2 replies to this topic

[NickAnter]

So, I go on a trip to a very arid area of the Eastern Sierras every year, and I have been wondering whether or not desert species could be there. I am taking about species like Pheidole gilvescens or Myrmecocystus, as they have been spotted in areas south of the area. I am simply curious, as it would mean, if yes, that I should probably study them. All opinions are welcome!

Edited by NickAnter, May 16 2019 - 5:32 PM.

[VoidElecent]

I visited my uncle who owns a mountain house near Lake Tahoe a few years back, and all we really saw were large Camponotus and Aphaenogaster, presumably Camponotus laevigatus and Aphaenogaster occidentalis. I think at one point we may have spotted a Manica sp. worker, but I may be mistaken. We were at approximately ~6500 ft elevation and the area was heavily forested, however, so I wouldn't be surprised if the east Sierras were a completely different case.

[NickAnter]

The area I go to is maybe 30-40 miles south of Lake Tahoe, and is quite arid.  We camp next to a creek, and around the creek( up to30 yards away from)there was Camponotus modoc, parasitic Formica, Dorymyrmex insanus, Pogonomyrmex, Lasius, and Formica argentea. However, last time that i went, I was not as interested in ants, and did not look for small, nocturnal species, such as Pheidole, or other, more cryptic genuses, like Aphaenogaster.  The altitude there is also about 6500 feet, but if go much farther away from the creek, it is practically a desert.