5 replies to this topic

[ColKurtz]

Fantastic day for collection in this area today.  Specimens found in AM and evening.  Found 5 different species.  Need help with 3 as follows.

 

Applies to all 3:

 

1 & 3.  On side walk or adjacent to sidewalk on dirt.  In a schoolyard with grassy areas and nearby wooded areas.  lots of pavement also.   Bergen County NJ (northern NJ)

 

2.  8/19/2017

 

Queen #1

 

4.  8.5mm

5.  shiny black

6-9:  Found on size walk approx 7 pm.  Found only this one.

 

 

Queen #2

 

4. 6.5 mm

5.  Black or really dark brown.  

6-9.  Found only this one.  "stripe-like" appearance on gaster.  time of collection about 6:45pm

 

 

Queen type 3

 

4.  8.5 mm

5.  Brown

6-9.  Found large numbers of these (10), that I didn't collect them all.  Found 2 in mid morning 10:00 am and many more in evening 6:30-7:30 pm.  Several found  digging out chambers, others were searching for a place to dig.  If they had found a good place I left them alone.   Appears to me to look like some sort of Lasius.  

 

 

 

Thanks in advance, as always, for your help.  My pictures of Queen 1 are not the greatest.  I can always add more if needed.    

 

Also FYI found today were Lasius murphyi and S. molesta

 

Post edited for clarity of the pictures.  

Edited by ColKurtz, August 22 2017 - 4:28 AM.

[ColKurtz]

My guess for queen group 3 is L. Neoniger. I mean it really looks like one to me, but I thought it might be a little bit on the big size.

[ColKurtz]

Anyone have an guesses on Queens  1 or 2?  I am not sure where to start with them.  Queen 1 looks a little like a Tetramorium sp E queen to me but it is way late for that.  I thought perhaps 1 or 2 might be in the Crematogaster genus

[Volant]

My guesses are, Queen 1: Crematogaster cf. cerasi queen. Queen 2: Aphaenogaster cf. picea and I agree with Lasius for queen 3, maybe it's Lasius cf. alienus.

[ColKurtz]

My guesses are, Queen 1: Crematogaster cf. cerasi queen. Queen 2: Aphaenogaster cf. picea and I agree with Lasius for queen 3, maybe it's Lasius cf. alienus.

Thanks! I originally compared queen 2 to my Aphaenogaster queen, but for some reason I didn't see it. Looking agin now it seems like they are very similar. I feel stupid on that one. The lasius are so hard to tell apart, I guessed neoniger due to the relatively large amount of L murphyi I found in that area over the course of the summer.

[Batspiderfish]

All of these ants are too hard to tell apart from basic photographs, honestly. At least the genera are correct: Crematogaster sp., Aphaenogaster sp., and Lasius sp.