7 replies to this topic

[NicholasP]

I come again with another ant species after my long trek in the swampy lands inhabited by the most ferocious of toads, the most peeping of spring peepers capable of deafening you, and the ghastly Camponotus nearcticus getting ever so near!

 

Last night when I went searching for some centipedes in the rotten decayed wood my shovel that I use to pry open bark pried open a chamber of an ant species I have never seen before. "I wonder what this is" I said to myself after I put away my shovel. "It's fairly big and a little leggy... Seems to be of a length of exactly 4mm." I thought to myself after measuring and then I decided to see if I could remember where I saw something similar looking in the past. "Hmm... the only place I seem to remember seeing these workers and queen was when I was browsing around at Canada-Ants Ant store... Could it be Leptothorax canadensis? But the workers have this strange caramel like color at their thorax... I must send pictures to my friends for help!" and so I did. And the answer that came back shattered me... And I quote exactly what was said between me and my friends...

 

Friend 1: Why does that almost look like tetramorium  
Me: I don't know. I thought the same thing at first too.
Friend 2: Myrmica
Me:  Are you sure...?

Friend 2: Yes.

 

And that was the story... A very sad one really... And then I asked them what species of myrmica it was and guess what was said. "I have no idea and probably neither does anyone else because IDing Myrmica is a mess. None of the keys make sense, every species is variable, and the genus is a taxonomic mess as is. And so that's why I'm leaving this journal as "NicholasP's Firmica Myrmica sp." And for those wondering I just put Firmica in the title to rhyme with Myrmica and because they're staying firm despite having lost 1 of their 2 queens.

Ok. With that over I'll stop goofing around and post the pictures.

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Edited by NicholasP, April 29 2022 - 7:26 AM.

[Polyacanthus]

Cool. "Ghastly" camponotus nearcticus? 😃

[NicholasP]

Sorry I haven't been posting lately about this colony guys. I've been sick and I've been having infuriating problems with the weather here and with the fact that my wood pieces are having a process known to the lumber industry as checks and splits going on with them. So, I've had several ruined wood pieces and I've been unable to complete any nests. SO, I'm going to see if making some small grooves on the bottom of the wood nest known as "relief grooves" will stop any splitting in the wood and if it works, I will have a nest ready for them. But for now, I will raise them in a test tube and hopefully get them to 15 workers before moving them in because they have 6 workers and maybe 20-25 larvae. I'll post pictures of them later today.

[NicholasP]

The Firmica Myrmica gang keeps growing! I found 2 more colonies which means captive breeding will be very much a possibility if they get alates this summer!

[ZTYguy]

I’m excited to see if this will be a fruitful project. Hopes that the colonies do well.

[NicholasP]

Thanks! I will be documenting how I raise the aswell since today I saw that it seems like some workers died out out of nowhere and everyone was sluggish until I heated the tube up with my hand despite it being around 67-69 in my room and the "dead workers" were coming back to life out of the curled up state.. Oh, they also like to play dead when scared sometimes.

Edited by NicholasP, May 8 2022 - 9:41 AM.

[NicholasP]

Firmica Myrmica gang is gone.   I will try and retrieve another colony this spring. Now I know for sure what they need. Cause of death of the the colony was mold.

[antsriondel]

Firmica Myrmica gang is gone.   I will try and retrieve another colony this spring. Now I know for sure what they need. Cause of death of the the colony was mold.

Sorry to hear that! Hopefully you will catch another one!