72 replies to this topic

[Manitobant]

Hello guys, I decided to make this thread so we can discuss what ant species we horribly misidentified as beginners.

I will start: when I was a beginner I completely misidentified lasius brevicornis as monomorium pharaonis.

Edited by Manitobant, April 21 2019 - 12:11 PM.

[Mettcollsuss]

1) For a few minutes I thought a Lasius americanus queen I caught was some species of Pheidole

 

2) Accidentally disturbed a Tapinoma sessile colony. Saw them rushing around and thought they were Lasius alienus (now L. americanus). Even once I saw a queen running around, it didn't occur to me. I just thought, "huh, L. alienus have smaller queens than other Lasius I've seen."

 

3) I thought my Aphaenogaster rudis queen was Tetramorium tsushimae. At that point, I had heard of T. tsushimae, but had never seen them, didn't know what they looked like, or where they lived. I just saw a strange myrmicine ant I had never seen before, figured that since it was flying around Tetramorium season (she was an early flyer), and was roughly Tetramorium sized, it must be this one random species I knew nothing about.

 

4) Not exactly a species ID mess up, but similar. I lifted a rock and found what I now recognize to be a parasitic Lasius colony's alate pupae chamber. I didn't realize they were alate cocoons at the time, and thought, "those are way too big to be Lasius pupae." I noticed that they were similarly sized to Camponotus worker pupae, and assumed that's what they were. I came to the conclusion that a Lasius colony had attacked a Camponotus colony, had won, and were now invading the brood room. It also didn't occur to me that Camponotus don't (usually) nest in soil.

 

5) I picked up a worker from a trail of what I thought were Crematogaster. They were not. Guess how I figured out what fire ant stings feel like?

Edited by Mettcollsuss, April 21 2019 - 1:28 PM.

[FeedTheAnts]

I never saw Tetramorium back when I lived in TN because they happened to be rare in my locality. This coupled with the fact that I knew they were a common genus led me to beleive that almost everything was Tetramorium becuase it "just had to be". Nowadays I find them occasionally but always think they are Myrmica. Tetramorium will just never be my genus.

[TennesseeAnts]

I misidentified a Myrmica incompleta colony as Lasius claviger.... Don't judge...

[FSTP]

Dorymryrmex, mistaking bicolor queens for insanus queens and vis versa 

Edited by FSTP, April 21 2019 - 9:23 PM.

[Guy_Fieri]

I made the classic mistake of confusing Pogonomyrmex with Solenopsis the first time I saw them.

[Enderz]

On my first trip to Chaney I had never seen a Camponotus sp. in person, and I quickly spotted what I thought to be one. Turns out it was Liometopum occidentalis, a species I had never even seen a picture of. Best time ever.

[drtrmiller]

When I was 6, I thought bulldog ants and carpenter ants were the same thing.

 

It wasn't until I picked up the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects & Spiders, maybe sometime around 2nd grade, that I started learning the proper scientific names of some insects.

Edited by drtrmiller, April 22 2019 - 1:03 AM.

[Martialis]

drtrmiller, on 22 Apr 2019 - 08:59 AM, said:

When I was 6, I thought bulldog ants and carpenter ants were the same thing.

It wasn't until I picked up the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects & Spiders, maybe sometime around 2nd grade, that I started learning the proper scientific names of some insects.

I have that book! It’s hwey nice, even though it can be slightly inaccurate in some areas.

I used to confuse Pheidole with Solenopsis.

[TennesseeAnts]

Martialis, on 22 Apr 2019 - 2:38 PM, said:

drtrmiller, on 22 Apr 2019 - 08:59 AM, said:

When I was 6, I thought bulldog ants and carpenter ants were the same thing.
It wasn't until I picked up the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects & Spiders, maybe sometime around 2nd grade, that I started learning the proper scientific names of some insects.

I have that book! It’s hwey nice, even though it can be slightly inaccurate in some areas.
I used to confuse Pheidole with Solenopsis.

Well Pheidole and Solenopsis workers are pretty similar. Queens are way different though.

[ANTdrew]

I just realized that what I thought were Camponotus novaeboracencis were actually C. chromaiodes all along.

[AntsDanijel]

Hahaha. I found lasius niger under a rock and collect workers, put in a jar and I have a formicarium. Then I reed a lot about ants and then after a week, I realized I don't have a queen. The beginning is just funny.

[Kaelwizard]

oh, I see. I thought my F. subsericea were C. pennsylvanica. Pretty dumb. But wait, that's not all! I thought Tetramorium immigrans were Temnothorax longispinosus lol

[TennesseeAnts]

I thought my T. longispinosus were T. immagrans.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 22 2019 - 3:08 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Mettcollsuss, on 21 Apr 2019 - 9:28 PM, said:

1) For a few minutes I thought a Lasius americanus queen I caught was some species of Pheidole
 
2) Accidentally disturbed a Tapinoma sessile colony. Saw them rushing around and thought they were Lasius alienus (now L. americanus). Even once I saw a queen running around, it didn't occur to me. I just thought, "huh, L. alienus have smaller queens than other Lasius I've seen."
 
