10 replies to this topic

[BroJack]

1. Location (on a map) of collection: Tucson, AZ, S Mission Rd.
2. Date of collection: 7-24-20
3. Habitat of collection: desert roadside
4. Length (from head to gaster): 8-9mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: brown/reddish with 2 lighter red patches on gaster
6. Distinguishing characteristics:
7. Distinguishing behavior: digging in fine silt from a recent puddle
8. Nest description: nuptial chamber just started, single small hole.

9. Nuptial flight time and date: morning after first real monsoon rains of the season 7-24-20

 

Questions:

ID?

fully claustral or semi?

Is there anything else I should be posting or asking?

Can I use regular test tube set-ups for these ladies?

[TechAnt]

That looks like an Acromyrmex sp. (leaf cutter ant)

Acromyrmex eat leaves (obviously), and are semi claustral. If I’m right, she should spit out a fungal pellet. They are semi claustral. Nice find! I would wait for more people to help ID it.

Edited by TechAnt, July 24 2020 - 12:04 PM.

[Zeiss]

Acromyrmex versicolor.

 

You will have to hope she has a fungus pellet or else she will just die.  They are semi claustral and you'll need to provide them with dried rose petals, oats, cichlid fish food pellets.

[ponerinecat]

Acromyrmex versicolor.

 

You will have to hope she has a fungus pellet or else she will just die.  They are semi claustral and you'll need to provide them with dried rose petals, oats, cichlid fish food pellets.

^Considering she had already started digging, your chances of a queen with fungus is significantly dampened.

[Manitobant]

If the queen doesn't have a fungus pellet, you have to steal some fungus from a wild colony to give to your queen.

[Zeiss]

If the queen doesn't have a fungus pellet, you have to steal some fungus from a wild colony to give to your queen.

Do NOT do this.  You will end up damaging the wild colony quite a bit; their fungus chambers are pretty deep. 

[dspdrew]

Yeah, don't waste your time trying to dig up their fungus; it's probably 8 feet deep or more. If you caught the queen the first day, it's probably still carrying its fungus.

[Froggy]

I'm jealous lol hopefully I'll get some sort of fungus grower to fly since it rained

[BroJack]

Help! I especially need coaching on these! I have over 50 so far and if you are in AZ, I am willing to trade for knowledge and coaching. I've been doing this seriously for 3 years and am still very much a beginner. I have only had my own success with Camponotus so far.

I probably got over 50% of them before they started digging. They are all in test tube set-ups.

 

Acromyrmex versicolor.

 

You will have to hope she has a fungus pellet or else she will just die.  They are semi claustral and you'll need to provide them with dried rose petals, oats, cichlid fish food pellets.

Can you please steer me in a direction for the best info on caring for them. I am sure that I can get the oats, fish pellets (any reason it has to be cichlid?) but have no idea on the rose petals. Do I just add it to their test tubes? How soon do I need to feed them?

[RushmoreAnts]

Help! I especially need coaching on these! I have over 50 so far and if you are in AZ, I am willing to trade for knowledge and coaching. I've been doing this seriously for 3 years and am still very much a beginner. I have only had my own success with Camponotus so far.

I probably got over 50% of them before they started digging. They are all in test tube set-ups.

 

Acromyrmex versicolor.

 

You will have to hope she has a fungus pellet or else she will just die.  They are semi claustral and you'll need to provide them with dried rose petals, oats, cichlid fish food pellets.

Can you please steer me in a direction for the best info on caring for them. I am sure that I can get the oats, fish pellets (any reason it has to be cichlid?) but have no idea on the rose petals. Do I just add it to their test tubes? How soon do I need to feed them?

You should provide them with an outworld, and allow the queen access. Queens of this species will forage in the wild, so it's best to replicate this in captivity.

[Zeiss]

Test tube setups will fail.  The queens get fungus caught in the cotton and it dies.  If you search up Acromyrmex versicolor in the forum search bar, you'll find some decent journals and other information about them.  I keep them low 70F range and sometimes they get higher, but not often.  Dried culinary grade rose petals, oats, cichlid pellets (the ingredients and being balls they like to walk around with), and corn flakes are what I've given them and my colony is coming up on 2 years old.  I mostly just ignore them and even neglect them, haha.  You have to have an outworld for them and it has to be kept dry while the fungus chamber needs to be kept humid (not exactly sure on humidity %, but not to the point of condensation).