7 replies to this topic

[BMM]

1. Location of collection: Just south of St. Louis
2. Date of collection: 9/18/17
3. Habitat of collection: Flying in my local park
4. Length (from head to gaster): 3.5 mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: Yellowish-orange. Their gasters all have a striped pattern. Gaster color varies a bit, some being nearly yellow and other being brown. 
6. Distinguishing characteristics: Looks like one petiole.
7. Distinguishing behavior: Nothing in particular. 
8. Nest description: Don't know.

 

I thought these were Solenopsis molesta at first given the size and coloration. I even threw them all in a test tube with a S. molesta queen I caught a couple weeks back. After examining them under a magnifying glass though, I realized the two looked quite different. These are a little bit bigger, their coloration is a bit different, it looks like they only have one petiole, and their gasters are clearly more round.

 

[VoidElecent]

Brachymyrmex depilis.

 

You should start a Tetramorium tsushimae journal; I've got a colony outisde my front door and they've always been very interesting to me.

[BMM]

Brachymyrmex depilis.

 

You should start a Tetramorium tsushimae journal; I've got a colony outisde my front door and they've always been very interesting to me.

That looks right. I'm a little cautious about keeping them though. My Solenopsis molesta colony is just starting to kick off and I'm already worried about whether I'll be able to contain such small ants.

 

Also, I was thinking about starting a journal for my T. tsushimae and a couple other colonies I have. I'm currently trying to make a formicarium for them right now, so maybe when that's done I'll get the journal started.

[Mettcollsuss]

I though T. tsushimae was very rare and is very hard to distingush from T. caespitum ecxept for the fact that they're polygynous?

[BMM]

I happen to live in the one area of the US where they're well established.

[Mettcollsuss]

I happen to live in the one area of the US where they're well established.

 

Oh. But how do you tell them apart from Tetramorium sp.E?

[CNewton]

I think I had one of these, also. I added it to the molestas I had caught, they ended up tearing her up. The gaster they left behind was more perfectly oval. To the naked eye, she was the same as the other molesta I was catching that day.

[BMM]

 

I happen to live in the one area of the US where they're well established.

 

Oh. But how do you tell them apart from Tetramorium sp.E?

 

They're slightly smaller and the colonies are polygynous. Some people report them being bi-colored, with reddish mesosomas, but I haven't found any colonies that exhibit that coloration yet. I basically identified them by size, location, and the structure of the pavement ant colonies in my area (all polygynous).

 

I think I had one of these, also. I added it to the molestas I had caught, they ended up tearing her up. The gaster they left behind was more perfectly oval. To the naked eye, she was the same as the other molesta I was catching that day.

That's pretty much exactly what I did, except the tables were turned since there was only one S. molesta queen and five of these. The gaster was exactly what made me realize they weren't the same species.