Hey folks! It has been a while since I've last posted here but I recently caught a queen ant I assume is likely a tetramorium immigrans. She looks quite similar to t immigrans I have cared for in the past but I just wanted some second opinions just in case. I know the images provided are not quite adequate but its the best I can do due to the opaqueness of the container she's in. It was a bit last minute and I did not have any clear test tubes available to use (I'm learning that using glass tubes is a horrible idea cause they often break, and all the ones i had have shattered over the years in storage or in my car ect. Always buy plastic tubes!)
-I found her (as well as a second queen I did not have an extra water bottle to collect) on a sidewalk in a large apartment complex area just outside of Spokane WA. Both already had wings removed so I am relatively confident both have already mated (though again, I only collected one)
-Found her on July 7th 2024 in the afternoon, around 7pm. It was still light out at the time. It has been quite hot lately, in the 80s to even over 100 fahrenheit.
-Though most of Spokane is wooded, the area where I found them doesn't have a lot of vegetation, and is pretty suburban.
-As for how big she is, I am not able to get a good measurement, but I have a picture of the tube next to a standard card for some basic idea, though I'm not confident how useful that might be.
-She is a very dark red, bordering on black mostly. The hue of the green tube maybe dilutes it, but her legs are a lighter red than most of the rest of her body.
-A friend of mine (Nathant2131 who used to be active on this forum actually https://www.formicul...87-nathant2131/) suggested it may be "some sort of myrmicinae base on the presence of a postpetiole". Besides that I do not have the vocabulary to describe anything about her which isn't visible in the images.
-I wasn't present to see the nuptial flight unfortunately, but I can only assume it occurred earlier in the day.
Thankyou for your time folks, I'm curious if anyone thinks she might be something different than t immigrans. In another week or so I am going to try and transfer her to a bigger and clear tube, so I can try and update this post with clearer images if needed! (also if anyone has any tips on safe ways to transfer her, lmk! I planned on taping the entrances, covering the new tube and exposing the old tube to light to hopefully motivate her to move.) Anyways, thankyou again, have a good one!
Attached Images
Edited by ArcaneAnt, July 15 2024 - 1:12 PM.
