5 replies to this topic

[Myrmidon]

I have been meaning to write this earlier but oh well, better late than never. Thanks for your help!

 

1. Location (on a map) of collection: Prospect Hill (park/trail/hilly area), Waltham, MA.

2. Date of collection: 7.5.17
3. Habitat of collection: In a forest, right off a hiking trail underneath dried leaves and next to a wall of rocks.
4. Length (from head to gaster): 5 – 6 mm.
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture:  Entirely red from head to petiole. The gaster is black.
6. Distinguishing characteristics: It has 1 spikey petiole. The thorax has about 2 bumps, with 1 more prominent (closest to the head).
7. Distinguishing behavior: Aggressive and fast. Also it seems to either have parasitized a colony of black Formica sp ants or enslaved them (hence both are in the tubes tending to pupae).
8. Nest description: I uncovered these ants with pupae under a pile of dried leaves on the forest floor off a hiking trail. I didn’t see a nest entrance and I think they were just warming/moving their brood or it could have been a satellite. Could have been a raid but I didn’t see ants attacking each other on collection.

 

[Nathant2131]

The black species is something in the fusca-group.

[noebl1]

With the mix of Formica, could it be one of the slave driving ones lik http://www.antwiki.o...ca_pallidefulva ?

 

They have crazy raiding parties that I see at home from time to time.

 

EDIT: I don't think that's the one I am looking for, hold on...

 

EDIT2:  n/m was thinking http://www.antwiki.o...yergus_lucidus which doesn't seem right.  

Edited by noebl1, July 7 2017 - 10:51 AM.

[Myrmidon]

With the mix of Formica, could it be one of the slave driving ones lik http://www.antwiki.o...ca_pallidefulva ?

 

They have crazy raiding parties that I see at home from time to time.

 

EDIT: I don't think that's the one I am looking for, hold on...

 

EDIT2:  n/m was thinking http://www.antwiki.o...yergus_lucidus which doesn't seem right.  

You went the same route I did. I also did an antwiki search and just got more confused. Though..... this seems kind of promising:

 

http://www.antwiki.o.../Formica_aserva

 

Formica aserva, perhaps? It seems to be the right location and it even has a pic with some with Formica fusca workers. But I'm no pro with this stuff so I'm not sure.

 

 

 

 

[noebl1]

 

With the mix of Formica, could it be one of the slave driving ones lik http://www.antwiki.o...ca_pallidefulva ?

 

They have crazy raiding parties that I see at home from time to time.

 

EDIT: I don't think that's the one I am looking for, hold on...

 

EDIT2:  n/m was thinking http://www.antwiki.o...yergus_lucidus which doesn't seem right.  

You went the same route I did. I also did an antwiki search and just got more confused. Though..... this seems kind of promising:

 

http://www.antwiki.o.../Formica_aserva

 

Formica aserva, perhaps? It seems to be the right location and it even has a pic with some with Formica fusca workers. But I'm no pro with this stuff so I'm not sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting; I have slave driving Formica here for sure as I see them going thru and raiding Formica colonies.  I need to look into F. aserva as that's a reasonable possibility.   I thought @salmon posted about some in a different thread, but couldn't find it.

[Batspiderfish]

Aserva means "no slaves", and while Formica aserva are a raiding species that will sometimes forego their namesake and raid other colonies, there are plenty of other sanguinea-group Formica which should be considered first.

Edited by Batspiderfish, July 7 2017 - 6:23 PM.