20 replies to this topic

[opezskiller]

Title:
1. Collected on top of a hill/mountain found foraging near Formica Moki
2. 5/10/17
 
Body:
1. Ant found in southern california near bush looking in and out of dirt (I can be more specific if needed)

2. Collected 5/9/17 cloudy at around 4:30
3. Sort of desert scrub I don't know how to further explain
4.Too hard to identify the length, but its not very big
5. Orangish red body with black stripes and a couple white spots
6. I don't own a microscope sadly
7. Flutters antennae on the ground when running
 

All of the pictures: http://imgur.com/a/0lkpy

[T.C.]

I'm not gonna, lie.... I have NO idea! It sure is beautiful though! Never seen a species like it?

[BMM]

It might be the angle of the pictures, but the antennae on this don't look like an ant's. The look rounded, not angled. Maybe some type of flightless wasp?

[SirAnticus]

Batspiderfish could help you out when he is on, but he needs a measurement to help you. I don't even know if that is an ant (notice how the antennae aren't elbowed) 

[Runner12]

Looks like a wingless wasp to me too

[T.C.]

It might be the angle of the pictures, but the antennae on this don't look like an ant's. The look rounded, not angled. Maybe some type of flightless wasp?

Oh didn't even notice the antannea! I suppose that's what happens when you try to ID something on your phone. And... yeah, I'm not sure what it is now.

[SirAnticus]

I'm thinking a Pseudomethoca sp. which would make it a velvet ant (wingless wasp), so watch your fingers.

[opezskiller]

I'm thinking a Pseudomethoca sp. which would make it a velvet ant (wingless wasp), so watch your fingers.

I don't think it is what you said because of the fact that the ant is glossy and not hairy. As far as antennae goes they were fluttering

[BMM]

I did a little bit of googling and it looks like this is probably a flightless wasp from the genus Myrmosula.

[SirAnticus]

BMM i think you got it more accurate than me, and Opez not all Pseudmethoca are hairy.

Edited by SirAnticus, May 10 2017 - 11:31 PM.

[Licespray]

There are flightless wasps??? That is so cool! Learn something new every day.

[Serafine]

Essentially all ants are flightless (social) wasps.

Also there are a lot more solitary wasp species than there are social wasp species.

 

There's also a few species of wingless flies on some islands.

Edited by Serafine, May 11 2017 - 1:46 AM.

[Spamdy]

I caught a velvet ant a week ago lol

[opezskiller]

I caught a velvet ant a week ago lol

Me too not knowing what it was lol

BMM i think you got it more accurate than me, and Opez not all Pseudmethoca are hairy.

*Kills Himself* hey at least I got a Formica moki queen

Edited by opezskiller, May 11 2017 - 6:33 AM.

[VoidElecent]

Myrmosula rutilans.

[XZero38]

so not an ant?

[Nathant2131]

I've found  2 velvet ants in my time of anting. I was inexperienced at the time, and the first one I saw as what I thought was a queen ant, so I put it into a test tube and everything.

 

It almost ended badly. 

[sgheaton]

It's lookin' like a red version of that green/black sweat bee I caught awhile back.

[T.C.]

so not an ant?

Just looked at it on my desktop for better viewing, it not an ant!

[Bracchymyrmex]

Myrmosula rutilans.

 I think this is actually Pseudomethoca bequaerti