19 replies to this topic

[ThePygmyMammoth]

1. Location (on a map) of collection: Palm Springs, CA
2. Date of collection: 12/28/17
3. Habitat of collection: Desert
4. Length (from head to gaster): 5/16 inch (7.9mm)
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: Orangish-brown with a brighter orange spot at the front of the gaster
6. Distinguishing characteristics: 

7. Distinguishing behavior:
8. Nest description: 

9. Nuptial flight time and date: 5:00pm 12/28/17
 

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[Images of nest]
 
[Images of habitat]

Edited by AJAants, January 4 2018 - 1:05 AM.

[Mettcollsuss]

That is Solenopsis sp., and they're fully claustral. 

 

She does seem to have a sizable dent in the gaster, not sure how that will affect her.

Edited by Mettcollsuss, January 3 2018 - 5:25 PM.

[ThePygmyMammoth]

I would very much like to know the species of this queen, but mostly I would like to know if she is claustral or semi-claustral so that I may care for her properly. I caught 5 of these, 4 of which were drowning in a pool, but I managed to scoop the out and dry them off and they all seem fine now.

Thank you!

[ThePygmyMammoth]

Yeah I noticed the dent, I think that this was likely due to the fact that she had fallen into a pool. It may have come from some sort of trauma within the pool, perhaps being thrashed by the water movement. It is also may have been from my attempts at removing her from the poll which was not easy since the water was full of movement. I also recall that one of the queens bit me as a removed them from the water which caused me to more hastily and unceremoniously attempt to put her into a container which may have caused the dent as well. I managed to catch five of these queens either in the pool or immediately around it and I noticed today that one had laid a few eggs. Hopefully at least one of them will successfully rear a colony.

[Mettcollsuss]

As long as they're fertile, they will almost certainly start a colony. I don't know of any fertile queen of this that hasn't made it through the founding period. However, seeing as those are fire ants, they will explode in population very fast, so make sure you're ready for that.

[ThePygmyMammoth]

I'll definitely make sure to be prepared for a rapid increase in population. I already have a couple possible setups for them and I can easily figure out more. While I'm a little intimidated by the prospect of keeping fire ants, seeing as I'm still a relatively new ant keeper, I'm excited for the challenge. Thanks for the info!

[Connectimyrmex]

All Solenopsis species are fully claustral. Looks like yours is S. invicta, because the markings are too dark to be a CA native Solenopsis species. 

[ThePygmyMammoth]

All Solenopsis species are fully claustral. Looks like yours is S. invicta, because the markings are too dark to be a CA native Solenopsis species. 

After doing a bit of research myself, I think you're right. I compared the images from AntWeb of several Californian solenopsis species and the only other remote possibility seems to be S. xyloni. But, as you said, my queen seems too darkly colored to be anything but S. invicta.

Edited by AJAants, January 4 2018 - 1:15 PM.

[ThePygmyMammoth]

By the way, how do I mark this request as answered?

[ThePygmyMammoth]

Nevermind, I figured it out.

[nurbs]

Interesting. Invicta in the super dry CA desert? I've only seen xyloni and molesta that surrounding area. Also peculiar is that you found her in December.

[StopSpazzing]

The instant I saw that coloring thought S. invicta, hate this species.

 

Yeah, they are listed to fly in January, guess Ill need to update a few things. Also could you add this to https://nff.antkeeping.wiki/records? would be greatful!

Edited by StopSpazzing, January 4 2018 - 4:30 PM.

[ThePygmyMammoth]

Sure, always happy to help! Yeah, I noticed that there were no flights for this species in December on dspdrew's chart.

[ThePygmyMammoth]

I'm trying to submit the flight to the nuptial flight records, but I'm not sure how to upload a photo. The "Choose File" button is faded out and can't be clicked. If you would like, I can simply provide a link to this page in the notes section in order to provide the photos. It also keeps showing the message "The Spam Protection field did not match the correct answer."

Edited by AJAants, January 4 2018 - 6:05 PM.

[StopSpazzing]

I'm trying to submit the flight to the nuptial flight records, but I'm not sure how to upload a photo. The "Choose File" button is faded out and can't be clicked. If you would like, I can simply provide a link to this page in the notes section in order to provide the photos. It also keeps showing the message "The Spam Protection field did not match the correct answer."

 I use drews chart to show what's flying. Ill have to check it tomorrow and ill update this post. Not sure why all of a sudden it isn't working.

[ThePygmyMammoth]

At this point would you say its pretty certain that these queens are S. invicta? or is there any chance that they are S. xyloni? On AntWeb, the photo of the invicta queen is similar in terms of the shade of reddish-brown, but the pattern on the xyloni queen's gaster seems more similar to this queen, especially since all of my queens share this bright orange spot on the gaster that the AntWeb example does not have.

[Connectimyrmex]

Solenopsis xyloni is bright red/orange, and Solenopsis invicta is maroon. You've got what you've got. Also, since S. invicta is a dominant invader, it makes sense that they would be flying in the middle of winter.

[Mettcollsuss]

Solenopsis xyloni is bright red/orange, and Solenopsis invicta is maroon. You've got what you've got. Also, since S. invicta is a dominant invader, it makes sense that they would be flying in the middle of winter.

yeah, invasive species tend to ignore the whole "one flight season a year" rule and tend to fly year-round.

[Batspiderfish]

Coloration is rarely a reliable factor in ant identification. I'd be much more comfortable looking at features on the workers, such as the clypeal teeth.

[ThePygmyMammoth]

Okay, just thought I'd ask, I'm still pretty new to the world of ants so I figured I would put it out there and see what you all had to say.