3 replies to this topic

[Nathant2131]

1. Location of collection: Dracut, Massachusetts
2. Date of collection: 5/23/17
3. Habitat of collection: Backyard; Open grassy area with a forest nearby. Workers were heavily tending the strawberry blooms.
4. Length (from head to gaster): ~6-7mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: More or less uniformly black/gray. The gaster has a silver sheen to it.
6. Distinguishing characteristics: Posterior head margin is convex. Postpetiole absent. 
7. Distinguishing behavior: Workers were foraging on strawberry blooms. They are very fast and sporatic; Very timid ants.
8. Nest description: Nest not confirmed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to potenially get an ID on these fusca-group Formica, who are my backyard dominators. I would rather a more experienced hobbyist possibly get an ID than me to do so, who has little experience in identifying ants.

[VoidElecent]

So, it looks like you've pretty much already decided it's a Formica fusca-group worker, which seems pretty accurate. I, personally would narrow this down to either Formica fusca, itself, or Formica subsericea, being the two most common F. fusca-group species in New England. Here's an excerpt from a work you may have hard of (doubt it ): A Field Guide to the Ants of New England.

 

 

 

 

I think we would need some closer, magnified images to identify this ants down to the species level.

[Batspiderfish]

I'm going with Formica argentea on this one, although F. subsericea would be the next closest contender -- I'm not sure that the antennal scapes look quite long enough in most of the pictures, and I think I can see pubescence on the fourth tergite. I guess it's also possible that more than one colony was feeding off these nectaries.

 

Holding calipers against my monitor, I feel that the scapes are actually longer than the head, indicating F. subsericea.

Edited by Batspiderfish, May 25 2017 - 6:28 AM.

[Nathant2131]

I HAD considered that there is possibly more than one species feeding off the nectaries. I'll collect an individual worker and take more shots.