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[ReignofRage]

ReignofRage's Rare & Oddball Species Journal

Here you will find oddball and rare species that I keep. I will add species as I find them.

 

Current Species
Pheidole clydei (first ever captive colony, 2nd to 4th queen collected in entomology)
Pheidole psammophila (first captive colonies)
Pogonomyrmex tenuispinus
 
Past Species
Aphaenogaster megommata (microgyne/sp. complex)
Dorymyrmex sp. (undescribed)
Solenopsis molesta-group sp.
Temnothorax sp.
 
 
 


 
Pheidole clydei. I found this queen while doing a three-day long survey of the species. I happened to arrive to the location the day following a flight and was lucky to find that this queen was still out wondering around. Out of the multiple rock piles that I surveyed, this was the only queen I found. The difficulty finding queens comes from the species nesting within the cracks in massive rocks. I suspect that the resident Pheidole vistana had evicted her from her chamber or stressed her enough for her to move. Currently she has a neat little pile of eggs and is being reared in a standard test tube setup. The queen is very compressed dorsally; her gaster is notably compressed and so is her mesosoma. Her head also is relatively thin and very wide with a distinct triangular shape. The most distinct morphological feature of this species is the presence of four antennal club segments. It will be interesting to see how large colonies get and what the minor/major ratio is. From surveying, I can only guess that 1k - 3k is probably the max size they get and that they have a very low ratio of majors to minors.
 
 


 
Temnothorax sp. This queen was found roaming on the ground in a chaparral area. She is around 5 - 5.5mm in length. It's a bit difficult to have strong conviction on a species identification due to the species' gyne caste being unknown - this appears to be the first time a caste other than workers has been collected. However, in comparison to the other likely options, T. myrmiciformis is the best fit. Currently she has a single egg that is larger than I expected, but her gaster is fairly large, so it somewhat makes sense. T. myrmiciformis is the largest Western Temnothorax, so that could explain it a bit as well. Practically nothing is known about the biology of this species, so having one in captivity will be a nice learning experience. She is being reared in a standard test tube setup as well. It was difficult getting any focused pictures, since she was very spastic and didn't want to hold still. 

Edited by ReignofRage, September 1 2024 - 9:56 PM.

[ReignofRage]

Update 30.vi.2023

 

 

 

 

Pheidole clydei. Surprisingly, these are one of the fastest growing species I have ever kept. In around a week, nearly all eggs are larvae and some of the larvae are decently sized. The first two pictures show how compressed the gaster is of the gyne, which is a trait that is carried over in majors. Hopefully, the growth trend continues through the life of this colony.

 

 

 

Temnothorax sp. So far, there is only three eggs laid, which have stayed in a neat little pile. The eggs are somewhat rounded and bulbous, which is not something I have seen before in any genus or species I've kept from California. The eggs have continued to be pretty large than what I expected, so it will be interesting to see how large the nanitics are.

Edited by ReignofRage, August 12 2023 - 9:58 PM.

[ReignofRage]

Update 10.vii.2023

 

 

 

Pheidole clydei. Within 20 days of laying her first eggs, the first workers have started to eclose. This first generation is a decent size and with how fast it has developed, it couldn't be any better. The three nanitics are around 50% to 70% of mature-sized minors. The only thing to wait for is medians and majors.

 

 

Temnothorax sp. Unfortunately the queen has not laid more eggs after eating two of the original three. Whether it be from stress or a different factor, the remaining egg is now a healthy larva. The larva is quite large, being around more than half of the length of the queen. It is possible that the larva is a male, however one can only hope it isn't. If it is a male, I will try to get her to lay again and if that is not successful, I will kill her to describe the gyne caste of this species.

Edited by ReignofRage, August 12 2023 - 9:58 PM.

[ReignofRage]

Update 24.vii.2023

 

 

 

Pheidole clydei. This colony has continued to grow, as seen by the brood pile being around twice he size as the previous update. The workers have collected a few grass seeds, although I do not think they are able to process them just yet. The workers have been collecting and processing small insects such as the lacewing in the photos. Protein pellets crushed to a near-powder has also been collected and fed to the larvae, which is why some have red in them. Hopefully a major or median comes in the third generation to start processing seeds.

 

 

Temnothorax sp. Nothing much has happened, besides the egg turning into a larva and the former larva now being a pupa. I did see what appears to be a new egg, so at least the queen has continued to produce, however at an odd pace. When the worker ecloses, I will be able to confirm if this is indeed T. myrmiciformis or not.

Edited by ReignofRage, August 12 2023 - 9:58 PM.

