8 replies to this topic

[MegaMyrmex]

These are the only attini ants in my state, and I've been searching every where for them. How do you find them? Does anybody know how to? At this point, any suggestions are welcome!

[Martialis]

You don't have any Pheidole? Where do you live? They usually enjoy sandier soils, and I remember reading somewhere that they like loose clay in Indiana. I want them, too!

[AntswerMe]

I've always found mine the day or two after a rainstorm after they have undergone mating flights. You might see them digging out their founding Chambers in the ground. When they do fly they tend to fly in large masses and I see many of them at one time as they scurry around.

[cpman]

You don't have any Pheidole? Where do you live? They usually enjoy sandier soils, and I remember reading somewhere that they like loose clay in Indiana. I want them, too!

He's probably talking about fungus growers in particular.

With regards to the original question, I've seen Trachymyrmex in a pretty wide variety of places. The workers are somewhat inconspicuous. They seem to be more common in less developed areas (but I've seen them in the suburbs).

[MegaMyrmex]

 

You don't have any Pheidole? Where do you live? They usually enjoy sandier soils, and I remember reading somewhere that they like loose clay in Indiana. I want them, too!

He's probably talking about fungus growers in particular.

With regards to the original question, I've seen Trachymyrmex in a pretty wide variety of places. The workers are somewhat inconspicuous. They seem to be more common in less developed areas (but I've seen them in the suburbs).

 

 

Hmm, that's certainly interesting, I am searching like mad right now, i.e.-tearing through leaf litter, flipping over rocks, etc. And I am currently searching for Trachymyrmex septentrionalius. My apologies for the confusion, I probably should have clarified my situation better  

 

You don't have any Pheidole? Where do you live? They usually enjoy sandier soils, and I remember reading somewhere that they like loose clay in Indiana. I want them, too!

I do have Pheidole​ in my area, and I want them as well too. I can't describe my excitement when I saw some Pheidole minors and majors eating a dead caterpillar at the staircase base in front of my house   

[Martialis]

Just curious - where are you from? I think I remember you saying NJ, and if that's the case, MILTA knows a place where they can be found.

[MegaMyrmex]

MD, not NJ

[cpman]

I forgot to mention this at first, but they like deeper soils around here at least.

I'm not sure how applicable that is where you are, because we've got both deep and very shallow soils here (at my house, the soil is a handful of inches, but the other side of town has soil a few feet deep.)

[RhodyAnts]

Aquaexploder and I have been disussing this very issue since you mentioned it in the MA anting thread. Here's what I've got.

These are the key words I have so far: Sand, South, Coast, Dry, arid, Pine Barren, Cactus, red oak.

They like dry full sand soils.That makes me think of cactuses, which just so happend to be mentioned in one of my research sources. There is a prickly pair cactus native to new england. It also likes the sandy patches and is found along the south coast of MA, RI, and CT. I checked a soil temp map of the US for a reference temp for NJ and the Newport, little compton area are in the same isobar, as is parts of coasta CT nearer to NYC. Block Island is also a possibility, as i've seen long island listed as within their range.

Given the often patchy distribution, extreme habitat selectivity, small colony size and their dietary peculiarities, It is distinctly possible that this species may range the whole south coast of NE and the cape and islands, and have never been detected. Especially as if this is the edge of their range they'd be fairly uncommon. It's also possible they've been riding the climate change north.

This is my mission next spring! :-)