3) I thought my Aphaenogaster rudis queen was Tetramorium tsushimae. At that point, I had heard of T. tsushimae, but had never seen them, didn't know what they looked like, or where they lived. I just saw a strange myrmicine ant I had never seen before, figured that since it was flying around Tetramorium season (she was an early flyer), and was roughly Tetramorium sized, it must be this one random species I knew nothing about.
 
4) Not exactly a species ID mess up, but similar. I lifted a rock and found what I now recognize to be a parasitic Lasius colony's alate pupae chamber. I didn't realize they were alate cocoons at the time, and thought, "those are way too big to be Lasius pupae." I noticed that they were similarly sized to Camponotus worker pupae, and assumed that's what they were. I came to the conclusion that a Lasius colony had attacked a Camponotus colony, had won, and were now invading the brood room. It also didn't occur to me that Camponotus don't (usually) nest in soil.
 
5) I picked up a worker from a trail of what I thought were Crematogaster. They were not. Guess how I figured out what fire ant stings feel like?

I found out what their stings feel like when I stuck my hand in a mound....

[Mdrogun]

Mettcollsuss, on 21 Apr 2019 - 9:28 PM, said:

1) For a few minutes I thought a Lasius americanus queen I caught was some species of Pheidole

 

2) Accidentally disturbed a Tapinoma sessile colony. Saw them rushing around and thought they were Lasius alienus (now L. americanus). Even once I saw a queen running around, it didn't occur to me. I just thought, "huh, L. alienus have smaller queens than other Lasius I've seen."

 

3) I thought my Aphaenogaster rudis queen was Tetramorium tsushimae. At that point, I had heard of T. tsushimae, but had never seen them, didn't know what they looked like, or where they lived. I just saw a strange myrmicine ant I had never seen before, figured that since it was flying around Tetramorium season (she was an early flyer), and was roughly Tetramorium sized, it must be this one random species I knew nothing about.

 

4) Not exactly a species ID mess up, but similar. I lifted a rock and found what I now recognize to be a parasitic Lasius colony's alate pupae chamber. I didn't realize they were alate cocoons at the time, and thought, "those are way too big to be Lasius pupae." I noticed that they were similarly sized to Camponotus worker pupae, and assumed that's what they were. I came to the conclusion that a Lasius colony had attacked a Camponotus colony, had won, and were now invading the brood room. It also didn't occur to me that Camponotus don't (usually) nest in soil.

 

5) I picked up a worker from a trail of what I thought were Crematogaster. They were not. Guess how I figured out what fire ant stings feel like?

Fire ants up in Chicago? You sure about that lol

[Mettcollsuss]

Mdrogun, on 22 Apr 2019 - 11:23 PM, said:

 

Mettcollsuss, on 21 Apr 2019 - 9:28 PM, said:

1) For a few minutes I thought a Lasius americanus queen I caught was some species of Pheidole

 

2) Accidentally disturbed a Tapinoma sessile colony. Saw them rushing around and thought they were Lasius alienus (now L. americanus). Even once I saw a queen running around, it didn't occur to me. I just thought, "huh, L. alienus have smaller queens than other Lasius I've seen."

 

3) I thought my Aphaenogaster rudis queen was Tetramorium tsushimae. At that point, I had heard of T. tsushimae, but had never seen them, didn't know what they looked like, or where they lived. I just saw a strange myrmicine ant I had never seen before, figured that since it was flying around Tetramorium season (she was an early flyer), and was roughly Tetramorium sized, it must be this one random species I knew nothing about.

 

4) Not exactly a species ID mess up, but similar. I lifted a rock and found what I now recognize to be a parasitic Lasius colony's alate pupae chamber. I didn't realize they were alate cocoons at the time, and thought, "those are way too big to be Lasius pupae." I noticed that they were similarly sized to Camponotus worker pupae, and assumed that's what they were. I came to the conclusion that a Lasius colony had attacked a Camponotus colony, had won, and were now invading the brood room. It also didn't occur to me that Camponotus don't (usually) nest in soil.

 

5) I picked up a worker from a trail of what I thought were Crematogaster. They were not. Guess how I figured out what fire ant stings feel like?

Fire ants up in Chicago? You sure about that lol

 

I was in North Carolina visiting family

[Ferox_Formicae]

I once thought a Crematogaster lineolata worker was a Solenopsis invicta queen. I was still very new to the hobby at that time. Before I got into the hobby, I thought that large Camponotus workers were Myrmecia. Everyone I knew called them Bulldog Ants, and told me their stings were really, really "painful" and "they're really aggressive." It wasn't until I found a whole bunch of Camponotus pennsylvanicus on a tree and started collecting them and I put them on iNaturalist that I realized they were pretty much harmless. But then I went to Hilton Head Island a few weeks ago and caught Camponotus floridanus for the first time. Those are aggressive! I also once falsely identified Pachycondyla harpax as Camponotus pennsylvanicus. I got a really bad sting that day. I also identified Cyphomyrmex rimosus as Cephalotes texanus for a few minutes.

[ponerinecat]

I thought solenopsis molesta were temnothorax just because they were small. I also used to think any large ant was a queen, so i collected tons of formica and camponotus workers. My friend thought monomorium were sugar ants, and I assumed all small ants were polygyne.

[Jadeninja9]

Before I had ever caught a single queen I misidentified a Jerusalem cricket as a Lasius Queen LOL