Hello all!
I have been relatively quiet the past few years. I have been busy busy busy with school. Other than working on a new species description; I have some fun colonies I take care of in my lab. My research adviser focuses primarily on Megalomyrmex social parasites of Attines, the monophyletic clade of fungus-growing ants. I am equally interested in parasitism, but of Diapriidae kionobionts that attack fungus-growing ant larvae. Though that's all kind of off topic but fairly relevant.
A bit about the colonies I look after. They are all from the Colon Province near Gamboa, Panama. My research adivser has gotten permits, and these ants are all in a USDA approved lab.
@Dspdrew had asked me to share.
All the colonies
An Apterostigma dentigrum queen we were trying to rear, but she failed to produce and her fungus kept getting infected. She died, and will be a helpful dry specimen to have in our collection.
Sericomyrmex amabilis workers foraging on rice, crown vech, oak catkins, red bud flowers, and caterpillar frass.
All that I really have available is some tiimelaps videos over on my instagram so please feel free to check those out.
I will be going in to the museum tomorrow to tend to the colonies and will try to get you all some photos/videos so you can see the overall set up.
-nepenthes
Edited by nepenthes, March 12 2017 - 5:31 PM.