Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Help with identifying the species your ants

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Ricusdv

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 31256Post Ricusdv
Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:15 am

Brentywenty wrote:
Sun Sep 10, 2017 10:35 am
Ants are used to this kinda things and are gonna protect the queens against those other ants.
Sory for quoting this but I do not know how else to tagg you in the message😅

I walked around my area today and I found this bigger sized Pheidole that we pointed out , and since I saw some of the queens with wings at the nest today and know how they look , this one looks alot like them but was walking further from the nest but without wings. I wondered if it is a queen so I caught it and took a normal worker with it for comparason. So pleez take a look and tell me what I have here :

https://imgur.com/gallery/882rg

Brentywenty
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 12:22 pm
Location: Belgium

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 31260Post Brentywenty
Tue Sep 12, 2017 11:52 am

Yeah, you got a queen!!!!! :D :D
But better don't putt the queen and the worker in the same container.
I thought it was a Pheidole sp. , so I'm gonna research that species. But for batspiderfish and Phoenix:
If you read this, can you please identify this species for this person. Thank you. :)
Ants: So small, such difference they make! :shock:

Keeper of:
Lasius niger
Lasius flavus
Lasius cf. niger
Myrmica cf. rubra

Ricusdv

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 31261Post Ricusdv
Tue Sep 12, 2017 11:58 am

Brentywenty wrote:
Tue Sep 12, 2017 11:52 am
Yeah, you got a queen!!!!! :D :D
But better don't putt the queen and the worker in the same container.
I thought it was a Pheidole sp. , so I'm gonna research that species. But for batspiderfish and Phoenix:
If you read this, can you please identify this species for this person. Thank you. :)
Wow thats greatt ,, the queen looks so small to me compared to queens in the AntsCanada videos but I guees it is becauze she was just recently furtelized?

Btw how can I direct my message to you without having to quote your message?

Brentywenty
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 12:22 pm
Location: Belgium

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 31262Post Brentywenty
Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:00 pm

Ok first: the queen is smaller becuase it's from the family Myrmicinae, those are small queens.
And you don't have to quote, I'll notice whenever you write something new. :D
Ants: So small, such difference they make! :shock:

Keeper of:
Lasius niger
Lasius flavus
Lasius cf. niger
Myrmica cf. rubra

Ricusdv

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 31263Post Ricusdv
Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:04 pm

Awesomee!! I gues I should make a setup for my queen , I had one of these queen looking ones the other day aswel and now Im so bumbed I let it go becauze I thaught it was just a normal bigger worker. Ware can I do more research on these ants?

Brentywenty
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 12:22 pm
Location: Belgium

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 31264Post Brentywenty
Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:09 pm

On diferrent websites: antwiki, antweb,... just search ant on the internet.

We also don't know yet for sure that it's Pheidole sp.
Ants: So small, such difference they make! :shock:

Keeper of:
Lasius niger
Lasius flavus
Lasius cf. niger
Myrmica cf. rubra

Ricusdv

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 31266Post Ricusdv
Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:15 pm

Yesterday I was sad when I found a dead Dorylus nigricans molestus queen in one of the water pools around the house. But now atleast I know what to look out for in these ants.

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 31290Post Batspiderfish
Tue Sep 12, 2017 10:54 pm

Myrmicinae is not a subfamily of small ants. Carebara and Atta queens make Camponotus look petite. Most other genera fit into the 8-10mm range.

Dorylus queens never have wings, so assuming whatever is in your pool flew into there, it is probably something else. Regardless, we shouldn't ever capture army ants with the intent to keep them as pets. Army ants have a unique reproductive cycle which only yields (on average) one viable queen every 1.5 years. Add to that their 100% mortality rate under even the most carefully monitored conditions, and it's clear that they are unsuitable and unsustainable as pets.

As for the ID, those of us who don't live in your area would have trouble identifying these ants without accurate measurements of the queen and worker, as well as pictures from more than one angle. They look like they might be Tetramorium, which has impressive diversity in South Africa.
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.

Ricusdv

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 31295Post Ricusdv
Wed Sep 13, 2017 1:21 am

That is interesting and very insightful. In all hope I hope my queen will make a nice colony. Even thaugh I do not for sure know the species I like these types of ants alot. Thank you for helping me🙌

Darkotylor

Re: Can anyone identifie the type of ant species in South Africa?

Post: # 32021Post Darkotylor
Tue Oct 03, 2017 11:13 am

Hi Ricusdv,

Check out the facebook group "Ant Keepers of Southern Africa". We trying to grow the Southern African community so can share info and trade queens and so on.

Would be cool to have you on the group. :D

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2039165259644794/

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