Jump to content

  • Gallery
  • Members
  • Member Map
  • Chat
  •  
  •  

Welcome to Formiculture.com!

This is a website for anyone interested in Myrmecology and all aspects of finding, keeping, and studying ants. The site and forum are free to use. Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation points to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, post status updates, manage your profile and so much more. If you already have an account, login here - otherwise create an account for free today!

Photo

Larvae with brown dots

Started By ZohMyGod , Oct 26 2017 9:31 AM

  • Please log in to reply
12 replies to this topic

#1 Offline ZohMyGod - Posted October 26 2017 - 9:31 AM

ZohMyGod

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 16 posts
So recently all the brood was moved to the middle of the test tube.
I'm able to see a few larvae with brown spots in the middle. Is that normal?

#2 Offline T.C. - Posted October 26 2017 - 9:54 AM

T.C.

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 3,099 posts

Yes, I can observe what you are speaking of in most of my species.


sml_gallery_8437_2366_20715.png

 

  High Quality and Affordable Ant Keeping Gear

 

#3 Offline ultraex2 - Posted October 26 2017 - 9:58 AM

ultraex2

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 275 posts

Yep - I think it's just the food they're eating.  Since the larvae are translucent, you can see what the adult ants have been feeding them.  If you give them different colored food, it will change the color of that spot.


#4 Offline Serafine - Posted October 26 2017 - 11:14 PM

Serafine

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,812 posts
  • LocationGermany

The brown dot is mostly poo. Ant larvae only poop once in their life cycle just before they start to pupate (in larvae with cocoons it's visible as dot on one end of the cocoon) so the nest doesn't get filled with crap.


Edited by Serafine, October 26 2017 - 11:16 PM.

We should respect all forms of consciousness. The body is just a vessel, a mere hull.

Welcome to Lazy Tube - My Camponotus Journal

#5 Offline drtrmiller - Posted October 27 2017 - 2:03 AM

drtrmiller

    Vendor

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,714 posts
You haven't given us enough information to come to a definitive conclusion. If you can find a high quality photo on the internet that looks like what you're seeing, that may be helpful.


byFormica® is the manufacturer of the iconic nectar feeders and Sunburst Ant Nectar.
byFormica ant products always deliver consistent performance, convenience,
and reliability, making them among the most beloved ant foods and kit enjoyed by
ant keeping enthusiasts worldwide. For more information, visit www.byFormica.com.

#6 Offline Diesel - Posted October 27 2017 - 10:10 AM

Diesel

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 179 posts
  • LocationSouthern Maine

meconium...in other words poop and waste from the larvae. they only poop once to avoid the mess.


Ant Species kept

 

Temnothorax Longispinosus.-Journal(discontinued)-(formerly)

Camponotus Noveboracensis (formerly)

Camponotus Nearticus-formerly

Tetramorium sp.-formerly

​Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Queen & brood.-formerly

Tapinoma Sessile-Journal (3 queen colony)-formerly

​Tapinoma  Sessile #2 (2 queen colony)-formerly

Aphaenogaster Picea-Journal-active

Crematogaster sp.(Cerasi or Lineolata) Queen with 3 workers and brood-formerly

​Crematogaster sp. #2 (Cerasi or Lineolata) Queen with brood-formerly

Formica sp. polygenus-active 300+ workers-active

Formica Subsericea-active 25+ workers-active

Myrmica Rubra 400+ workers 3 queens-active

#7 Offline Connectimyrmex - Posted October 27 2017 - 11:51 AM

Connectimyrmex

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,864 posts
  • LocationAvon, Connecticut

Yep, it is poop. They shoot out the poop when they pupate.


Hawaiiant (Ben)

Keeper of
Miniature Labradoodle
Baby Wolf Spider
Mud Dauber wasp larvae
Ochetellus Glaber
Solenopsis Geminata
Brachymyrmex Obscurior
Cardiocondyla Emeryi
Tetramorium Bicarinatum
Plagiolepis Alluaudi
Anoplolepis Gracilipes
Technomyrmex Difficilis
Pheidole Megacephala
Aholehole fish
Cowrie snail
Sea Fan Worm
100+ sea squirts
Tree seedlings
Ghost Crab
Day Gecko
Small Fat Centipede
Endemic Lacewing larva
Vernal Pool shrimps

#8 Offline drtrmiller - Posted October 27 2017 - 3:51 PM

drtrmiller

    Vendor

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,714 posts

Yep, it is poop. They shoot out the poop when they pupate.


meconium...in other words poop and waste from the larvae. they only poop once to avoid the mess.


