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CatsnAnts Collective Journal (HUGE picture update - Ants + Formicarium - 7-13-2020)

formicarium temnothorax antkeeping catsnants blacklight small species

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#221 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 18 2019 - 5:27 PM

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What part of the queen is 2mm, the abdomen, or the whole thing?


Ya, just realized I put the word “backside” in with that sentence, it was autocorrect doing its thing. Anyways, it’s the whole body length from head to abdomen. I figured out it was ponera pennsylvanica.

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#222 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 18 2019 - 5:52 PM

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Ponera pennsylvanica is not 2mm.  That is just not possible.  Are you sure it is not 5 mm?


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#223 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted June 18 2019 - 5:58 PM

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It might be Hypoponera.

#224 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 18 2019 - 6:04 PM

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I don't think so.  It would have to be a worker then.  No Ponerine queens that I know of are 2mm.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#225 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 18 2019 - 6:05 PM

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Also, I edited it and I guess nobody saw that I realized it was a worker and not a queen

Edited by CatsnAnts, June 18 2019 - 6:05 PM.

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#226 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 18 2019 - 6:08 PM

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Oh!! Okay, that makes sense, it was likely Hypoponera opacior.


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#227 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted June 18 2019 - 6:08 PM

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Yeah, probably a Hypoponera worker. Queens are about 3-4 millimeters I believe.

#228 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 18 2019 - 6:10 PM

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Yes, they are, I have 2 right now.  This would be about the size of the smallest Hypoponera opacior worker.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#229 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 18 2019 - 6:14 PM

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Wow really? :lol: I saw this ant and the first thought that went through my mind was hyponera, but I then later thought it wasn’t in my area! Thxs for the help!

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#230 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 3:24 AM

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HOLY @&$#% GUESS WHAT I JUST FOUND. I went blacklighting last night and (of course) turned up empty handed. I went back out this morning and walked through the middle of a tetramorium flight, but decided not to catch any. I then walked over to our tree that has a bunch of mulch around it and found some Lasius interjectus queens. At the last moment when I was about ready to leave, I looked over and saw a temnothorax worker. I bent down, and on closer inspection, I realized it was a Strumigenys sp., and not just that! It was a QUEEN! I confirmed this by spending 30 more minutes looking for a worker, which I eventually found one wondering about in the mulch. The queen is a lot larger than the worker and has a larger thorax! I’ll try and get some pictures later, BUT U LITERALLY can't DESCRIBE HOW HAPPY I AM. :lol: Does anybody know how to raise these queens?

EDIT: I’m 80% sure this queen is S. pilinasis, I’ll get an ID thread going here soon.

Edited by CatsnAnts, June 19 2019 - 4:04 AM.

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#231 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 4:40 AM

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I have 2 large colonies of Strumigenys pilinasis and they seem to like honey and quite a few types of springtails.

#232 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 7:17 AM

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Btw Pheidole and Colobopsis are flying at night currently.

#233 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 7:49 AM

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Cool! I’ll be heading out a lot! Also, if I haven’t got this point across already, MULCH is a great place to find queen ants and ant colonies! I literally with lifting up mulch again, and found a temnothorax longispinosus queen with a small brood pile!
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#234 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 8:02 AM

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Cool! I’ll be heading out a lot! Also, if I haven’t got this point across already, MULCH is a great place to find queen ants and ant colonies! I literally with lifting up mulch again, and found a temnothorax longispinosus queen with a small brood pile!


I know this. I found a dead Pheidole queen and a few Lasius interjectus queens under some in my yard. Monomorium are flying as well.

#235 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 8:13 AM

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Wait, when do monomorium fly, like in the evening? Also, do we even have Colonopsis here in Indiana? I’ve always wondered that, but never actually though we did.

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#236 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 8:17 AM

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Monomorium fly in the morning I believe. You might have Colobopsis impressa. Check antmaps.com.

#237 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 8:44 AM

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Hey! Imagine that, we do have colonopsis impressa! :D

Edited by CatsnAnts, June 19 2019 - 8:44 AM.

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#238 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 8:45 AM

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They seem to fly at the same time as Pheidole. Warm humid nights in summer.

#239 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 10:47 AM

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WHOO WHOO, I went back out to flip over some more mulch, and bam, first piece I flip over has a ponera pennsylvanica queen! I collected her and her single larvae! This time I know I have the ID right, she’s 5 mm. Should I put her in a similar setup to my Strumigenys?

Also, I ended up finding that colony of Strumigenys where I kept seeing the workers, they too were under some mulch. I’m just going to leave them there though as it will be nearly impossible to collect them all.
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#240 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 19 2019 - 12:39 PM

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The ponera queen has settled down in her test tube. I filled it with some sand and poked a little hole in it, and she brought her larvae in that hole and is just chillin’.


EDIT: also, that Temnothorax longispinosus queen is actually Myrmecina americana.

Edited by CatsnAnts, June 19 2019 - 12:54 PM.

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