[ReignofRage]

Update 12.viii.2023

 

 

 

Pheidole clydei. This colony has continued to steadily grow. Every 20 to 21 days, the next generation starts to eclose and the next batch of eggs is promptly laid. This has been, by far, one of the most active species I have kept with many workers constantly foraging in the outworld area. This colony also has an amazing feeding response and swiftly will drag any supplied insects to the larvae just like in the wild. I have yet to see a median or major pupa yet, so maybe the next generation will have one.

 

 

Temnothorax sp. Unfortunately, it is not T. myrmiciformis. However, it does not appear to match any of the known species in the area or of California. The workers doesn't share the same vestiture or integument as the gyne, which is what I had based my initial guess on. The worker appears to be closest to the T. arboreus specimens taken in San Diego. On the contrary, they differ greatly in spine length, shape of mesosomal dorsum, and overall size. I'm tempted to euthanize the worker and compare it to the material at the LACM, but at this stage in the colony, it would do more harm than good. Aside from unfortunate taxonomy happenings, the brood continues to take a very long time to develop and the gyne has stuck to producing a single worker at a time. Hopefully the brood production will increase after this larva eventually makes it to being eclosed.

[100lols]

I really enjoy reading all of your observations and research notes. Very excited to follow your work!

[ReignofRage]

Update 10.ix.2023

 

 

 

Pheidole clydei. This colony has continued to steadily grow and, as seen in the photos, recently eclosed a major. The major is closer to what a median is and is nowhere near being full-sized. Though, now they should start producing majors that will hopefully start processing seeds. This species is definitely more protein-based, just like they are in the wild. I've started working on a formicarium for the colony for when they out grow one or two test tubes.

 

 

Temnothorax sp. Unfortunately, this colony has not grown. Attempts to feed proteins or sugars are met with eating the brood. The queen still produces one brood at a time, which is fairly annoying when it keeps getting eaten. I've thought about dropping the queen and worker into ethanol and point-mounting them for morphological reference. However, I will continue trying until they either die or never grow. Currently, there is a single egg or early instar larva. 

 

 

Solenopsis molesta-group sp. This is a new addition to the journal. I collected the queen while it was roaming after a rain storm in the desert. I was hoping she would've been one of the undescribed and seldom collected S. pygmaea-group species from California, however it is an S. molesta-group species. The latter species group has quite messy taxonomy, so I'm not too keen on making a species identification until workers arrive.

[100lols]

What will the formicarium for the Pheidole clydei be like? Do you plan on creating something with a seed store area?

Thank you for the update!

[Jonathan5608]

Update

[ReignofRage]

Update 6.x.2023

 

 

 

Pogonomyrmex tenuispinus. I figured I should add this species to this journal as not many people have kept them before. My colonies are behind due to an unfortunate happening with a buggy thermostat.

 

 

Pheidole clydei. This colony has continued to steadily grow. There is now five majors, and each new one that ecloses is larger than the last. The brood pile has finally gotten to the point where it doesn't shrink when a large amount of workers eclose. Recently, one of the majors has became more explorative and will go to the entrance of the test tube - before, they would never leave the brood. It has became difficult to image this colony because they have dirtied up their test tube near the brood.

 

 

Solenopsis molesta-group sp. I assume the queen has been eating and re-laying eggs due to no egg development. It might be ethanol time for this gyne.

 

 

Temnothorax sp. Well, not feeding them has been the key, which is fairly odd. There is now thwo larvae and the worker is still alive. Hopefully if these larvae make it to workers, I will be able to feed the colony without them eating the brood.

Edited by ReignofRage, October 6 2023 - 1:54 PM.

[ReignofRage]

Update 25 Nov. 2023

 

 

I have not had the time to fix the flash for my dslr, so there will not be pictures for this update.

 

Pheidole clydei. The colony has now surpassed 200 workers and is up to seven majors. Each major is larger than the last. The colonies brood pile has continued to increase in size without ever decreasing and the colony has been consuming a lot of sugars and insects lately. I've now started feeding insects every couple days from the previous twice a week. I, also, have started working on a formicarium for them, however I still need to actually make time to work on it more.

 

Pogonomyrmex tenuispinus. My colonies have been growing well, each colony has 9-15 larvae and pupae, each with an accompanying large egg pile. They have been very receptive to chopped up insects along with crushed protein pellets. The colonies are still relatively small and thus still pretty boring.

 

Solenopsis molesta-group sp. Unfortunately, I think this queen is unfertilized as she has done nothing, but eat and relay eggs. I have changed the temperature at which she is heated, feeding vs. not feeding, along with other things. I may toss her in ethanol and image her, though without related workers it isn't really helpful. For these reasons, I am removing this species from this journal.