The brown dot is mostly poo. Ant larvae only poop once in their life cycle just before they start to pupate (in larvae with cocoons it's visible as dot on one end of the cocoon) so the nest doesn't get filled with crap.


The user hasn't provided any additional information, and we're still guessing like it's a game of charades.

Did anyone even read the question closely? Why would a meconium be in "the middle" of a larva? What species are we talking about? Has anyone seen a photo from the user showing precisely what is being described?

Edited by drtrmiller, October 27 2017 - 4:37 PM.



byFormica® is the manufacturer of the iconic nectar feeders and Sunburst Ant Nectar.
byFormica ant products always deliver consistent performance, convenience,
and reliability, making them among the most beloved ant foods and kit enjoyed by
ant keeping enthusiasts worldwide. For more information, visit www.byFormica.com.

#9 Offline dspdrew - Posted October 27 2017 - 4:50 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA
Why would a meconium be in "the middle" of a larva?

 

I was wondering the same thing.


My Ant Colonies | My Projects | Ants for Sale | Ant Keeping Products | Southern California Ant Map

#10 Offline Serafine - Posted October 27 2017 - 5:18 PM

Serafine

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,812 posts
  • LocationGermany

I guarantee you it looks like this (there's not much else it could be):

 

5ZniPod.jpg


We should respect all forms of consciousness. The body is just a vessel, a mere hull.

Welcome to Lazy Tube - My Camponotus Journal

#11 Offline nurbs - Posted October 27 2017 - 5:45 PM

nurbs

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,630 posts
  • LocationLos Angeles

"Larvae with brown spots in the middle" - the first thing that came to mind was the color of the food they were being fed (insects/proteins are usually brown).

 

I see it all the time in many different species. Do they look similar to the larvae in this youtube?

 


Instagram:
nurbsants
 
YouTube
 
California Ants for Sale

 

Unidentified Myrmecocystus

https://www.formicul...ls-near-desert/

 

Undescribed "Modoc"

https://www.formicul...mp-ca-5-4-2017/

 

Camponotus or Colobopsis yogi:

https://www.formicul...a-ca-1-28-2018/

 
Camponotus us-ca02
https://www.formicul...onotus-us-ca02/

 

Unidentified Formica

https://www.formicul...l-ca-6-27-2020/

 
Pencil Case and Test Tube Formicariums
https://www.formicul...m-and-outworld/
 
Bloodworm Soup
https://www.formicul...bloodworm-soup/

#12 Offline drtrmiller - Posted October 27 2017 - 5:51 PM

drtrmiller

    Vendor

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,714 posts

I guarantee you it looks like this (there's not much else it could be):

5ZniPod.jpg


The user didn't specify whether the brown spot was internal or external. A "meconium" is the waste expelled at the end of the larva stage. The internal pigmented matter in the above photo is simply considered undigested food in the larval midgut, the color of which is dependent on diet.  The dot is not considered "meconial" until it reaches the hindgut immediately prior to pupation, just as food we humans ingest is not considered stool until it reaches the colon, after first passing through the stomach and then small intestine.

 

The breakdown likely comes from the careless use of the term some have used in recent YouTube videos.  Here is some expert writing from Tschinkel's "The Fire Ants" that better explains how the term should be used in scientific writing:


Edited by drtrmiller, October 27 2017 - 6:31 PM.

  • nurbs likes this


byFormica® is the manufacturer of the iconic nectar feeders and Sunburst Ant Nectar.
byFormica ant products always deliver consistent performance, convenience,
and reliability, making them among the most beloved ant foods and kit enjoyed by
ant keeping enthusiasts worldwide. For more information, visit www.byFormica.com.

#13 Offline Connectimyrmex - Posted October 28 2017 - 5:45 AM

Connectimyrmex

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,864 posts
  • LocationAvon, Connecticut

Oh.


Hawaiiant (Ben)

Keeper of
Miniature Labradoodle
Baby Wolf Spider
Mud Dauber wasp larvae
Ochetellus Glaber
Solenopsis Geminata
Brachymyrmex Obscurior
Cardiocondyla Emeryi
Tetramorium Bicarinatum
Plagiolepis Alluaudi
Anoplolepis Gracilipes
Technomyrmex Difficilis
Pheidole Megacephala
Aholehole fish
Cowrie snail
Sea Fan Worm
100+ sea squirts
Tree seedlings
Ghost Crab
Day Gecko
Small Fat Centipede
Endemic Lacewing larva
Vernal Pool shrimps
Back to General Ant Keeping · Next Unread Topic →


1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users