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NickAnter's Hypoponera sp. Journal (DISCONTINUED)

Started By NickAnter , May 19 2019 5:34 PM

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120 replies to this topic

#1 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 19 2019 - 5:34 PM

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I found this queen in my pool, around noon. I put her in a snap cap vial container, with a wet cotton ball on the bottom, with about a centimeter of sand on the cotton. I read up on the species, and learned that they like springtails. I went out, got springtails, and put them in. She immediately started lunging at them! After a few hours, she broke off her wings. All in all, very happy to get this queen, as I have only ever seen one worker of the species. Also, do they need any sugarwater or honey, or are they entirely carnivorous?


Edited by NickAnter, July 6 2022 - 9:15 PM.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#2 Offline ponerinecat - Posted May 19 2019 - 8:07 PM

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entirely carnivorous. Dspdrew observed they can eat byformica formula blue. Make a small starter tunnel for her, as starting queens like to use predug worm tunnels. Besides dirt, the presence of debris like wood chips or moss seems to improve health and lifespan. Don't check on her other than for feeding or she may eat eggs. Also, you sure she's of this species? they fly around fall. She may be a infertile queen left over from last year and was kicked out.


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#3 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 20 2019 - 5:22 AM

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I am unsure, hence the cf. I was hoping that she would not need to tunnel down, as it is humid everywhere in the setup.
Do you think that she needs to tunnel, or would she be okay on top of the sand? She did not make any attempts to dig, so hopefully that means she does not need to tunnel. If it seems nothing is happening, I will do as you said, and make a tunnel for her. Thank you for the help!

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#4 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 20 2019 - 5:46 AM

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I did some searching, and it could be opaciceps, which have flights year round, at least in Florida, and the California climate is fairly similar. Even if she was kicked out, she could still be fertile, via ergatoid male. If she is opaciceps, it would not be too unlikely that the colony had a flight, as it had been raining lightly the night of the day I caught her.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#5 Offline ponerinecat - Posted May 20 2019 - 2:07 PM

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make a tunnel. They do not dig until they FIND a nest site. Then they may make small tunnels and chambers.


#6 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 20 2019 - 2:46 PM

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DISCONTINUED she drowned in codensation. I did take her off of the condensation in hopes that she will somehow survive, as I have read that often times they will appear dead, but will survive.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#7 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 20 2019 - 3:44 PM

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She is definetly dead.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#8 Offline Leo - Posted May 20 2019 - 3:50 PM

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oof


#9 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 20 2019 - 3:52 PM

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Well, I guess this is my worst luck ever moment, just typical.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#10 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 21 2019 - 2:23 PM

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Hopefully I will be able to find more of these queens on the new black light I got. By far the coolest species in my city.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#11 Offline ponerinecat - Posted May 21 2019 - 3:54 PM

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pretty intresting, but slow growing and frustrating to keep.


#12 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 21 2019 - 5:33 PM

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Hopefully it will be less frustrating if I can catch like ten to twenty queens on a black light, my guess is that they will fly on Sunday or Monday. The last one I caught
was in the afternoon, the afternoon which was after a rainy night. Though, it may be later as the wind here does not seem to be slowing down. If they do not fly on Sunday or Monday, they will probable fly sometime on a humid night in June July or August. Hopefully, anyway.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#13 Offline ponerinecat - Posted May 22 2019 - 4:33 PM

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sometimes polygynous


#14 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 22 2019 - 5:05 PM

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Hypoponera queens polygynous? I thought that only ergatoid queens could ever be polygynous, and queens were very strictly monogynous.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#15 Offline ponerinecat - Posted May 23 2019 - 2:40 PM

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Hypoponera queens polygynous? I thought that only ergatoid queens could ever be polygynous, and queens were very strictly monogynous.

That's what I think as well, but the interwebs says differently.


#16 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 23 2019 - 3:06 PM

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Hmph.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#17 Offline ponerinecat - Posted May 23 2019 - 4:36 PM

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Colonies of 1-Iypoponera sp. (JFC 11104) consisted of between approximate ly 12 and 240 individuals (Table 1). O nly one colony contained a single dealate quee n; the others were polygynous, wi th a range of 2 to 14. Colonies may not produce both alate and ergatoid types of new queens and males simultaneously, as seen in our experiment. The ergato id males were observed to conduct intranidal mating with all eclosing or still inactive, scarcely pigmented fema les. On the o ther hand, a late males were not observed to mate with a late females in the nest. Multiple e rgatoid males (maximum of 7) in single nests were found without the special action of the attacking male, unl ike the cases of Hypoponera punctatissima (Hamilton, 1979) a nd Cardiocondyla wroughtoni (Kinomura a nd Yamauchi, 1987)

 

from ant Hypoponera sp. - ResearchGate


#18 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 23 2019 - 5:35 PM

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I wonder where this study with the fourteen queen colony was conducted, as it could be a regional thing.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#19 Offline ponerinecat - Posted May 24 2019 - 12:04 PM

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could be. I've never seen two winged queens coexist peacefully.


#20 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted May 24 2019 - 12:25 PM

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Maybe Hypoponera opacior are actually two different species. The monogynous one being one species, and the polygynous one a second species.
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