3 replies to this topic

[MyrmecologyMaven]

Today I was sitting down on an area of pavement stairs that lead up to a nature trail at around 2 o'clock. The nature trail had some wildlife like rattlesnakes, birds, Argentine ants, and most likely more insects I just didn't see. While I was sitting there I noticed a winged queen ant crawling on the ground. I had to beg one of my friends to give me his empty lunch container to collect the queen. When I got home today I got her into a test tube setup and put her into my founding queen area. Does anyone have any idea what she is? The only ant species I noticed on the trail were Argentine ants. I didn't see any other queens beside her. My guess is the nuptial flight happened in the morning and I miss most of the action.

 

A few photos of the queen I took.

[bmb1bee]

Looks like a Brachymyrmex patagonicus queen.

[MyrmecologyMaven]

Looks like a Brachymyrmex patagonicus queen.

Thank you! I had the idea of B. patagonicus in my mind because I came across a colony of them near this location a few years back. I wish I had arrived earlier to catch more than a single queen.

[ReignofRage]

Brachymyrmex patagonicus fly in the crepuscular period, particularly towards when it is dark or getting dark. Considering that her wings are stuck to her body, it's likely that the nest she came from got flooded and she simply fled and got lost. You can find these most days through the summer around lights at night.