6 replies to this topic

[Aaron567]

I found what I think is a Queen (If she is even an ant) today (10-1-16), and she is extremely tiny. I already have a small Pheidole moerens colony and the Queen is 3mm, which is the smallest queen I had ever seen until now. This new Queen is 2mm long, and she is literally the size of a fire ant NANITIC. I found her sitting on a dwarf water lettuce leaf, which means she probably fell in my pond during a nuptial flight and climbed onto the plant. She is winged, has elbowed antennae, and it looks like she may have 2 petiole nodes, but I am not entirely sure. Her head is shaped weirdly, which made me think she wasn't an ant at first.

She is mostly dark brown it looks like, but this thing is so tiny that I can only see some detail when I take macro pictures. Even with macro shots, there still isn't as much detail because she is so tiny and my macro lens is pretty cheap.

 

Edited by Aaron567, October 1 2016 - 7:34 PM.

[Batspiderfish]

Do we get to see any pictures? I wonder if this could be Tetramorium atratulum, even though it hasn't been recorded in Florida (to the best of my knowledge).

[Aaron567]

Do we get to see any pictures? I wonder if this could be Tetramorium atratulum, even though it hasn't been recorded in Florida (to the best of my knowledge).

I just put in the pictures, my computer's internet wasn't working for a while

[Batspiderfish]

Ahh, that makes much more sense. I didn't realize how small Strumigenys can get.

[Canadian anter]

I think this is pyramica sp

[Batspiderfish]

I think this is pyramica sp

 

Pyramica is now Strumigenys.

[Aaron567]

Ahh, that makes much more sense. I didn't realize how small Strumigenys can get.

Do you know if it is normal for this genus to not move a lot? She walks pretty slow, and now that she has found a good spot in the test tube, she just sits there and does not move. When I shine a light on her and tap the test tube I can sometimes see her move her legs