27 replies to this topic

[Connectimyrmex]

CURRENT LIST OF ANTS IN THIS JOURNAL:
Ponera pennsylvanica colony: 1 queen, 1 female alate, and 4 workers

Stigmatomma pallipes colony 1: 2 queens, seven workers

Stigmatomma pallipes colony 2: 1 queen

Brachymyrmex depilis colony: 2 queens

 

 

 

Original post:

 

Hi!
I've decided to make a journal for one of my newest queens (my Ponera pennsylvanica queen). She laid an egg a few days ago, but she ate it last night. She seems to be getting ready to lay a new one.

 

I found her under a rock behind my house with several Formica workers, a woodlouse, and a centipede. Upon uncovering her claustral chamber, she exhibited some strange behavior that I had never seen before in a Ponerine species. First, she played dead, and then she started flopping around like a fish. I managed to snag her before she could make it to the nearby earthworm burrow.

 

She's currently living in a tiny airline tube with some sand in it (I normally put Ponerine species inside of a plastic tube with soil). She seems to like this setup.

 

Does anyone have any tips?

I'll try to update this as much as I can, and I'll try to get some photos.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, October 13 2017 - 5:07 PM.

[Connectimyrmex]

She ate two 1st instar C. chromaiodes larvae yesterday! She's starting to get pretty fat!

I took the soil out of the little tube, because it encouraged mold growth. The queen actually looks happier without the mold.

 

I've recently been hunting for Ponera brood (preferably eggs and larvae), because apparently founding Ponera is difficult. It seems easy enough so far, but I'm still going to brood boost just in case.

[MegaMyrmex]

Good catch!
Care sheet-
Care level- intermediate
Humidity- a bit higher than normal
Type- subterranean
Favorite foods- termites, diplurans, fruit flies(drosophila sp.)
Notes- these are poneeine ants! When the queen or reprpductive dies, a worker mates ans becomes a fertile worker, or gamergate.
Ponerine, I mean.

[Batspiderfish]

Ponera don't have gamergates. The worker's ability to take over full reproductive duties of the nest are reserved to very few species.

[Connectimyrmex]

I'm pretty sure that only the large ponerines have gamergates.

 

Update September 28th, 2017

 

This Ponera pennsylvanica queen has died..

HAH! JK

She's doing better than ever! She had two eggs, but she ate them. Two eggs at once is still a good improvement. 
I'm thinking of introducing myrmecophilic springtails into her tube. The springtails can clean her nest and the queen can snack on them occasionally.

By the way, what should I name this queen? I was thinking about naming her Maya, but that's already taken xD
How about Queen Coarctata, to incite some confusion? (I had a Solenopsis geminata queen that I named Queen Invicta, and I had a Pseudomyrmex gracilis queen that I named Queen Tetraponera)

[Evanthomas89]

Do you have any pictures of her? 

[Connectimyrmex]

Yes! I'll put pictures in the next update.

 

I think that I'm going to include my other favorite species in this journal: Brachymyrmex depilis.

I currently have two queens in a setup similar to that of the Ponera queen. They haven't laid any eggs yet, so I'm pretty sure that they'll lay after their winter hibernation.

 

Quick question about Ponera: Has anyone ever raised a mature Ponera pennsylvanica colony from scratch?

Edited by Connectimyrmex, September 28 2017 - 9:55 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

Here's a little semi-update (the Ponera queen and Brachymyrmex queens haven't done anything yet, so no update for them).

I found a small colony of Stigmatomma! There are two queens and four workers. The weird thing is that there are no larvae. I've been feeding them mashed up termites (they drink the fat and protein).

[Evanthomas89]

Here's a little semi-update (the Ponera queen and Brachymyrmex queens haven't done anything yet, so no update for them).

I found a small colony of Stigmatomma! There are two queens and four workers. The weird thing is that there are no larvae. I've been feeding them mashed up termites (they drink the fat and protein).

 

Oh neat! How did you find them? I'd love to see pics. 

[MegaMyrmex]

I think they do have gamergates...I saw a pile of eggs and some larvae for one of my queenless colonies and they werre caring for them...

[Connectimyrmex]

There's a high chance that there's a queen in your Ponera colony (the queens are the same size as the workers). You also might have a different ponerine. I may be wrong, though.

 

 

I found the Stigmatomma under a rock by the Farmington River. I tried to dig out as much as possible, but the only individuals that turned up with the workers and queens.

