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Lasius sp. Queen — Chicago, IL

lasius id lasius flavus lasius neoniger chigago queen id queen ant mettcollsuss

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11 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted February 22 2018 - 3:58 PM

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I used to think that this queen was probably Lasius flavus, but with the recent rise in Lasius neoniger related topics, I'm starting to doubt that ID a little. 

 

1. Location of collection:  Chicago, Illinois

 

2. Date of collection (more important for ID's of queens).   Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact date, but it was sometime around mid to late September.

 

3. Habitat of collection: School garden.
 

4. Length: About 9 to 9.5 millimeters. Note: her abdomen was slightly expanded at time of measurement.
 

5. Coloration, hue, pattern, and texture: Head: triangular, dark brown, not shiny but not dull, eyes aren't large but aren't small, either. Mandibles are a lighter color than the rest of the head. Thorax: no spikes or bumps, same color as the head. It slopes slightly towards the gaster and is in between dull and shiny. Petiole: not very visible. Gaster: lighter color than the head or abdomen. About twice as long as the thorax. From the top, the plates are a golden-brown, each plate having a gradation from a darker golden-brown to a lighter golden-brown. in between the plates is a thin stripe of film that's a bright golden-yellow. From the side, it's all the golden-yellow film. On the bottom, the plates possess the same general color gradation, but they're a lot smaller and lighter, so they almost blend in with the golden-yellow film. Legs: the femur is just slightly lighter in color than the head & thorax, the tarsal segments are only slightly darker than the golden-yellow of the abdomen, and the tibia's color is in between the two other leg segments.

 

6. Distinguishing characteristics: One petiole, triangular head, golden-brown abdominal plates.
 

7. Anything else distinctive: She doesn't seem to get bothered by much and is very calm. She doesn't get freaked out when I take her out of the drawer. The only thing so far that annoys her is really bright lights, like when I look at her under my microscope. She also tends to stay near the water end of the tube, sometimes directly on the cotton.

 

8. Nest description: None

 

9. Nuptial flight time and date: Unsure of date, found her around 4 pm.
 

10. Post the clearest pictures possible:

 

 med_gallery_1963_974_72842.jpg med_gallery_1963_974_55308.jpg

 

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Edited by Mettcollsuss, February 23 2018 - 3:41 PM.


#2 Offline T.C. - Posted February 22 2018 - 4:01 PM

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Lasius neoniger
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#3 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted February 23 2018 - 3:16 AM

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Lasius neoniger

Thanks



#4 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted February 23 2018 - 3:40 PM

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I just added a link to the place where I found her.



#5 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted April 15 2018 - 4:24 PM

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Okay, so her nanitics arrived recently, and they seem to be too dark to be L. neoniger. Can someone help me out here?

 

med_gallery_1963_974_32970.jpg med_gallery_1963_974_25145.jpg

 

med_gallery_1963_974_102715.jpg med_gallery_1963_974_55501.jpg



#6 Offline AnthonyP163 - Posted April 15 2018 - 5:26 PM

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Probably Lasius alienus.



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#7 Offline T.C. - Posted April 15 2018 - 5:59 PM

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I still think Lasius neoniger.
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#8 Offline AntsAreUs - Posted April 15 2018 - 6:07 PM

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If it isn't L. neoniger - Lasius alienus or Lasius niger. L. niger are generally a lot hairier than L. alienus, worker pictures?


Edited by AntsAreUs, April 15 2018 - 6:07 PM.


#9 Offline Canadian anter - Posted April 15 2018 - 6:27 PM

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Nah, this is definitely Lasius neoniger. Not hairy enough for Lasius pallitarsis and not Lasius alienus because of the absence of scape hairs. Lasius, especially in the northern areas are all generally dark. Lasius niger doesn't exist in NA other than in very isolated populations. 


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#10 Offline AntsAreUs - Posted April 15 2018 - 6:40 PM

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Nah, this is definitely Lasius neoniger. Not hairy enough for Lasius pallitarsis and not Lasius alienus because of the absence of scape hairs. Lasius, especially in the northern areas are all generally dark. Lasius niger doesn't exist in NA other than in very isolated populations. 

I 100% agree with L. neoniger, but this was in case it wasn't.


Edited by AntsAreUs, April 15 2018 - 6:43 PM.


#11 Offline AnthonyP163 - Posted April 16 2018 - 3:17 AM

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Nah, this is definitely Lasius neoniger. Not hairy enough for Lasius pallitarsis and not Lasius alienus because of the absence of scape hairs. Lasius, especially in the northern areas are all generally dark. Lasius niger doesn't exist in NA other than in very isolated populations. 

You're able to note scape hairs with these pictures?

 

EDIT: after looking at antweb it seems both Lasius alienus and Lasius neoniger have scape hairs.


Edited by AnthonyP163, April 16 2018 - 3:24 AM.


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#12 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted April 20 2018 - 3:10 PM

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Alright, I figured out why the photos I added didn't work. So here are some photos of workers.

 

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Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: lasius, id, lasius flavus, lasius neoniger, chigago, queen id, queen ant, mettcollsuss

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