19 replies to this topic

[BrandonM]

Location (on a map) of collection: Ontario, CA
2. Date of collection: 7/26/21
3. Habitat of collection: Suburban backyard on black light. 0.25” rain earlier that day.
4. Length (from head to gaster): 12mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: Very dark brown, looks black under normal lighting. Dark, reddish-brown lines and underside of gaster.
6. Distinguishing characteristics: I count 11 antennae segments, two spines on thorax.
7. Distinguishing behavior: Trying really hard to get out of test tube.
8. Nest description: Unknown
9. Nuptial flight time and date: 9:15pm PT 7/26/21

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[AlexLebedev]

solenopsis?

[NickAnter]

Crematogaster sp.

[BrandonM]

Crematogaster sp.

Anything I can do to get down to species?

If not, any special things I should know about her?


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[TestSubjectOne]

Crematogaster in general are hard to identify. Ontario has three species of Crematogaster - cerasi, lineolata and vermiculata which all look pretty similar. I have a colony of Crematogaster that's a few hundred workers strong and I still haven't identified them. This genus is fast growing and fairly hardy so just give them regular sugars, protein and water and they should do fine. Though my colony is well behaved, they have a reputation for escaping and can slip through tight cracks due to being arboreal. Because of your climate they will need to hibernate in the winter like most species.

[BrandonM]

Does her length of 12mm fit this genus? What I have found for cerasi queens is 7-8mm.


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[AlexLebedev]

Crematogaster sp.

omg i am a idiot

[TestSubjectOne]

I just realized that you are in Ontario, California and not Ontario, Canada. My bad. We have 12 species of Crematogaster, not 3, and 2 species of Forelius rather than 1. I would revise my ID of your other queen to Forelius sp  rather than Forelius pruinosus.

[AlexLebedev]

 

 

completely misidentified she is a crematogaster queen

[BrandonM]

I just realized that you are in Ontario, California and not Ontario, Canada. My bad. We have 12 species of Crematogaster, not 3, and 2 species of Forelius rather than 1. I would revise my ID of your other queen to Forelius sp rather than Forelius pruinosus.

I like my odds of being Crematogaster emeryana, she looks strikingly similar to the male from https://www.inatural...gaster-emeryana


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[TestSubjectOne]

I wouldn't go as far as a species ID for Crematogaster without getting pictures with a microscope or sending a worker to an entomologist. I spent a few hours trying to identify my Crematogasters using pictures the same quality as yours and got nowhere. They just look too similar. I wouldn't bother in the first place but if you want to get a species ID then wait until you get workers. I believe that some universities are willing to identify insect specimens.

[NickAnter]

Crematogaster in the west are a DISASTER. It, like subgenus Tanaemyrmex, is a mess no one wants to clean. Going down to genus, aside from a few distinctive species(the queens of mutans, and laeviuscula's workers and queens) is the furthest you can really get without a microscope, and even then, it's iffy.

[BrandonM]

Thank you all!

I understand what you are saying regarding the ability to identify down to species. Regardless, I look forward to adding them to my collection.


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[TestSubjectOne]

They're great ants. Easy to care for, fast growing and distinctive in appearance. Here is one of my colony's brood chambers after less than a year, to give you an idea of how fast they can grow. Heat is vital for them - this colony almost stopped brood growth and foraging for a few months when I had to keep them at room temperature but now that they are on a heating cable they're eating several times more and laid a new batch of eggs.

 

[BrandonM]

Update: She seems to be doing well after ~4 months. Haven’t really tried counting, I have no idea how many there are, as they are constantly moving around.

Any experienced Crematogaster owners to let me know if this colony is fitting into “normal” growth rate? They were at 78-80 until a month ago, where I dropped the temp to 74-76, and just dropped it to room temp (66-71) a week ago. They don’t seem to be slowing down at all.






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[Antkeeper01]

Update: She seems to be doing well after ~4 months. Haven’t really tried counting, I have no idea how many there are, as they are constantly moving around.

Any experienced Crematogaster owners to let me know if this colony is fitting into “normal” growth rate? They were at 78-80 until a month ago, where I dropped the temp to 74-76, and just dropped it to room temp (66-71) a week ago. They don’t seem to be slowing down at all.






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if they are in the 70s they definitely will not stop but they seem to be doing well

[ANTdrew]

Looks like a healthy colony to me. Keep up the good work.

[BrandonM]

Looks like a healthy colony to me. Keep up the good work.

Thank you ANTdrew! Your Crematogaster journal has been a joy to read. I have found it very enlightening, humorous, and unfortunately, saddening with you most recent entry.

I am hoping to learn from your experiences as I raise this colony.


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[ANTdrew]

Looks like a healthy colony to me. Keep up the good work.

Thank you ANTdrew! Your Crematogaster journal has been a joy to read. I have found it very enlightening, humorous, and unfortunately, saddening with you most recent entry.

I am hoping to learn from your experiences as I raise this colony.


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Yeah, it will basically be discontinued now until I can get a new colony going. Nobody wants to read about an orphaned colony dwindling away.

[Kaelwizard]

 

 

Looks like a healthy colony to me. Keep up the good work.

Thank you ANTdrew! Your Crematogaster journal has been a joy to read. I have found it very enlightening, humorous, and unfortunately, saddening with you most recent entry.

I am hoping to learn from your experiences as I raise this colony.


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Yeah, it will basically be discontinued now until I can get a new colony going. Nobody wants to read about an orphaned colony dwindling away.

 

I'm so sorry, I had no idea.