5 replies to this topic

[Penguin]

      Today I found a queen on the sidewalk

1. Location: sidewalk next to fenced in semi forested area

2. Date: 10/18/17 at 3:35 pm

3. Habitat: Sidewalk

4. Length: Will get measurements soon, sorry

5. Features: Dark brown from above view, below is orange as well as legs orange brownish

6. Distinguishing Features: Antennae segments smaller than most of my other queens with a small thickening a the end of the antennae

7. Distinctive other: Very easy to get to crawl on your hand.

8. Nuptial Flight Time: Unknown, still has wings on

9. Nest Desc.: Not seen

10: Sorry for the grainy pictures https://imgur.com/a/G5fYR

 

Thank you for any replies. 

 

Please specify whether she is semi or fully claustral, I need to know asap, thanks!

[Batspiderfish]

I think you need to back up until the ant is in focus.

[super_oil]

Likely a parasitic Lasius species. Maybe claviger.

[Mettcollsuss]

Definitely a parasitic queen. Most likely from the Lasius umbratus group. It could be claviger group, but umbratus group queens are usually brownish, like this one, and claviger group queens are more orangish. If you do attempt to raise her, maker sure you have the right host species. I caught some parasitic queens a few months back, and mis-ID'd the host worker. What I thought was L. niger turned out to be P. imparis, and the queens killed their host workers.

[Connectimyrmex]

Lasius claviger. I'm pretty sure about this, because Lasius claviger always seems to look like a stretched out version of L. umbratus.

[Penguin]

Since I heard claviger group lasius is really hard to get past founding stage should I release her, and I do not have any lasius colonies to brood boost or harvest callow workers from even if she was umbratus group.

 

Thanks for the replies though 

Edited by Penguin, October 19 2017 - 11:50 AM.