7 replies to this topic

[Mettcollsuss]

So I've been emailing with another ant-keeper for a while and I've been offered either a Formica rubicunda queen or Formica ulkei queen. I know some parasitics Formica need a host to get started, but will raid for slaves after the hosts die off. It would be difficult to keep such a species. I know F. rubicunda may raid for slaves, but does not need to. However, I cannot find any information about the slave-raiding habits of F. ulkei. Does anyone here know if F. ulkei needs slaves to survive? If it doesn't, then I'm split between the F. rubicunda and the F. ulkei. Does anyone have any suggestion of which is better to keep and/or looks cooler?

[LearningAntz]

Formica ulkei will not need to raid. They’re temporarily parasitic.

[AntsAreUs]

Formica rubicunda are exclusive slave raiders, mostly of Formica subsericea. They are pretty common here and I don't recommend keeping them.

[Mettcollsuss]

Formica rubicunda are exclusive slave raiders, mostly of Formica subsericea. They are pretty common here and I don't recommend keeping them.

This is what I found in the antwiki article on them 

"This species is a member of a group of Formica species that were formerly placed in the subgenus Raptiformica. All species are facultative slavemakers, i.e., species which usually or often have slaves but can get along without them."

[TheRealAntMan]

 

Formica rubicunda are exclusive slave raiders, mostly of Formica subsericea. They are pretty common here and I don't recommend keeping them.

This is what I found in the antwiki article on them 

"This species is a member of a group of Formica species that were formerly placed in the subgenus Raptiformica. All species are facultative slavemakers, i.e., species which usually or often have slaves but can get along without them."

 

Then again, Antwiki isn't the most reliable source.

[Batspiderfish]

Antwiki is definitely wrong it this case.

Only Formica from the sanguinea group are brood raiders. Formica ulkei is from the exsectoides group.

[AntsAreUs]

Antwiki has a lot of flaws. One I have easily spotted is that Formica incerta are marked as slave makers when all it talks about is them being a common slave for the slave raiders. 

[Kaelwizard]

Also (this is a different species but an example) it says that Formica coloradensis are in the rufa group but doesn't say anything about slaves or being a parasite.