107 replies to this topic

[Aaron567]

I've planned on starting a Colobopsis impressa journal if I ever were to get a queen to have larvae. One month ago, Colobopsis impressa flights started happening (and they fly a LOT), so I collected eight queens on the first night. Three of these queens shed their wings, with one queen having just one wing left, so I figured they must be fertile. I released the winged queens. I kept these three queens for a long time in 18mm diameter test tubes. Colobopsis impressa apparently thrive a lot easier in very small tubes (5mm diameter for example) since they nest in hollow twigs in the wild. I didn't have that size tubes for them, so I just put them in 18mm ones just like my other ants.

 

If you haven't heard of Colobopsis, they are a genus closely related to Camponotus and actually used to be classified as a subgenus of Camponotus. Colobopsis queens and majors use their flat face to close off their nest entrace, similar to how Turtle Ants (Cephalotes) do.

 

 

I did not check on these queens often. After around 3 weeks of them doing nothing, I started to think that they would never lay eggs.

 

A few days ago, on June 15, I checked on these queens to see that one of them (the queen with one wing) had laid four very elongated eggs.

 

June 15, 2017

The 4th egg in this picture is underneath the queen.

 

 

 

When I checked on her yesterday, I found that she now has one larva! 

 

June 18, 2017

 

Edited by Aaron567, April 16 2021 - 3:10 PM.

[Nathant2131]

Those are really long eggs!!

[Aaron567]

Those are really long eggs!!

 

Yeah, I knew Colobopsis impressa laid elongated eggs, but I did not expect for them to be elongated to this extent. They look like noodles!

[Leo]

coooooooool  all mine died

[Aaron567]

June 30, 2017

 

There are two larvae now. The first one has grown a lot, and I don't think it has much time left until it pupates.

 

Edited by Aaron567, June 1 2018 - 7:14 AM.

[BMM]

Just caught one these last night. Honestly I think the majors are ugly as sin, but it's still really cool to see such a specialized trait. Any idea how long it takes the majors to arrive? 

[Aaron567]

Just caught one these last night. Honestly I think the majors are ugly as sin, but it's still really cool to see such a specialized trait. Any idea how long it takes the majors to arrive? 

 

I honestly have no idea. Very few people keep this species so I don't think much is known about keeping them. But hopefully my queen can start a colony so I'll know xD

[xTNxANTMANx]

It's nice to know these take so long to produce eggs. I called a few of these around 2 or 3 weeks ago and they've yet to do much of anything. I've seen so many of these around my backlight setup it's crazy. I don't even bother with them because there's so many. I hope to see eggs soon

[AntswerMe]

Yeah these are cool ants Aaron. I have had many myself but was never successful in rearing them. However I did manage to catch one about a week ago so only time will tell. Good luck to you.

Edited by AntswerMe, July 3 2017 - 9:49 PM.

[Aaron567]

July 13, 2017

 

Just checked today, and she has her first pupa! Very exciting.

 

 

 

She also has one large larva, one newly hatched larva, and one egg.

Edited by Aaron567, June 1 2018 - 7:16 AM.

[Jamie_Garrison]

I have collected one of these the other day... her wings are off now and she seems content with her housing arrangement... any advise I plan on keeping her unless I get a crazy high offer...I read your journal and will follow it now... Thanks in advance on the advise 

 

Jamie

 

 

 

EDIT:   I lied mine is a Colobopsis obliqua    but still i am interested in it

Edited by Jamie_Garrison, July 17 2017 - 5:06 AM.

[MrWeather]

Is it possible that those are alates?

[Aaron567]

I have collected one of these the other day... her wings are off now and she seems content with her housing arrangement... any advise I plan on keeping her unless I get a crazy high offer...I read your journal and will follow it now... Thanks in advance on the advise 

 

Jamie

 

 

 

EDIT:   I lied mine is a Colobopsis obliqua    but still i am interested in it

 

I have caught infertile Colobopsis obliqua before. I think they would be very similar in care with impressa, just a little smaller and less colorful.

Is it possible that those are alates?

 

The pupa?

Edited by Aaron567, July 17 2017 - 11:38 AM.

[MrWeather]

Is it possible that those are alates?

 
The pupa?[/quote]

Yes the pupa

[Aaron567]

July 29, 2017

 

This queen has just gotten her first worker! It is pretty inactive right now but when I feed them some sugar water and once they start getting more workers they will become more active.

 

 

There are one or two eggs, two larvae, and another pupa. These queens do not lay very many eggs.

 

 

July 30, 2017

 

Here's the worker today, after the exoskeleton has hardened a little. I can't wait for this colony to have more workers! It'll be a while, though.

 

Edited by Aaron567, June 1 2018 - 7:17 AM.

[Samuelp.1]

¿As the ants follow?

[VoidElecent]

Wow, this is so cool. From what I've heard, there aren't very many people skilled in the art of Colobopsis keeping. This is very impressive... or, I guess... "impressa"!

Edited by VoidElecent, August 1 2017 - 7:16 AM.

[Samuelp.1]

I do not know if it is too much to ask that you upload photos of the ants, is that I love that species and I would like to see yours.
I do not know if it is too much to ask that you upload photos of the ants, is that I love that species and I would like to see yours.

[Spamdy]

I do not know what you are trying to say, he has 11 pictures on one page, he has already uploaded photos, try scrolling up.

I do not know what you are trying to say, he has 11 pictures on one page, he has already uploaded photos, try scrolling up.

[BMM]

Sadly my queen hasn't laid any eggs after about a month, so I'm assuming she's infertile. I hope your colony continues to grow. This will be a really cool species to see develop. Something cool I read somewhere is that you can put a cork in the entrance of their formicarium, the majors will chew out a hole just the right size to block with their flat heads.