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[johcastro]

Album: Colobopsis JTL)#%

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Hi guys, I just moved to a different part of my country (Costa Rica) about 6 months ago, and when the rainy season started (May) I started noticying colobopsis (that are not supposed to be on my country) showing up, so, I started collecting, so far I got about 10-12, I know I should not catch that many, but I promise I left most of them go, I just kept the ones that took out the wings so I could maximize my chances of starting the colony. The time of catch varies from just a couple of days for some up to 2-3 weeks for others.

 

I will keep posting photos as they hopefully lay eggs.

 

Edited by johcastro, June 8 2021 - 8:55 PM.

[johcastro]

First update, feels like forerever since I can't look at the ants at all... but when I did, found that they seem to be evolving in sub aquatic lifeforms? for some reason they are burrowing into the water barrier, I mean, from what I understand these are low humidity wood dwelling ants... 

 

 

Out of the 12 catched, most have take out their wings, however, almost all of them are dweling into the water barrier for some reason, the others that still have wings also do it from time to time on the half an hour I spend watching them, any advise is appreciated... ANY.

[ANTdrew]

Colobopsis need a tighter space to feel comfortable. I think they are tunneling in the wet cotton looking for security. Consider moving them to a much narrower tube. You could even give them some hollow twigs to move into.

[johcastro]

Colobopsis need a tighter space to feel comfortable. I think they are tunneling in the wet cotton looking for security. Consider moving them to a much narrower tube. You could even give them some hollow twigs to move into.

I read something like that on another post... so, I did this: 

 

 

Just in case, I put bark on 2 of them, and put cork in other 2, they seem to like to chew at it, and then they go back to digging the cotton, I keep another 2 in the set like the previous picture.

[johcastro]

Well, there is 1 egg, at least, from all the ants, hopefully, next week when I check there will be more.

 

[TennesseeAnts]

Don't expect very many eggs. Being such small queens with such large eggs, they can't produce a whole lot at once. When I found C. impressa and C. obliqua colonies I usually found them in a polygyne setting with anywhere from 3 to 7 queens.

[johcastro]

Don't expect very many eggs. Being such small queens with such large eggs, they can't produce a whole lot at once. When I found C. impressa and C. obliqua colonies I usually found them in a polygyne setting with anywhere from 3 to 7 queens.

 

Thanks, that's good to know, as is an unstudied species in costa rica there is really not much information about it, I attempted to leave a couple of queens in a single tube... until next week I will not know if there is any advance

[johcastro]

My first egg laying queen died of aparently no reasons... fortunatelly there is 3 more queens with eggs now, and one with something that I think is a pupa, but I'm being told that is not likely one, but a chewed egg... ill post the video cuz I still have my reserves... the thing has visible eyes, gaster and abdomen, so I'm not buying the chewed egg theory.

 

This is the possible pupa, let me know what do you think

This is a quick video where I try to show all the angles, If you can't see it here, it is also available on the album at the top of the page. Or here 

 

 

 

 

And these are the new eggs

 

Surprisingly enough, an alate put 2 eggs at once

Edited by johcastro, June 26 2021 - 7:12 PM.

[Antkeeper01]

love the noodle eggs

[johcastro]

Colobopsis need a tighter space to feel comfortable. I think they are tunneling in the wet cotton looking for security. Consider moving them to a much narrower tube. You could even give them some hollow twigs to move into.

 

For some reason, one of the ones I put on the cramped space, died, all healthy, just went to sleep... u.u.

[Antkeeper01]

sorry dude

[johcastro]

sorry dude

 

 It is what it is, at least there is enough queens for me not to worry yet, when I'm on my last 3 and no colony is around... that's when you will see me worry jajajja.

[johcastro]

It seems the Colobopsis Sp really dislike me like nothing else I have ever seen, I got everything from queens eating its eggs, just refusing to put eggs, digging the cotton all the way to freedom, drowning on the cotton water after digging all the way to the water... .for some reason they just don't want me to have a functional colony jajajja.