21 replies to this topic

[BitT]

 

Genus: Pheidole
Species: morrisi

Common Name:

 

Colony Stage: Fresh Queen
Caught Date: 05-28-2020
Eggs: 05-30-2020
Larva: 06-28-2020
Pupa:

Nanitics: 07-03-2020

Diet:

Special Needs:

 

Do they Sting or bite?: Not sure if they sting but the queen, Panic, seemed she may bite.

Escape Artists?:

 

Queen or colony count: 1 Queen

 

Panic:

She seemed so laid back, she didn't seem scared. Tried getting her into a test tube from her jar and she wanted to just stand at the edge to sip at a tiny droplet. I gently booped her with a Q-tip and she turned around and latched onto it aggressively. Ok, first time I seen any queens do that (they always ran first or just acted curious). She found the tip wet so she chilled and started drinking from it. So I had this BRIGHT idea to boop her with my finger tip and when she turned around I spooked! Then I panicked because I lost her! I had the bright idea to do this while at my computer so here I am shuffling around my computer and looking on the floor and I'm thinking "great, of all the queens to lose in the house I lose one I not only don't know the species of (and if it stings) but also the most aggressive one!" So luckily my dog is smart and doesn't just go after something he don't know what it is but is curious enough for me to notice that "what's this creature" behavior and there she is. She freaked a little until I got her into the test tube (can't really blame her, poor thing) and then she settled right at home and is happy as a clam. So she get's a name since she has personality. Though she's not the panicking one. XD She's pretty laid back just don't boop her, the feisty lady says it rude.

 

05-30-2020:

Seemed healthy and laid her first eggs.

 

06-10-2020: She has a nice egg pile.

 

07-04-2020:

Panic has her first workers! Noticed her first one last night and today she has 3 nanitics. She is an aggressive layer! She has a nice pile of eggs, larva, and pupa. She's not fond of the light that's for sure.

 

07-30-2020:

They're doing great! But now their species is in question again so hold tight for that!

 

08-02-2020:

Well, with the help of Mdrogun it looks like these girls are Pheidole morrisi and not Pheidole dentata. This is believed because it looks like there is a lack of propodeal spines which dentata have but morrisi lack.

 

02-15-2022:

Still doing well but their numbers seem to have dropped. Like my Megas I think I need to up their proteins.

 

Link To My Journal Directory

Edited by BitT, February 15 2022 - 4:29 PM.

[ANTdrew]

Dude, you’re so lucky!

[Canadant]

Are these the guys with the super majors with giant heads? Man, I'd give my left pinky finger for a colony of these guys. They look awesome. Good luck. I'll be following. 

[BitT]

Dude, you’re so lucky!

Haha I guess so! I'm not a big fan of FL (was moved here when I was a kid) but it has it's benefits! I didn't even realize just how many species of ants live here and it seems my work has a chunk of that diversity! My boss has been amused by my new hobby but he doesn't seem thrilled about this bug diversity he didn't know about around his business. lol

 

 

Are these the guys with the super majors with giant heads? Man, I'd give my left pinky finger for a colony of these guys. They look awesome. Good luck. I'll be following. 

 

Actually, a lot of Pheidole seem to have big-headed majors. I don't know much about the Dentata yet but I do have a colony of Pheidole Megacephala that have workers and they have a few majors with big heads. They mostly sleep like lazy lugs until the minors come tell them about a bug I gave them then they come running to help pull it apart.

[RushmoreAnts]

I don’t believe Pheidole sting.

Dude, you’re so lucky!

Haha I guess so! I'm not a big fan of FL (was moved here when I was a kid) but it has it's benefits! I didn't even realize just how many species of ants live here and it seems my work has a chunk of that diversity! My boss has been amused by my new hobby but he doesn't seem thrilled about this bug diversity he didn't know about around his business. lol
 
 

Are these the guys with the super majors with giant heads? Man, I'd give my left pinky finger for a colony of these guys. They look awesome. Good luck. I'll be following.

 
Actually, a lot of Pheidole seem to have big-headed majors. I don't know much about the Dentata yet but I do have a colony of Pheidole Megacephala that have workers and they have a few majors with big heads. They mostly sleep like lazy lugs until the minors come tell them about a bug I gave them then they come running to help pull it apart.

Supermajors are extreme majors, with even larger heads than normal.

