9 replies to this topic

[michiganantsinmyyard]

Pretty sure this is fusca group, but I would rather have people more experienced than me come to a conclusion.

 

I know its probably quite hard to nail a species down, but I'm guessing this is subsericea.

 

Approximately 10mm.

 

 

[Stubyvast]

Wow she looks aggressive in that first photo! And pretty fat with food! Formica subsericea is my guess.

[Artisan_Ants]

It could also be F. neogagates but I don't see any silver band on the gaster from these pics indicating F. subsericea. Although it still could be F. subsericea.

[michiganantsinmyyard]

It could also be F. neogagates but I don't see any silver band on the gaster from these pics indicating F. subsericea. Although it still could be F. subsericea.

If it’s any help in direct sunlight the gaster is highly silver in color.

[Artisan_Ants]

It could also be F. neogagates but I don't see any silver band on the gaster from these pics indicating F. subsericea. Although it still could be F. subsericea.

If it’s any help in direct sunlight the gaster is highly silver in color.

Then yeah that's definitely F. subsericea (as from what I know, F. neogagates is a completely solid color with no silver effect to the gaster. The setae on their gaster comparatively is the same exact as F. subsericea at least to the naked eye).

[michiganantsinmyyard]

It could also be F. neogagates but I don't see any silver band on the gaster from these pics indicating F. subsericea. Although it still could be F. subsericea.

If it’s any help in direct sunlight the gaster is highly silver in color.

Then yeah that's definitely F. subsericea (as from what I know, F. neogagates is a completely solid color with no silver effect to the gaster. The setae on their gaster comparatively is the same exact as F. subsericea at least
to the naked eye).

I did find the queen in a field woodland border, with a marsh nearby. I don’t know if that’s any indication of species however.

[Artisan_Ants]

F. subsericea can be found practically anywhere with a field or just some vegetation here and there. They would definitely be found near a woodland edge near a field as it provides great resources for a colony of this species.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

It is definitely f. subsercia considering that you are in the states and the abdomen is shiny. F. fusca is the one in Europe

Also I am currently keeping them and they outgrew my L. niger colony with larva that is 2 stages ahead of theirs in roughly 2 weeks

[Mettcollsuss]

Formica fusca group, almost certainly subsericea, however there are some rarer species that cannot be definitively ruled out. We would need to see the relative density of the pubescence on the third and fourth tergites and/or the presence or absence of large punctures on the malar area in order to distinguish it from F. argentea, and the relative density of the gaster pubescence and pilosity to separate from species like subaenescens, podzolica, or glacialis.

[michiganantsinmyyard]

Formica fusca group, almost certainly subsericea, however there are some rarer species that cannot be definitively ruled out. We would need to see the relative density of the pubescence on the third and fourth tergites and/or the presence or absence of large punctures on the malar area in order to distinguish it from F. argentea, and the relative density of the gaster pubescence and pilosity to separate from species like subaenescens, podzolica, or glacialis.

Even though it doesn't matter, I probably will take pictures of those regions you listed and post it here. If you do reread this thread and find the pictures then it would be cool to know exact species if the pictures are adequate.