13 replies to this topic

[rcbuggy88]

I was thinking maybe Formica but I don't really have a clue. All the workers were about the same size and pretty large.

 

1. Bay Area CA USA

2. 6/4/20 found a male at sundown although couldn't stay out long enough for queens because of curfew
3. Oak tree park wood-chips and leaves.
4. 11-12 mm not curled up
5. Black head, red-orange mesonoma/thorax, yellow-black gaster. Gaster and top of the back have hairs. 
6. Big head relative to size but not Pheidole big. I think two petiole nodes, no obvious spines, front biceps pretty large.
7. Only found on oak trees not on the other trees ie. birch. 
8. Could not find the nest but crawling all over the oak trees. They run very fast, I mean very fast. Faster than the Camponotus workers I've seen.

9. Found a male about 8pm 6/4/20.
10. 

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Edited by rcbuggy88, June 15 2020 - 2:30 PM.

[Antkid12]

lts a Camponotus major.

Edited by Antkid12, June 15 2020 - 11:44 AM.

[rcbuggy88]

Thanks for the reply! The ants of this species that I found were all about the same size (very large) and there were about a hundred of them on every tree which is why I thought it wasn't probably Camponotus. 

Edited by rcbuggy88, June 15 2020 - 11:47 AM.

[TechAnt]

Yeah, Campontous sp. not sure what species though.

[ponerinecat]

Tanaemyrmex.

[rcbuggy88]

Thanks for the replies! Any guess for the species? It looks pretty similar to Camponotus consobrinus but those are in Australia.

[rcbuggy88]

I'm now thinking Camponotus semitestaceus but I feel like there were way too many to be Camponotus spp. but idk

[B_rad0806]

Looks like Sansabeanus to me

[BugFinder]

Thanks for the reply! The ants of this species that I found were all about the same size (very large) and there were about a hundred of them on every tree which is why I thought it wasn't probably Camponotus. 

 

if you saw that many majors, If you dig around I bet you would find tons of queens about.  

[Kaelwizard]

Thanks for the reply! The ants of this species that I found were all about the same size (very large) and there were about a hundred of them on every tree which is why I thought it wasn't probably Camponotus.

if you saw that many majors, If you dig around I bet you would find tons of queens about.

Well, not exactly. It could just be one very old colony unless he found them quite far apart.

[rcbuggy88]

They were all on the same 3 trees. I went back the nesting site is at the base of one of the trees. Also, I don't really want to dig up a mature colony since they likely will produce alates. I also found Tetra near by and I don't want that forest/park to be overrun because I dug up the native colony. On a side note, I found a few Liometopum colonies on other oak trees.

 

Also I have another queen I caught about a month ago that I'm wondering if it is Camponotus hyatti/clarithorax or something else? Its about 12mm. Picture is bad because there was condensation on the walls. Also, I'll do proper formatting later, don't have time right now.

 

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Edited by rcbuggy88, June 19 2020 - 10:02 AM.

[Antkid12]

Nice queen! Looks like Camponotus hyatti.

Edited by Antkid12, June 19 2020 - 10:07 AM.

[TechAnt]

Nice queen! Looks like Camponotus hyatti.

Agreed.

[YsTheAnt]

That major looks like it could be pretty much any of the tanaemyrmex Camponotus species in the Bay. Those include semitestaceus, vicinus, and maritimus. Without close pictures of the base of the antennae it is difficult to say exactly which

My guess would be C. vicinus only because they are the most common of the bunch, however it really could be any of them.