15 replies to this topic

[Saftron]

Today's Date: November 13th, 2016. 

I would've asked for identification earlier but I was 100% certain that I had Tetramorium, I hadn't even known Aphaenogaster Occidentalis existed, but a fellow ant keeper close to me said that my ants are not Tetramorium but are Aphaenogaster so I want to clear up this and figure out what species I really have. Tetramorium or Aphaenogaster? (SIZE UNKNOWN, it's too much of a hassle to force her out of the formicarium, I don't think it would be good for her)

 

Diet: Honey, fruits, mealworms, cricket, beetles. They don't really swarm honey, I rarely see one drinking it. They love crickets.

 

Caught a queen on July 6th 2016 at around 1:30 in Union City, California. It was a pretty sunny day, it was a bit cold in the morning but warned up at around 11:30 am. Caught her walking on concrete. She was around condo's. (Photos are zoomed in by the way)

 

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Pictures:

 

http://imgur.com/a/4b8Hr    (Best and clearest one, shows queens abdomen and some workers in the bottom.)

 

http://imgur.com/a/RSVov

 

http://imgur.com/a/5B9IV

 

http://imgur.com/a/OJNED

 

http://imgur.com/a/q4N3l

 

http://imgur.com/a/528Mf

 

Worker Pictures:

 

http://imgur.com/a/B4KI2

 

http://imgur.com/a/FSqTH

Edited by Antkeeperxxx, November 14 2016 - 7:18 AM.

[Batspiderfish]

These are definitely Tetramorium sp. E.

Edited by Batspiderfish, November 14 2016 - 6:24 AM.

[sgheaton]

Check out that super smooth/plateau/bulbous-yet-flat thorax...which I guess is called a mesosoma in the ant world.

[Loops117]

OH MAN! THE NEVER ENDING DEBATE!

 

Is it one of many many species, or is it Aphaenogaster occidentalis???

Only Apex knows

[Saftron]

Just added worker pictures, hopefully it confirms it's Tetramorium.

Edited by Antkeeperxxx, November 14 2016 - 7:33 AM.

[Miles]

No doubt that's a Tetramorium species.

[Saftron]

XxApex says since the spine is curved up its aphaenogaster

[sgheaton]

Why include worker pictures? You identify from the queen .. which is a tetramorium.

[Loops117]

XxApex says since the spine is curved up its aphaenogaster

 

He also tried telling me that my Aphaenogaster picea and Aphaenogaster rudis were Aphaenogaster occidentalis as well. Even when i told him they've already been IDd. Then when i proved him wrong, he told me my Tetras were prolly Aphaenogaster. 

 

IDK about you, but i'm not going to trust this guy. I honesty don't think he's done research on any ants other then Aphaenogaster occidentalis.

[Batspiderfish]

Why include worker pictures? You identify from the queen .. which is a tetramorium.

 

This is untrue. Seeing as many castes as possible is ideal for identification purposes. Seeing workers is the next best thing -- a fair number of species do not even have descriptions and images of queens. Males can be useful for identifying to the genus, but that is usually as far as they can go.

Edited by Batspiderfish, November 14 2016 - 8:26 AM.

[gcsnelling]

I

 

 

Why include worker pictures? You identify from the queen .. which is a tetramorium.

 

This is untrue. Seeing as many castes as possible is ideal for identification purposes. Seeing workers is the next best thing -- a fair number of species do not even have descriptions and images of queens. Males can be useful for identifying to the genus, but that is usually as far as they can go.

 

I agree, queens are often useless for identifications due to the lack of keys for them. Workers are the most commonly collected castes, as a result that is what most keys are for. All too often when queens are collected they are not associated with workers at time of collection. And males fuhhhgetaboutit

[Apex]

I know for a fact these are aphaenogaster tetramorium are incredibly rare in our area

[Saftron]

Union City has plenty colonies. You can find them around the elementary and middle schools. I have cross country and I usually see tetramorium workers foraging around the track.

[LC3]

I know for a fact these are aphaenogaster tetramorium are incredibly rare in our area

Just because something is rare doesn't make it non-existent. Tetramorium prefer dry urban areas where they thrive and receive minimal competition.

Regarding the species of Tetramorium sp.e, it's exact spread and locations aren't clear with sources conflicting with each other. What is clear is that T. sp.e is a widespread species.

[Saftron]

Union City is a suburban area and it hasn't rained for a while when I caught her. Competition are the argentine super-colonies.

Edited by Antkeeperxxx, November 14 2016 - 8:45 PM.

[SamKeepsAnts]

Tetramorium sp.e i see these ants a lot and the argentine colonies mostly ignore them.