[TechAnt]

Pheidole DO bite, but the minor’s bites are basically unnoticeable, I’m not sure about the queens. But the majors bites don’t hurt much, and are noticeable, because their heads are full of muscle. Also, Pheidole are literally named the “Big Headed Ant” for their majors so I doubt they would not have majors, but some may not. My majors just sit around in the nest, and the tube connected to the outworld, but they venture out when they need to chop harder food where the workers can’t get through, or just patrol the outworld.

Edit: I believe NO Pheidole sp. sting, just biting. But most Pheidole seem to run more than fight if the thing they see as a threat is not harming them.

Edited by TechAnt, June 2 2020 - 5:57 PM.

[BitT]

Pheidole Megacephala I know don't sting and they're so small even the major bites don't hurt. But I wasn't sure about others. Glad to learn most this genus don't sting! Fire ant bites/stings I can deal with and probably most others but I rather know before being surprised by one. XD Probably my least favorite to get stung by is the wood ant that loves palm and pine trees. I'll have to learn their actual scientific name one of these days.

 

Dentata queen seems quite a bit bigger than a Megacephala queen so I assume Dentata workers are going to be bigger so curious how their bite will be.

 

AntsDakota,

Hm, not sure if I have Supermajors. When I think of Supermajors I think of Leafcutter Ants and how vastly different all their types of workers are. My Megacephala have different sized Majors but the differences are so minimum I didn't even consider they could be a major and a supermajor.  Do Pheidole Dentata have supermajors?

[Antkid12]

 Pheidole dentata don't have supermajors but still so cool. So lucky by the way, I wish I had some Pheidole that were decent sized. 

Edited by Antkid12, June 3 2020 - 6:52 AM.

[BitT]

Panic has her first nanitics! With a short little video.

[RushmoreAnts]

 

AntsDakota,

Hm, not sure if I have Supermajors. When I think of Supermajors I think of Leafcutter Ants and how vastly different all their types of workers are. My megacephala have different sized Majors but the differences are so minimum I didn't even consider they could be a major and a supermajor.  Do Pheidole Dentata have supermajors?

Very few ant species have supermajors. Some are in the genus Pheidole, but I doubt dentata do.

[Antkid12]

Update? Also Pheidole dentata don't have supermajors.

[TennesseeAnts]

 

 

AntsDakota,

Hm, not sure if I have Supermajors. When I think of Supermajors I think of Leafcutter Ants and how vastly different all their types of workers are. My megacephala have different sized Majors but the differences are so minimum I didn't even consider they could be a major and a supermajor.  Do Pheidole Dentata have supermajors?

Very few ant species have supermajors. Some are in the genus Pheidole, but I doubt dentata do.

 

Correct. Ph. tepicana and Ph. rhea do in the US.

[RushmoreAnts]

 

 

 

AntsDakota,

Hm, not sure if I have Supermajors. When I think of Supermajors I think of Leafcutter Ants and how vastly different all their types of workers are. My megacephala have different sized Majors but the differences are so minimum I didn't even consider they could be a major and a supermajor.  Do Pheidole Dentata have supermajors?

Very few ant species have supermajors. Some are in the genus Pheidole, but I doubt dentata do.

 

Correct. Ph. tepicana and Ph. rhea do in the US.

 

I have always wanted tepicana.........

[TennesseeAnts]

 

 

 

 

AntsDakota,

Hm, not sure if I have Supermajors. When I think of Supermajors I think of Leafcutter Ants and how vastly different all their types of workers are. My megacephala have different sized Majors but the differences are so minimum I didn't even consider they could be a major and a supermajor.  Do Pheidole Dentata have supermajors?

Very few ant species have supermajors. Some are in the genus Pheidole, but I doubt dentata do.

 

Correct. Ph. tepicana and Ph. rhea do in the US.

 

I have always wanted tepicana.........

 

I found Ph. tepicana in a friends yard. The supermajors are really cool looking. Kinda rare, but I found them for the first time in Tennessee, so there must be many more populations.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, July 28 2020 - 3:25 PM.

[Antkid12]

 

 

 

 

 

AntsDakota,

Hm, not sure if I have Supermajors. When I think of Supermajors I think of Leafcutter Ants and how vastly different all their types of workers are. My megacephala have different sized Majors but the differences are so minimum I didn't even consider they could be a major and a supermajor.  Do Pheidole Dentata have supermajors?

Very few ant species have supermajors. Some are in the genus Pheidole, but I doubt dentata do.

 

Correct. Ph. tepicana and Ph. rhea do in the US.

 

I have always wanted tepicana.........

