8 replies to this topic

[Solenoqueen]

Found: San Diego(sorry no map I’m dumb)
Date: April 29, 2018

Found on top of a hill in Mira Mesa, in a rotting log, collected today(April 29th). Collected were two queens and a nanitic. I believe they are of Camponotus. Although I am not too familiar with ambient terms, I believe this was found in a chaparral. Measuring through a test tube is hard, but I managed to find that Queen 1 is about 13 millimeters long, Queen 2 is about 10 millimeters long(as though of same species, one is clearly a major and one is clearly a minor in terms of queens), nanitic being but a minor worker, 5 millimeters long. Heads are pitch black, with a red thorax and a dark brown abdomen, with yellow bands. The head of the first queen, it being the bigger one, is very wide and slightly angular, the other queen having a smaller but still noticeably angular head. The queens collaborate easily, they regularly rest together without problem, the nanitic running errands for both mistresses. No conflict is noted as of yet. The nest was a stick more than a log, a hollow, rotten one, which bore a lot of room for the colony. It was approximately 4 inches long, and half an inch wide. No flight, just founding chamber. Image posted afterwards.

[TennesseeAnts]

Sounds like Camponotus. Could you get a picture?

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 29 2018 - 8:06 PM.

[Solenoqueen]

Album: Polygynous Queens or something

6 images

0 comments

Sorry AntDude, they're right here!

[TennesseeAnts]

It looks like Camponotus from the subgenus myrmentoma. Sorry but, those are a minor worker and two majors.  Camponotus queens have a much larger gaster and thorax.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 29 2018 - 8:15 PM.

[Solenoqueen]

The photo quality is bad, so I can see why you dismissed them as workers. The photo quality isn't powerful enough to capture the wing muscles that are obviously present through naked eye. Sorry for the bad pictures, I will see if I can get some others that are a bit more clear. Now, if you told yourself there were two queens and a minor worker, even though the photograph can't quite capture that, what would the species be?

[Solenoqueen]

Added 3 new pictures, tried to photograph the wing muscles, but to possibly no avail.

[nurbs]

The photo quality is bad, so I can see why you dismissed them as workers. The photo quality isn't powerful enough to capture the wing muscles that are obviously present through naked eye. Sorry for the bad pictures, I will see if I can get some others that are a bit more clear. Now, if you told yourself there were two queens and a minor worker, even though the photograph can't quite capture that, what would the species be?

 

The ones in the album so far are workers. Don't see any queens. The larger ant is just a major.

[Solenoqueen]

I'm too oppurtunistic hehe. Well, I'll see to any progress, but in the meantime, please give an effort for identification anyways.

[TennesseeAnts]

Yeah, sorry. Just workers. But don't feel bad, as I and many others have mistook Camponotus majors for queens. As for the species, all I know is they are myrmentoma. Very small Camponotus.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 30 2018 - 7:45 PM.