16 replies to this topic

[M_Ants]

My honeypot's larvae have been growing for a while and one made a cocoon. The other however continues to grow and is giant. Is this an alate larvae or is it just a full sized worker?

 

Regular larvae in front for reference.

Edited by M_Ants, October 19 2020 - 1:20 PM.

[KitsAntVa]

Eeeeee that’s a big one but there is nothing way that could be a full sized worker because there's not that large of a difference.

[M_Ants]

So it's just a bigger worker?

[Manitobant]

It looks like it could be a replete since your colony doesn't seem to have any yet. They are usually bigger.

[M_Ants]

Epic! That is much better news. I hope your right. Didn't realize repletes were different from workers other than drinking more liquids.

[KitsAntVa]

Usually the repletes are larger so maybe but it’s either a replete or alate.

[M_Ants]

Isn't it bad if it's an alate?

[Manitobant]

Its probably a replete so don't worry about it. At this colony size there isn't anything else it could be except a trophic egg (male) but those are usually eaten immediately.

Edited by Manitobant, October 19 2020 - 2:29 PM.

[M_Ants]

Ok thanks.

[TechAnt]

Awesome! It will be great to see a replete! 

[M_Ants]

This thing finally made a cocoon. I'm still sketched out by how big it is. 

[KitsAntVa]

Bigger worker, replete, alate. It could be either, sometimes repletes are bigger meaning they were chosen as the colony because you can clearly see in tarheelants video a myrmecocystus mimicus queen and around 10 workers has dark black looking small workers while the repletes are like 2 times bigger than the worker and they are lighter colored. You won't know what it is until it comes out of its cocoon. And if its a replete until you feed it liquids.

[ponerinecat]

Repletes are not a separate anatomical caste. They are created when soft workers are fed to the point of bursting to stretch out the integument, it is not a predetermined difference. However larger workers are usually selected to become repletes, so it might seem like they are separate from the normal workers.

Edited by ponerinecat, October 27 2020 - 12:09 PM.

[Manitobant]

Some other honeypot species do have a distinct replete caste though, like proformica mongolica or brachymyrmex giardi. Their large workers are always the repletes and the smaller ones are always workers.

Edited by Manitobant, October 27 2020 - 12:41 PM.

[ponerinecat]

Proformica and Brachymyrmex are not Myrmecocystus.

[Manitobant]

I wasnt saying they are, i was saying that some honeypots do in fact have a separate replete caste.

[Kaelwizard]

I wasnt saying they are, i was saying that some honeypots do in fact have a separate replete caste.

Their point was that this thread is about Myrmecocystus.