 

I found Ph. tepicana in a friends yard. The supermajors are really cool looking. Kinda rare, but I found them for the first time in Tennessee, so there must be many more populations.

 

Awesome!

[RushmoreAnts]

 

 

 

 

 

AntsDakota,

Hm, not sure if I have Supermajors. When I think of Supermajors I think of Leafcutter Ants and how vastly different all their types of workers are. My megacephala have different sized Majors but the differences are so minimum I didn't even consider they could be a major and a supermajor.  Do Pheidole Dentata have supermajors?

Very few ant species have supermajors. Some are in the genus Pheidole, but I doubt dentata do.

 

Correct. Ph. tepicana and Ph. rhea do in the US.

 

I have always wanted tepicana.........

 

I found Ph. tepicana in a friends yard. The supermajors are really cool looking. Kinda rare, but I found them for the first time in Tennessee, so there must be many more populations.

 

I may want a permit for these if you ever found queens. Are they polygynous, by the way?

[CatsnAnts]

I found Ph. tepicana in a friends yard. The supermajors are really cool looking. Kinda rare, but I found them for the first time in Tennessee, so there must be many more populations.

Holy crap I’m stupid. 3 years ago I came across a Pheidole nest in our yard that had HUGE supermajors in it, and I only just realized today that it must have been Pheidole tepicana after looking them up, massive facepalm. I didn’t even realize that this species existed up North this far. Now I want to find more haha. I guess I just thought they were Pheidole bicarinata, until I realized P. bicarinata was only about 1/3 the size.

Edited by CatsnAnts, July 28 2020 - 4:46 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

I found Ph. tepicana in a friends yard. The supermajors are really cool looking. Kinda rare, but I found them for the first time in Tennessee, so there must be many more populations.

Holy crap I’m stupid. 3 years ago I came across a Pheidole nest in our yard that had HUGE supermajors in it, and I only just realized today that it must have been Pheidole tepicana after looking them up, massive facepalm. I didn’t even realize that this species existed up North this far. Now I want to find more haha. I guess I just thought they were Pheidole bicarinata, until I realized P. bicarinata was only about 1/3 the size.

There is one record from a little further North than you are.

AntsDakota,
Hm, not sure if I have Supermajors. When I think of Supermajors I think of Leafcutter Ants and how vastly different all their types of workers are. My megacephala have different sized Majors but the differences are so minimum I didn't even consider they could be a major and a supermajor. Do Pheidole Dentata have supermajors?

Very few ant species have supermajors. Some are in the genus Pheidole, but I doubt dentata do.

Correct. Ph. tepicana and Ph. rhea do in the US.

I have always wanted tepicana.........

I found Ph. tepicana in a friends yard. The supermajors are really cool looking. Kinda rare, but I found them for the first time in Tennessee, so there must be many more populations.

I may want a permit for these if you ever found queens. Are they polygynous, by the way?

Sounds good. And idk if they are or not.

[Froggy]

 

I found Ph. tepicana in a friends yard. The supermajors are really cool looking. Kinda rare, but I found them for the first time in Tennessee, so there must be many more populations.

Holy crap I’m stupid. 3 years ago I came across a Pheidole nest in our yard that had HUGE supermajors in it, and I only just realized today that it must have been Pheidole tepicana after looking them up, massive facepalm. I didn’t even realize that this species existed up North this far. Now I want to find more haha. I guess I just thought they were Pheidole bicarinata, until I realized P. bicarinata was only about 1/3 the size.

 

I haven't seen Pheidole with supermajors, only majors, P. tepicana look amazing!

[CheetoLord02]

 

 

 

AntsDakota,

Hm, not sure if I have Supermajors. When I think of Supermajors I think of Leafcutter Ants and how vastly different all their types of workers are. My megacephala have different sized Majors but the differences are so minimum I didn't even consider they could be a major and a supermajor.  Do Pheidole Dentata have supermajors?

Very few ant species have supermajors. Some are in the genus Pheidole, but I doubt dentata do.

 

Correct. Ph. tepicana and Ph. rhea do in the US.

 

North America has 4 species of trimorphic Pheidole, those being P. tepicana, P. hirtula, P. obtusospinosa, and P. rhea. I believe the entire genus in total has 7 trimorphic species worldwide, although it's likely there are more than only 7 trimorphic species and we just haven't found their supermajors yet, as Pheidole supermajors tend to mostly stay within the nest. But yeah, P. dentata definitely are only bimorphic. One interesting thing with them though is that the northern populations of them can be polygynous. I have a colony with 7 dealates currently.