This species has had the fastest founding stage I've ever witnessed, with the nanitics arriving in slightly over a month. Other ant species I've kept here in Tasmania, Australia, usually take forever. For instance, my pheidole queens only got nanitics in December after being caught in march. NINE MONTHS!! So you can imagine how exciting Anonychomyrma has been for me.
These photos are actually a bit late, taken 3 days ago. There is way more brood than what the photos make there seem. The colony has 10 workers now and still quite more pupae, and I just fed them their first meal, a mosquito.
These guys are AGGRESSIVE! Even with the mosquito being dead, the queen joined the workers and lunged at it and bit it repeatedly. They are all so angry.
I am kind of nervous about the smell these ants produce. They release acid along with a really strong odour. Even walking past them in public, you can smell them if they feel disturbed.
All in all, I'm excited.
Sent from my SM-N986B using Tapatalk
