7 replies to this topic

[proto]

I was wandering around a gravel area and beyond this area is fields of long tall yellow wheat grass.

 

SPECIES 1 QUEEN ANT #66

1. Location of Collection: Merritt, British Columbia (Coordinates: 50.087869, -120.746469)

2. Date of Collection: 2017-09-25

3. Habitat of Collection: gravel patch outside a visitor center (https://goo.gl/maps/Yw3CVXNuVtG2).

4. Length:  9mm

5. Coloration: mostly brown/reddish color.

6. Distinguishing characteristics: 12 antennae segments, petiole and post-petiole nodes present, lots of fine hairs on thorax

7. Distinguishing behavior: 

 

Q66 Photos

 

SPECIES 2 QUEEN ANT #73

1. Location of Collection: Merritt, British Columbia (Coordinates: 50.087869, -120.746469)

2. Date of Collection: 2017-09-25

3. Habitat of Collection: gravel patch outside a visitor center (https://goo.gl/maps/Yw3CVXNuVtG2).

4. Length:  7-8mm

5. Coloration: black with light brown extremities.

6. Distinguishing characteristics: 12 antennae segments, petiole and post-petiole nodes present, two points at the end of the thorax, lots of fine hairs

7. Distinguishing behavior: 

 

Q73 Photos

[VoidElecent]

Queen #66 looks like Manica, and Queen #73 is Myrmica.

[Nathant2131]

The second queen looks more like Myrmecina to me.

[VoidElecent]

The second queen looks more like Myrmecina to me.

 

Myrmecina would be around 3 or 4 millimeters.

[proto]

Queen #66 looks like Manica, and Queen #73 is Myrmica.

Thanks for the info on the Genus.  Would you happen to know what species they are or how I can help you determine the sp? (better close-ups of certain parts)

[VoidElecent]

 

Queen #66 looks like Manica, and Queen #73 is Myrmica.

Thanks for the info on the Genus.  Would you happen to know what species they are or how I can help you determine the sp? (better close-ups of certain parts)

 

 

If it's Manica, it would either be M. hunteri or M. invidia; you'd have to refer to someone else for a more accurate identification.

 

Myrmica, on the other hand, are notoriously difficult to ID and you'd need some pretty intense magnification.

[LC3]

Like stated above the first one is definitely Manica, and the second one Myrmica.

 

Only way to tell if it is M. invidia or M. hunteri is by looking at the petiole node, in M. hunteri there is a spike like thing that juts out pointing towards the main body underneath it.  The pictures are great but conveniently omit a side view of the petiole

 

For the Myrmica the size would lead me to believe it is M. incompleta, but I'm not sure if their range extends that far north or inland. Myrmica crassirugis and easily mistakened M. lobifrons and M. latifrons are what I would wager with. Other possibilities are Myrmica alaskensis and Myrmica nearctica, both which I believe are pretty small (Workers ~3.5mm). I don't know the exact size of any of the castes in the above mentioned Myrmica besides M. incompleta (Queens range from 5.5-7mm). If you can get a good shot of the face that might help. 

Edited by LC3, September 26 2017 - 11:12 PM.

[Batspiderfish]

We need to use specific morphological features other than size to identify Myrmica. You generally need a microscope to do it properly.