I've came up with several theories for why there are no larvae:
1. A group of foraging workers came across two founding queens and joined their colony (the queens are pulling the cotton, which is a sign of ant youth)

2. The colony budded

3. They ate all of their larvae

4. The queens are not fertile, and they were just out foraging with some workers

[Evanthomas89]

There's a high chance that there's a queen in your Ponera colony (the queens are the same size as the workers). You also might have a different ponerine. I may be wrong, though.

 

 

I found the Stigmatomma under a rock by the Farmington River. I tried to dig out as much as possible, but the only individuals that turned up with the workers and queens.

I've came up with several theories for why there are no larvae:
1. A group of foraging workers came across two founding queens and joined their colony (the queens are pulling the cotton, which is a sign of ant youth)

2. The colony budded

3. They ate all of their larvae

4. The queens are not fertile, and they were just out foraging with some workers

 

I guess there's only one way to find out! 

[Canadian anter]

My Stigmatomma loved mealworms and mine arent very good with brood either.

[Connectimyrmex]

I see. I'll try to feed them mealworms.

 

I've been giving them chopped up Geophilimorpha centipedes.

[MegaMyrmex]

[quote name="Connectimyrmex" post="73824" timestamp="1506780061"]There's a high chance that there's a queen in your Ponera colony (the queens are the same size as the workers). You also might have a different ponerine. I may be wrong, though.
 
 
I found the Stigmatomma under a rock by the Farmington River. I tried to dig out as much as possible, but the only individuals that turned up with the workers and queens.
I've came up with several theories for why there are no larvae:
1. A group of foraging workers came across two founding queens and joined their colony (the queens are pulling the cotton, which is a sign of ant youth)
2. The colony budded
3. They ate all of their larvae
4. The queens are not fertile, and they were just out foraging with some workers[/quote
I have observed each individual ant and inspected each and every individual with a microscope and a good light. Noje had wing scars and all had no eyes, as fenerally only queens have eyes.

[Connectimyrmex]

Okay, cool. I didn't know that Ponera workers could lay eggs! Maybe its a rare occurrence (I had a group of 17-21 workers that didn't lay anything).

You should try to introduce a wild foreign male to their colony. If you don't, your gamergates will stay infertile and produce a gaster-load of males.

[Connectimyrmex]

I haven't figured out how to upload my Macro photos to my computer. I will post them when I can.

Update Monday, October 2, 2017

 

My Ponera pennsylvanica queen ate six freshly hatched Camponotus larvae and she is looking quite fat. I'm hoping that she will lay soon!
 

Something interesting happened with the Brachymyrmex. I was pretty sure that they would lay eggs next year, but they actually did sometime this week! There might even be some tiny larvae!

The Stigmatomma pallipes colony is doing surprisingly well. The colony has been living off of chopped up centipedes and dead termites.

 

I'll post as soon as possible!

[Connectimyrmex]

No pics yet, sorry!

 

Update Monday, October 9, 2017

 

I caught a new colony of Ponera pennsylvanica, with one winged queen and four workers! I gave one of the workers to my single queen as a helper. They are all doing great!
 

For some reason, the Brachymyrmex queens ate all of their eggs except for one..

 

I caught two new Stigmatomma workers in my backyard. I added them to the main colony. The Stigmatomma colony has no eggs yet, but they've eaten several termites over the past week.

 

I'll post as soon as possible

[Connectimyrmex]

My Ponera queen is now living with all of the Ponera workers and the alate. They all got quite fat! Something I love about this colony is their foraging behavior (they all go out into the outworld as a family. Their hunting skill has never failed to surprise me).

 

Nothing new with the B. depilis

 

Lots of interesting news with the Stigmatomma! Here is the news:

The colony actually had three eggs yesterday! One of the queens ate them for some reason.

They ate their first live geophilid centipede today.

I actually found a young queen of this species under a rock! I have her in a separate setup.

[Connectimyrmex]

Here's my personal care sheet ratings for my ants:
 

Ponera pennsylvanica

Care level-Easy

Humidity-Standard test tube humidity
Type-Subterranean Ponerine
Preferred diet-Fungus gnats, cricket legs, and termites
Notes-These ants flop like fish when disturbed.

 

Stigmatomma pallipes

Care level-Moderate to hard

Humidity-Standard test tube humidity
Type-Subterranean Amblyoponine
Preferred diet-Termites and Geophilid centipedes

Notes-Elderly established queens will occasionally go hunting with the workers.

 

Brachymyrmex depilis

Care level-Beginner

Humidity-Standard test tube humidity
Type-Subterranean Formicine
Preferred diet-Termites and honey
Notes-These ants resemble tiny Lasius flavus/nearcticus queens!

Edited by Connectimyrmex, October 14 2017 - 6:22 AM.