16 replies to this topic

[m99]

This little lady just walked right up to me in my attic apartment about an hour ago. Getting pictures of her was hilarious, she really had the zoomies until I managed to smear a little Sunburst in there and keep her still enough for the last shot. It was at least comforting to know she hadn't been hurt after having to be flicked into the tube to save her from my cat's interference hah.

 

To my first-year totally amateur eyes, this seems like a classic Aphaeongaster, no? Given the details below, I have to assume Picea?

 

Location: Catskills/Hudson region NY

 

Size: Hard to measure Ms. Zoomies but looks around 8-11mm. A little bigger than my tetramorium queens.

 

Notable: Those petioles, and then in one of the pics you can clearly see whatever you call the spiky bits on the end of her thorax? Both seem to match with Picea pictures, plus the body carriage seems pretty distinct even to a noob like me.

 

So, if she is as expected, do you think she'd be happiest in just a basic tube setup (eventually to be connected to AC tube portal for young feeding until formicarium?) or the spare Por Amor apartment I have? Care sheets mention a strong preference for humid/dry zones in the nest, and the Apartment has a grouted inner chamber (high humidity) and a non-grouted outer chamber that can be used to extend the nest that's dryer, so I wondered.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

Edited by m99, August 10 2021 - 11:57 AM.

[Kaelwizard]

100% Aphaenogaster, but I don't know about species.

[m99]

Once I get her into her (slightly) clearer AC test tube, what angles/body parts would be best for confirming species?

[NickAnter]

Please ignore my apparent inability to distinguish a V from a Y.

Edited by NickAnter, August 10 2021 - 12:33 PM.

[m99]

OOH! Not a picea? Exciiiiiting! They're literally flying coast to coast today, huh?

 

What's the distinguishing features for you on that ID?

Edited by m99, August 10 2021 - 12:31 PM.

[NickAnter]

Oh NVM. I thought this was NV, not NY...
Could be one of a couple species then.

[m99]

Oh haha, even still. I suppose it doesn't affect the care either way, maybe I'll get more pictures clearer on that can help nail down an ID.

 

*edit* Either way, she's loaded to the gills with Sunburst and most definitely fertile and eager to lay in her final claustral tube, hooray. Here's hoping for a healthy batch of nanitics before hibernation season starts setting in!

Edited by m99, August 10 2021 - 1:20 PM.

[Kaelwizard]

When I lived in MI Aphaenogaster queens laid eggs before hibernating so hopefully it will be the same for you.

[m99]

Phew that's good news. We've still got a solid 60 days of good temperatures even overnight here, so I'd hope so. She was definitely very focused on cleaning her business end even in the capture tube, which is what my tetramorium girls all did who were laying within 48 hours.

 

I've got her in a separate box with a tantruming carpenter queen now so I'll properly leave them alone for at least 3-4 weeks and hopefully spy plenty of brood once I check!

[AntBoi3030]

Maybe rudis I caught a bunch of these here a month ago.

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[m99]

Maybe rudis I caught a bunch of these here a month ago.

 

How much red undertone would you say yours have? It was hard to get a close look at mine since, but I definitely didn't see any signs of it, and that seems like a common sign of Rudis? At least based on google pics. But they all look the same at the end of the day outside a microscope lol oi

[AntBoi3030]

They’re barely dark red super close to brown. They do have similar gastors to rudis. Here’s better pictures

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[m99]

Oh yeah that could be a definite possibility. Shame I only found the one, I guess seeing how a few queens reacted to being housed together might have helped narrow things down a bit. I'm guessing workers have a few more differentiating features that'll make it easier to get an ID? Hopefully.

[Kaelwizard]

I’ve heard that A. rudis might be a species complex but I’m not sure if this is true.

[m99]

Ah! Antwiki says picea and rudis can be distinguished by slight lightening of the antenna's tip-most segment in picea, vs. single shade in rudis. The queen pics google gives me seem to hold that out.

 

AND I was just showing a friend a pic I got of my queen where you could see the texture of her antenna very clearly which I thought was cool...

 

Hmm. Well, this is definitely lightening at the tip, but I feel like it could just be thinner body tissue being backlit toward the tip, too. Though I guess if it were as heavily pigmented it wouldn't lighten so much?

 

 

Aha! No, it's definitely lighter, confirmed in other photos but can see it most clearly here.

 

 

Alright, that's good enough for me. Who am I to contradict the wiki the ants wrote themselves after all?    Picea it is!

Edited by m99, August 10 2021 - 7:30 PM.

[m99]

Eggs! I'm sure she'll probably eat them now that I peeked, but at least I know she's fertile lol. I'll probably add her to my ongoing journal if she's still going strong next time I check.

[AntBoi3030]

I think I caught some a. Rudis last night this is probably picea