Not even sure if this is a queen or a male.
Thank you for your help!
Location: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Map.
Date of collection: June 18 2018, an hour before sunset.
Habitat: Backyard, where the lawn meets the concrete and behind loose tile.
Length: 9 mm.
Coloration: Reddish orange, darker mandibles and end of abdomen.
Distinguishing characteristics: Stings.
Anything else distinctive: Workers have a moderately painful sting. I've watched them tear apart dead crickets and dragonflies to take to the nest. They share territory with small black ants and seem to tolerate each other. They have been having flights every few days for the last 3 weeks.
Nest description: They nest entrance is where the lawn meets the wall. Some loose dirt and what appear to be several entrances. They also seem to have entrances behind loose tiles and in cracks.
Nuptial flight time and date: This particular one was captured on June 18 close to 8:00 p.m, an hour or so before sunset. They have been having frequent nuptial flights during the last three weeks, with fewer and fewer alates every time. This particular ant was observed about 2 meters away from the nest entrance, with one remaining wing which it tore off after capture.
Post the clearest pictures possible of the top, side, and face of the ant in question, and if possible, their nest and the habitat they were collected in: Sorry about the quality of the pics, this is the best I could do with my gear, these are the best out of over 50 attempts.
SIDE
BOTTOM
TOP
WITH WORKERS (Not the captured ant, this is from another day)
NEST (Where the lawn meets the concrete, in the corner. Loose dirt is hard to see)
NEST 2 (They also seem to have an entrance behind the loose tiles)
BONUS PIC: Another queen from the same backyard. Some kind of big camponotus. I have at least 6 different species in my backyard, but these are the only ones that have had flights that I've seen.
Edited by FormicForeman, June 19 2018 - 8:45 PM.
