50 replies to this topic

[Leo]

5/10/17

 

Capture a 200 worker colony of leptogenys sp, large and very very very aggressive I was stung 20-15 times in the process of capture, felt like getting stabbed by needles, the marks are still on my arm  . they have a few eggs and attack anything that moves. their rear end is quite shiny while their front half resembles black sandpaper army-antish behavior, very interesting ants.

I have dubbed them leptogenys sp 1

 

9/10/17

 

new colony of leptogenys sp, a smaller and SLIGHTLY (emphasis on slightly) less aggressive, captured 97% of the colony quite alot of brood . gaster is shiny but the front is less rough than species 1. still sorting them out, once again army-antish behavior and very fast. This genus of ants seems to produce a sound similar to a rain stick when alarmed/panicked and can be heard 60-70 cm away. pics soon  .

 

 

pro tip: never ever never ever use a 20 second aspirator, I swallowed a worker+dirt, dirt tastes like really badly made coffee powder and sand mixed together 

Edited by Leo, April 22 2019 - 2:33 AM.

[Leo]

eeep! double posted 

[Mettcollsuss]

Leptogenys sound interesting to keep. Did you get the queen?

[Connectimyrmex]

Awesome! I love leptogenys!
I used to live in Hawaii, which had Leptogenys falcigera running around everywhere. I never caught any, but a friend of mine caught a small colony (it died pretty fast).

[Leo]

not sure, they HAVE laid some eggs so maybe they have a gamergate, also I figured that sp 1 could be Leptogenys kitteli.

 

Also, I once kept a small 1 queen leptogenys diminuta colony, forgot to feed them and died in a day  .

 

 

edit: Leptogenys falcigera look so cool!

Edited by Leo, October 9 2017 - 4:31 PM.

[MegaMyrmex]

Argh, always wanted any ponerine species...ps I believe Leptogenys are sort of army- ant like in behavior. Feed them centipedes, millipedes, and mealworms. Army- ant like in behavior, make sure you have many nests ready for them. They'll provide a good challenge for you!

[Leo]

yeah, they march in trails, I give them a superworm segments ever other day! sp2 took down a centipede in 20-25 seconds and dragged it off 

 

Argh, always wanted any ponerine species...ps I believe Leptogenys are sort of army- ant like in behavior. Feed them centipedes, millipedes, and mealworms. Army- ant like in behavior, make sure you have many nests ready for them. They'll provide a good challenge for you!

[Ants853]

Leo,

 

They like to move from nest location once in a while. If you can replicate the same conditions, I would advise attaching a new area every two or three weeks.

They tend to create a lot of garbage in every nest they stay in.

good luck with them!

[Leo]

Leo,

 

They like to move from nest location once in a while. If you can replicate the same conditions, I would advise attaching a new area every two or three weeks.

They tend to create a lot of garbage in every nest they stay in.

good luck with them!

Thanks man! I finally got sp 2 into a testube and found they had LOADS of eggs! sp1 only has 2 pupae and 1 egg.

[Connectimyrmex]

Argh, always wanted any ponerine species...ps I believe Leptogenys are sort of army- ant like in behavior. Feed them centipedes, millipedes, and mealworms. Army- ant like in behavior, make sure you have many nests ready for them. They'll provide a good challenge for you!

When I lived in Hawaii I thought that Leptogenys species were army ants... I'd see large trails of Leptogenys falcigera pouring through shrubbery and massacring isopods. 
I once saw a trail of Leptogenys falcigera with a queen in the middle, but I was too afraid to snag the colony (their stingers are veeeerrryyy large)

 

Here's how I would keep them:

I'd prepare a (very) large bin and fill it with coconut fiber/reptile sand/shredded leaf litter. Then I would place several test tubes in the bin, each one being maybe a foot away from the other (cover the tubes with rocks/leaves). Since Leptogenys species are pretty terrible climbers, I would not worry about escapees, but I would make a lid just in case. 
You should attach the bin to another smaller bin/container. The connection point between the two should be small enough to be plugged with cotton. Every so often, place the prey animals inside of the smaller bin and unplug the container. This way, you can make the ants think that they are making a raiding trail. You can also place prey animals directly in the main bin if it is large enough.

 

I'll draw a picture of what I mean when I get home.

[MegaMyrmex]

Yeah these guys are nomadic, if you don't want them to move around nests too much try doing as little as possible to disturb them. Also...
Pictures?

[Connectimyrmex]

From me? I'm trying to draw a good example. I'll finish it after i finish my homework.

[Leo]

PICTURES !!!!! 

 

sp1

 

sp2

 

extras!

 

[Connectimyrmex]

I can't access it

[Leo]

as in the pictures?

[Connectimyrmex]

Yeah, sorry if I wasn't clear. Can you post on imgur?

 

EDIT: Wait! My computer was just acting up! Awesome pics!

Edited by Connectimyrmex, October 10 2017 - 7:18 PM.

[Leo]

THANKS!

[Connectimyrmex]

The mantis is adorable

[Leo]

its a creobroter gemmata, quite uncommon around here. Probably a male.

[MegaMyrmex]

Yeah, the mantis is a male C. Gemmarus, vut sunce there's a bunch of different specues in the crobroter genus and yhey all look alike, it cpuld be elongatus, puctipennis, etc...
I am so jealous of your colony btw...I have always wanted army ants(species like labidus and neivamyrmex).