 - Posted July 23 2022 - 7:15 PM

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It was 105 outside today and i found 3 queens! I put the 1st in a separate post, and this post has #2 and #3 - i put them both here since these 2 look alike.

 

I can't believe it took me a WHOLE MONTH of daily searching to find my 1st queen at first, and now I'm finding several all at once! What you guys say is really true, that once you find your first, you know exactly what to look for!

 

  1. Location: Iowa
  2. Date: 7/23/22
  3. Habitat: on patchy super dry lawn under a tree
  4. Length: 1/2 inch (12 mm)
  5. Coloration: black with iredescent  bands on the gaster (or is it just see-thru clear instead of iredescent? not sure)
  6. Distinguishing characteristics: this is so odd, there are bands on the gaster but both of them have 1 very very wide band going across mid-gaster! 
 
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#2 Offline AntsCali098 - Posted July 23 2022 - 7:17 PM

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Formica subsericea
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Interested buying in ants? Feel free to check out my shop

Feel free to read my journals, like this one.

 

Wishlist:

Atta sp (wish they were in CA), Crematogaster cerasi, Most Pheidole species

 

 


#3 Offline nofuel11 - Posted July 23 2022 - 7:44 PM

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Formica subsericea

 

Got-damn yall are good , thank you!! My newbie efforts to browse "black queen ant species" google images got me nowhere lol



#4 Offline NickAnter - Posted July 24 2022 - 8:24 AM

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Can't be at all sure this is subsericea. Many similar species in the fusca group, and that's as far as you can go.


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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). 


#5 Offline FinWins - Posted July 24 2022 - 8:30 AM

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Definitely a Formica in the fusca group, but there are lots of very similar black Formica ants in the fusca group and it is very hard to tell them apart by eyeballing it.
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I keep: C. modoc, C. sansabeanus  :D, C. maritimus, Formica argentea, M. mexicanus  :D, Odontomachus brunneus :D, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, 

 


#6 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted July 24 2022 - 9:45 AM

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Formica subsericea or argentea
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#7 Offline nofuel11 - Posted July 28 2022 - 3:20 PM

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Definitely a Formica in the fusca group, but there are lots of very similar black Formica ants in the fusca group and it is very hard to tell them apart by eyeballing it.

 

 

Can't be at all sure this is subsericea. Many similar species in the fusca group, and that's as far as you can go.

 

 

Formica subsericea or argentea

 

Thanks yall, having confirmation is awesome. And gives me something to obsessively google while waiting for the first batch of ants to hatch!


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#8 Offline ZTYguy - Posted July 28 2022 - 4:38 PM

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You should check out some journals on here about them. They tell you how people have raised them before.


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Currently: Considering moving to Australia
Reason: Myrmecia

#9 Offline AntsDakota - Posted July 28 2022 - 8:34 PM

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Definitely a Formica in the fusca group, but there are lots of very similar black Formica ants in the fusca group and it is very hard to tell them apart by eyeballing it.

 

 

Can't be at all sure this is subsericea. Many similar species in the fusca group, and that's as far as you can go.

 

 

Formica subsericea or argentea

 

Thanks yall, having confirmation is awesome. And gives me something to obsessively google while waiting for the first batch of ants to hatch!

 

I mean, it doesn't really matter if they're subsericea, argentea, or literally any other species in the fusca species group. Their appearance and everything care-related is practically identical. But yes, rest assured she is of a species within the F. fusca group. Some species are so close to being identical that a microscopic or genetic analysis is necessary to determine the species, so fusca group is about as far as we can go, unless you happen to be a seasoned myrmecologist with all the right equipment, or know one.


Edited by AntsDakota, July 28 2022 - 8:35 PM.

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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


#10 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted July 29 2022 - 1:54 PM

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They are a very experienced identifier


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

 Join Our Fledgling Discord Server https://discord.com/...089056687423489





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