I need help to indentify my colony

Help with identifying the species your ants

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yassour67

I need help to indentify my colony

Post: # 32113Post yassour67
Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:00 pm

Hey everyone! I have had my Queen since June, I found her one night running around and I knew it wasn’t just a normal ant, so I locked her up in a pen with water and some honey and she started laying eggs, I now have a healthy colony of 40-50 individuals and a lot of larvaes and eggs. (I moved them to a better place after 20 workers).
The problem is that I never had the chance to identify them but here is a photo of the royal chamber or whatever it is that called.
So please if you could help me that’ll be awesome !
Thanks in advance

Image
In case the image isn't clear here's a link:
https://ibb.co/dVChwG

By the way, I live in Morocco (North Africa) in Rabat.

Also the queen I have caught is around 4-5 mm.

PTasker15
Posts: 309
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:41 am
Location: Houston,TX

Re: I need help to indentify my colony

Post: # 32116Post PTasker15
Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:29 pm

Tapinoma Melanocephalum.Ghost Ants
Keeping ants for 6 years now.

Current Species: Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Camponotus decipiens,Camponotus snellingi Solenopsis invicta,Nylanderia sp,Brachmyrmex patagonicus,Pheidole obscurothorax,Pheidole moerens,Pachycondyla harpax

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Phoenix
Posts: 642
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 11:17 pm
Location: Malaysia

Re: ID Request

Post: # 32128Post Phoenix
Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:11 pm

Tapinoma Melanocephalum Aren't Found In Morocco, But I Agree With The Genus Though.
'Have Fun.' - Gabe Newell

yassour67

Re: I need help to indentify my colony

Post: # 32135Post yassour67
Sun Oct 08, 2017 2:31 am

Thanks everyone ! I looked up Tapinoma and the most matching one is the Tapinoma Sessile. These aren't ghost ants their gasters are not translucid. The pale ones you see in the photo are the youngest.
The problem is that I don't really know if it's actually Tapinoma Sessile but if you have any other suggestions feel free to tell me :)

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Batspiderfish
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Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: I need help to indentify my colony

Post: # 32140Post Batspiderfish
Sun Oct 08, 2017 8:41 am

It looks like they have acidopores, so they would be something from Formicinae and not Dolichoderinae.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

yassour67

Re: I need help to indentify my colony

Post: # 32183Post yassour67
Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:57 am

Batspiderfish wrote:
Sun Oct 08, 2017 8:41 am
It looks like they have acidopores, so they would be something from Formicinae and not Dolichoderinae.
I've seen my ants spraying formic acid to kill insects. So what you're saying is that only ants with acidopores can spray acid?

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Batspiderfish
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Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: I need help to indentify my colony

Post: # 32190Post Batspiderfish
Mon Oct 09, 2017 1:04 pm

yassour67 wrote:
Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:57 am
I've seen my ants spraying formic acid to kill insects. So what you're saying is that only ants with acidopores can spray acid?
Not necessarily, only that they have an anatomical feature which would disqualify Tapinoma. They may be Plagiolepis or Nylanderia.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

yassour67

Re: I need help to indentify my colony

Post: # 32221Post yassour67
Tue Oct 10, 2017 2:04 pm

Batspiderfish wrote:
Mon Oct 09, 2017 1:04 pm
yassour67 wrote:
Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:57 am
I've seen my ants spraying formic acid to kill insects. So what you're saying is that only ants with acidopores can spray acid?
Not necessarily, only that they have an anatomical feature which would disqualify Tapinoma. They may be Plagiolepis or Nylanderia.
I'm puzzled right now: when I looked up Plagiolepis and Nylanderia some of the images really looked like my ants especially the Plagiolepis. Because I've noticed that in the nest there are those pale ants (The young I guess) with their huge gasters, and they're present in some of Plagiolepis photos.

So please how can I identify them better knowing that I don't have any Macro Lens but instead I'm using a small lens to take photos like the one showed in the first post.

Vitatus
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2018 5:01 am
Location: Poland

Re: I need help to indentify my colony

Post: # 48999Post Vitatus
Sat Sep 01, 2018 2:16 am

I have the same problem with ants from Morocco, no one replies to my post in identification center.

But I think they are the same species as yours

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nabTQsvQWrjwz8JfA

AntsDakota
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Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: I need help to indentify my colony

Post: # 49046Post AntsDakota
Sat Sep 01, 2018 12:07 pm

The ones with swollen gasters are probably repletes, or living storage units. Their abdomens are clear because of the liquid stored inside.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

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