9 replies to this topic

[Anthony]

[Zeiss]

Can you try to get a better picture of the head?  Ant not so fuzzy if possible

Edited by Zeiss, February 9 2014 - 2:33 PM.

[dspdrew]

To get a proper ID, you need to provide more info, like:

 

  Where you found it, what type of habitat it was found in, length in millimeters, what its nest looked like (if possible), color (be specific), distinguishing characteristics.

[Anthony]

[Anthony]

Getting her measured now is hard she has been an egg producing machine she never slowed down for the winter. The picture above is some of her workers. She was found wandering around a meadow in a mountain valley about 9 k feet above sea lvl
DR trager gave me a possible ID as Formica sp

Edited by Anthony, February 9 2014 - 3:00 PM.

[Zeiss]

I am kind of thinking Formica Fusca or Formica Argentea 

Forusca

Formica fusca

Formica fusca

[Anthony]

Ok trying more proper approach
location- Estes park Colorado end of July 2012
Habit- found in meadow surrounded by lodge pole pines around 7500 feet above sea level
length- queen about half an inch or if I am not reading it wrong 15 mms
coloration black with lighter stripes on gastor
ok used a microscope on a worker
the postpetiole is bigger looks like a peaked mountain
petiole is smaller looks like a rounded hill
hope that helps will get more info




and that's all I have for now .I only have a camera phone so good pictures are hard to come by

Edited by Anthony, February 9 2014 - 8:55 PM.

[Anthony]

Ok she is a Formica Podzolica

[Crystals]

I was wondering about Formica, but I have never seen a 15mm long formica queen before.

I have had several Formica podzolcia in the past, but they were 10-12mm.

 

Nice queen.  Their colonies grow pretty quickly after the first batch of workers.

[Anthony]

she's a mile high girl lol 7500 foot actually.she has been going all out with the egg laying. she is by far the biggest ant I have. Out of 3 Formica Podzolica I collected only she survived.