14 replies to this topic

[Technomyrmex]

Hello all,

With temps rising here in Connecticut I have noticed some ants starting to become active.

Excited to see how many species I can find locally! Will post my photos and observations here!

 

This week I found two species in front of my apartment building with nests along the sidewalk

 

Tetramorium immigrans

 

 

Lasius neoniger

 

Edited by Technomyrmex, April 12 2020 - 7:06 PM.

[Technomyrmex]

Here is a short video I made of the Lasius neoniger

 

Edited by Technomyrmex, March 28 2020 - 4:00 PM.

[Technomyrmex]

Hi again,

I have been out anting a bit and trying to identify everything I find. My goal is to do a survey of all the local ants in my area.

So far I have found 12 different species but some are proving to be quite difficult to ID without a microscope. Microscope arrives next week!

 

Aphaenogaster rudis

 

Tetramorium Immigrans

 

In the past couple weeks I have witnessed three different Tetramorium territory wars in locations around my apartment building..One was huge and contained hundreds of workers.

Here are two videos of the larger battle:

https://flic.kr/p/2iPL4se

https://flic.kr/p/2iPNyxP

(Sorry not sure how to embed this here?)

 

 

Formica pallidefulva

 

Formica subsericea

 

Lasius interjectus

 

 

 

 

Lasius aphidicola  (Queen)

I found this queen walking right past a nest entrance of Prenelopis imparis. From what I understand this species was formally L.umbratus here in the USA?

 

 

Lasius sp."?"

Not far from this queen i found this colony of Lasius under a piece of pavement. They were tending to Aphids. Still not sure on an ID for this

species but it could perhaps also be aphidicola or may be even pallitarsis?

 

 

 

Prenolepis imparis

April 7th Prenolepis imparis was flying here in Connecticut!

 

 

 

 

 

 

More soon!!

-Chris

Edited by Technomyrmex, April 12 2020 - 9:29 PM.

[RushmoreAnts]

Lasius sp."?"

Not far from this queen i found this colony of Lasius under a piece of pavement. They were tending to Aphids. Still not sure on an ID for this

species but it could perhaps also be aphidicola or may be even pallitarsis?

 

 

Lasius neoniger.

[NickAnter]

 

Lasius sp."?"

Not far from this queen i found this colony of Lasius under a piece of pavement. They were tending to Aphids. Still not sure on an ID for this

species but it could perhaps also be aphidicola or may be even pallitarsis?

 

 

Lasius neoniger.

 

You can't tell neoniger from pallitarsis with this image(though amazing). You have to look at the teeth on the mandibles, which is easiest with a microscope.

[ANTdrew]

Amazing photos! What do you use??

[Technomyrmex]

Amazing photos! What do you use??

Thanks ANTdrew! I use a Nikon D3300 and a Nikon 105mm F/2.8 macro lens with a Raynox DCR-250 attached at the end. Some of the photos were taken with a speedlight attached and some with just the cameras built in flash. I use a homemade diffuser to soften the light which is just some computer paper between a clear plastic sheet.

-Chris

Edited by Technomyrmex, April 13 2020 - 2:41 PM.

[m99]

About ten days ago I was down in CT in the tristate area and we caught a nuptial flight of what I'm pretty sure were Crematogaster sp. based on body shape, but not sure. I didn't get a good look at her butt for the tear drop shape, but the overall profile was right. The other weird thing was she was completely monotone, sort of a dark molasses honey orange—where all pics of Crematogaster queens seem to include the two-tone body.

 

But whatever it was, it was flying!

[ANTdrew]

Dark molasses orange queens flying in March up north were almost certainly Prenolepis imparis.

[m99]

No it definitely wasn't a preno. She was low and limousine-sleek like Crematogaster and tetramorium. No badonk or high carriage.

 

It was 40-60 degrees in the area at the time she wasn't even the only species out. Just the only queen I saw.

 

*edit* Actually I suppose that's a slim possibility based on a few pics of new and unfed preno queens, but I really don't think so. Their gaster is so distinctly rounded and lasius-like even when small, this lady's was not. It was longer and flatter, wish I'd snapped a pic at the time.

 

*edit edit* For reference based on the preno pics above, she was darker and redder, and a LOT more monotone. Those girls have the typical slight stripes with the exoskeleton on their abdomen, she didn't have anything like that, it was much more uniform. She was kinda uniformly jewel-like in the sun from head to tail.

Edited by m99, March 5 2022 - 11:33 AM.

[m99]

S. molesta is flying like crazy in southern CT, been seeing nearly half a dozen queens around 4-7pm every time I've been in the area for a pool day the last couple weeks. But C. pennsylvanicus activity has fallen off a cliff, seems like they're done with their primary season that far south.

 

Also caught what I'm 90% sure was a Temnothorax sp. lady a few days ago, but I suspected at the time that she was unmated (still winged and very listless) and it seems that's the case and she didn't make it. I'm guessing she was an early launch and they'll start properly mating soon though.

Edited by m99, June 22 2022 - 10:34 AM.

[futurebird]

I recently went to CT to visit my inlaws. I decided to go "anting" and see what ants I could find in the suburb. Here are two videos with narration about what I found. 

 

I'm a little worried about my identification of the species ... Criticism is welcome.

 

 

[m99]

Oh my god I've never seen a pseudo-scorpion before, that totally explains the bizarre thing I saw running along the patio last weekend hahaha. How cool.

[ANTdrew]

The small ants with the Tetramorium in the first video look like Nylanderia to me.

[futurebird]

Oh my god I've never seen a pseudo-scorpion before, that totally explains the bizarre thing I saw running along the patio last weekend hahaha. How cool.

 

They make nice pets apparently. There are some good videos from Clint's Reptiles about how to keep them. 

 

When I get around to making my multispecies vivarium I'd like to include a colony. The babies eat spring tails, the adults will eat small ants, and spiders! But they won't gobble a whole colony and steer clear of ant nests so they make a nice "natural predator" for smaller ants. 

They live all over the US, but are very cryptic. 

In South America there are pseudo-scorpions that live in colonies and hunt collectively. Amazing creatures.