 

Temnothorax sp. I have been contemplating tossing this colony into ethanol as well. Any time I check on the colony, even after spans of weeks, the queen eats most of the brood soon after I check on them. The single larva isn't growing and they are just taking up space at this point. They need to be fed, but if I feed them they eat all of the brood - it's a rather annoying conundrum. As with the Solenopsis, this colony, too, will be removed from this journal.

[100lols]

Nooo 50% of the number of species gone

Sorry for your losses. Sounds like it’ll free up some space for more though?

[dspdrew]

I found a single Temnothorax queen similar looking to yours once too out around Nipton (https://www.formicul...rnia-8-31-2018/), but unfortunately it died before it ever had any workers, so I'll never know for sure what it was. There doesn't appear to be much information on queens.

[ReignofRage]

I have a strong inkling that it's going to turn out to be T. arboreus as I recently got a good glipse at the worker and it looks somewhat akin to the San Diego Co. collections - example here. However, no gyne description exists and the queen doesn't particularly match the worker too well. I think the one you found near Nipton may be along the lines of T. neomexicanus. There's a great deal of records for them around the Mojave Preserve from J. des Lauries, who seems to be extremely reliable when it comes to identifications.

[ReignofRage]

Update 19 Dec. 2023

 

 

 

Dorymyrmex sp.1. I figured that I was going to keep these long-term, so may as well add them to this journal. These are an undescribed Dorymyrmex with a peculiary foraging habit that I collected earlier in the year. These older pictures don't show it well, but they are tan to infuscated tan workers and have larger eyes. They forage nocturnally and quickly cease foraging when light is shined on them. 

 

 

 

Pheidole clydei. This colony has just continued to grow more and more. They have easily surpassed a few hundred workers and over a dozen majors, with half the colony always foraging. I haven't been working much on the formicarium, but that's due to me not looking forward to cutting some acrylic.

 

 

 

Pogonomyrmex tenuispinus. All of my colonies have been growing a little slow, but recently they have been been eating more proteins. Some of the colonies are pretty behind, but that is simply due to not being heated enough.

[gcsnelling]

I am going to be interested in how those Dorymyrmex develop.

[100lols]

Sometimes slower growth can be nice.

The Pheidole will be beautiful in the new setup, I'm sure. I have a Pheidole colony of similar size and they are starting to outgrow their single test tube, so I'm thinking about offering another one in the tubs and tubes setup. Keep it simple.

Edited by 100lols, December 19 2023 - 12:04 PM.

[ReignofRage]

I am going to be interested in how those Dorymyrmex develop.

 

I don't expect them to grow very large. This particular species is decently inconspicuous, usually with only around a dozen to two dozen foragers and almost never more than a single small entrance.

[BleepingBleepers]

Very interesting journal, love the different types of ants you have here and nice photos and details too!

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

And thanks for commenting on my journal as well and helping me with identifying the Median / Major, it was very helpful.

[ReignofRage]

Update 9 Feb. 2024

 

 

Dorymyrmex sp. 1. I decided to ethanol these colonies as the gynes are needed for a description of the species. They grew around as fast as any other Dorymyrmex species I have kept and had the standard Dorymyrmex behaviors in captivity. By the time of dumping the colonies into ethanol, they were each around 50 workers or so in size.

 

Pheidole clydei. This colony has continued to grow at a rapid rate, which make sense considering that the species was shown to be a part of the P. flavens-group. There is now a few dozen majors and around 600 minor workers. Their 10x20x13 cm foraging area is now overwhelmed with foragers at any given moment. Feeding this colony has only gotten more fun to watch. Soon after dropping in chopped up insects, they form a dense trail to the food source and majors come aid in breaking down the pieces. They also have been consuming mass amounts of sugars as well, with the colony going through around 5-7mL of sugar water every 1.5 weeks. I broke a piece of acrylic that was going to be apart of the formicarium I was working on for this colony, so i now have to 3D-print a piece, which has delayed the making of the formicarium.

 

Pogonomyrmex tenuispinus. I dwindled the number of colonies of this species to three. Each one has close to ten workers or so, which is due to my neglect. They burn through proteins nearly as fast as P. rugosus and I have not been the best at keeping up with their needs in that aspect. They have continued to grow despite this though and all colonies have a decent large brood pile.

 

As a side note, I do have other species that I could add to this journal. These species include Pheidole barbata, Pheidole psammophila, Veromessor pergandei, and Veromessor stoddardi. 

Edited by ReignofRage, February 9 2024 - 3:23 PM.