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What is the coolest native ant in your region?

Started By futurebird , Feb 2 2022 2:47 AM

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21 replies to this topic

#1 Offline futurebird - Posted February 2 2022 - 2:47 AM

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For NYC? Trachymyrmex septentrionalis the mini atta of the north. 

 

Especially curious to find out the coolest ant in the UK for a friend who was talking about this the other day. 


Starting this July I'm posting videos of my ants every week on youTube.

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#2 Offline ANTdrew - Posted February 2 2022 - 3:16 AM

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Trachymyrmex are definitely up there. I’d also love to find Nylanderia arenivaga.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
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#3 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted February 2 2022 - 5:17 AM

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umm I'm gonna do state so uh maybe Manica hunteri or Myrmecocystus placodops


1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

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#4 Offline OiledOlives - Posted February 2 2022 - 5:20 AM

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For NoVA, I'd have to say either Aphaenogaster treatae/ashmeadi, Aphaenogaster mariae/tennesseensis, Dolichoderus mariae, and Formica exsectoides.


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Youtube: Atlantic Ants - YouTube
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#5 Offline Idontexist - Posted February 2 2022 - 8:08 AM

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I live in campeche mexico. By far its atta and odontomachus

#6 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted February 2 2022 - 8:52 AM

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I live in campeche mexico. By far its atta and odontomachus

I'm pretty sure you have Eciton there which I think tops odontos


Edited by Antkeeper01, February 2 2022 - 8:52 AM.

1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

 Join Our Fledgling Discord Server https://discord.com/...089056687423489

#7 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted February 2 2022 - 8:57 AM

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My region's coolest native species are Strumigenys pergandei and Stigmatomma pallipes (I found multiple queens and colonies of Stigmatomma pallipes in my area).


Edited by ColAnt735, February 2 2022 - 9:01 AM.

"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.

#8 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted February 2 2022 - 9:04 AM

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My region's coolest native species are Strumigenys pergandei and Stigmatomma pallipes (I found multiple queens and colonies of Stigmatomma pallipes in my area).

Wow that's cool.


1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

 Join Our Fledgling Discord Server https://discord.com/...089056687423489

#9 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted February 2 2022 - 9:17 AM

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Thanks!


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"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.

#10 Offline Manitobant - Posted February 2 2022 - 9:26 AM

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Here it’s definitely polyergus mexicanus. Slave makers are just awesome, especially when you see them raid.
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My journals:

Polyergus Mexicanus: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry175528
Lasius minutus: https://www.formicul...cs/#entry174811
Lasius latipes: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry206449
General acanthomyops journal: https://www.formicul...yops-with-eggs/

#11 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted February 2 2022 - 9:30 AM

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I am so jealous!


Edited by ColAnt735, February 2 2022 - 9:30 AM.

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"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.

#12 Offline bmb1bee - Posted February 2 2022 - 10:49 AM

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By no means have I ever seen them before, but according to AntWeb, the most hardcore and elusive ants to find in NoCal would be Neivamyrmex sp. and Stigmatomma pallipes. Total S Class in my opinion, since they're very unique compared to other ants in the region. Polyergus and Strumigenys are also pretty cool. I just based these off on how awesome they look, their lifestyle, and their rarity  :D


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#13 Offline antsriondel - Posted February 2 2022 - 11:20 AM

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liometopum luctuosum.


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#14 Offline CheetoLord02 - Posted February 2 2022 - 12:57 PM

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Pheidole rhea and Atta mexicana are definitely hard to beat (although only P. rhea actually lives in my area), and I think a solid 3rd choice for me is Polyergus topoffi, which could seem underwhelming compared to a lot of our other natives but I've got a soft spot for them, since I'm likely the first person to keep them and the area I collected my queen was the northernmost that the species has ever been documented.


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arthropodantics.com

#15 Offline PaigeX - Posted February 2 2022 - 4:58 PM

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Here in qld, Australia it would be: Polyrhachis Ammon and Myrmecia Chrysogaster


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Favourite Genus: Polyrhachis 

 
Journal: Main

Instagram: australian_polyrhachis

 

May God Bless you.

#16 Offline SYUTEO - Posted February 2 2022 - 6:30 PM

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I wonder if it's fair for me to post here because there's too many cool native ants in my area.
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Began antkeeping in 2018  :)

 

All ant journal: https://www.formicul...os-ant-journal/

#17 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted February 2 2022 - 6:39 PM

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Proatta butteli

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Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): ★ Camponotus irritans inferior, ★ Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, ★ Nylanderia sp., ★ Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), ★ Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.

#18 Offline antsandmore - Posted February 2 2022 - 8:02 PM

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don't make me choose. too many to count.


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Ants I am keeping:

 none for now, planning on being more active this year

#19 Offline Leptomyrmx - Posted February 2 2022 - 9:43 PM

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(There's practically no really interesting ants in my area, so I'll do around my grandparents' area.)

Well, Myrmecia are super cool, but for a single species maybe Myrmecia tarsata. They're like gREEEN BULL ANTS how can you not like that

There are probably better species somewhere near me but that's my favourite one I've seen.


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My Ants:

Colonies: Camponotus humilior 1w, Opisthopsis rufithorax 11w, Aphaenogaster longiceps ~5w, Pheidole sp. ~235w ~15m, Iridomyrmex sp. 2q 1w, Brachyponera lutea 6w, Crematogaster sp. ~20w, Podomyrma sp. 1w

Queens: Polyrhachis cf. robinsoni, Polyrhachis (Campomyrma) sp. (likely infertile)

Previously Kept: Colobopsis gasseri, Technomyrmex sp., Rhytidoponera victorae, Nylanderia cf. rosae, Myrmecia brevinoda/forficata, Polyrhachis australis, Solenopsis/Monomorium

Key: Q = Queen, W = Worker, M = Major

Youtube Channel: Ants of Sydney - YouTube

Patreon (for YouTube channel): https://www.patreon.com/antsofsydney

#20 Offline NickAnter - Posted February 2 2022 - 10:00 PM

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For my immediate area, Strumigenys membranifera, found in backyard.

 

In terms of the county area though, probably Myrmecocystus wheeleri or Camponotus us-ca02.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

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