I snagged a couple queens off my truck, in the morning dew, a couple weeks ago. I am pretty sure they are Aphaenogaster. But, for the sake of argument, are their any defining, stand out characteristics that could help me quickly rule out one over the other. Both seem very similar in appearance.
Aphaenogaster are morning fliers(?). Mine, and many I see in ID requests hold their mesostoma high, angled downward, similar to how I might expect a wasp to be.
Crematogaster are evening fliers(?). Mesostoma is kept more or less straight, with the heart shape.
Inside the test tube, it is hard to get a good top visual of the mesostoma. all three I caught were winged when I caught them. 2 have shed and laid eggs, 1 still has her wings and has not laid any eggs. I have not yet caught or seen a Crematogaster queen, I am sure once I do, the differences will be obvious. Until then, can an expert enlighten me?
