Worker ant identification

Help with identifying the species your ants

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Aaron567
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Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 4:38 pm
Location: Pensacola, Florida USA

Worker ant identification

Post: # 5767Post Aaron567
Mon May 16, 2016 1:09 am

In my yard there are two ant species that have nests everywhere, but I don't know what they are.

This is the first species. They are yellow/orange in color and can sometimes have a darker or lighter yellow abdomen. They are about 2-3 mm long and are really fast. They almost seemed like crazy ants but I think their heads are too big to be those. I frequently see them foraging around Solenopsis Invicta colonies or other colonies.
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The second unknown species look a lot like black crazy ants, but again, these ants heads look different than crazy ants. After taking closeup pictures of them with my macro lens, in some pictures I could easily see lots of hairs on these ants. They seem to be very shy, not showing any aggression towards me. They are a shiny black or dark brown color and 2-3 mm long.
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Here is a major worker :)
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WillWithAnts
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Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Worker ant identification

Post: # 5768Post WillWithAnts
Mon May 16, 2016 3:03 am

Awesome pictures! First ones look like Dorymyrmex flavus to me. I think the second species could be Dorymyrmex insanus. Was that major from the other two colonies? Seems like a random Pheidole major to me :). I'm from the north so I am no expert on these species, that is just how they appear to me. Good luck and Welcome!

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Aaron567
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Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 4:38 pm
Location: Pensacola, Florida USA

Re: Worker ant identification

Post: # 5796Post Aaron567
Mon May 16, 2016 6:03 pm

WillWithAnts wrote:Awesome pictures! First ones look like Dorymyrmex flavus to me. I think the second species could be Dorymyrmex insanus. Was that major from the other two colonies? Seems like a random Pheidole major to me :). I'm from the north so I am no expert on these species, that is just how they appear to me. Good luck and Welcome!
I googled both the species and the ones you suggested are the correct species without a doubt! I took pictures of the black ants from 2 different colonies, but both of the colonies' majors look exactly the same. Thanks so much, I was dying to know what species they were! I honesty thought no one would be able to identify them since I couldn't find ants that look really similar to them on the web.

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WillWithAnts
Posts: 263
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Worker ant identification

Post: # 5810Post WillWithAnts
Tue May 17, 2016 10:58 am

Aaron567 wrote:
WillWithAnts wrote:Awesome pictures! First ones look like Dorymyrmex flavus to me. I think the second species could be Dorymyrmex insanus. Was that major from the other two colonies? Seems like a random Pheidole major to me :). I'm from the north so I am no expert on these species, that is just how they appear to me. Good luck and Welcome!
I googled both the species and the ones you suggested are the correct species without a doubt! I took pictures of the black ants from 2 different colonies, but both of the colonies' majors look exactly the same. Thanks so much, I was dying to know what species they were! I honesty thought no one would be able to identify them since I couldn't find ants that look really similar to them on the web.
No problem! Really glad I could help! This is where I go to when I don't know where to start looking: http://www.myrmecos.net/north-american-ants/
Are you keeping anything right now?

Mdrogun

Re: Worker ant identification

Post: # 5849Post Mdrogun
Tue May 17, 2016 10:49 pm

Um, no the first species is an Iridomyrmex sp. and the second species is a Pheidole sp.

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Aaron567
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Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 4:38 pm
Location: Pensacola, Florida USA

Re: Worker ant identification

Post: # 5852Post Aaron567
Tue May 17, 2016 11:17 pm

Mdrogun wrote:Um, no the first species is an Iridomyrmex sp. and the second species is a Pheidole sp.
Does Iridomyrmex sp. live in the US? The second one could be Pheidole sp. or Dorymyrmex Insanus, they both look similar.

Mdrogun

Re: Worker ant identification

Post: # 5891Post Mdrogun
Wed May 18, 2016 5:15 pm

Aaron567 wrote:
Mdrogun wrote:Um, no the first species is an Iridomyrmex sp. and the second species is a Pheidole sp.
Does Iridomyrmex sp. live in the US? The second one could be Pheidole sp. or Dorymyrmex Insanus, they both look similar.
I think the original ID of Dorymyrmex flavus for the top species might be right. Sorry, for some reason I assumed you lived in Australia.

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WillWithAnts
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Location: South Dakota

Re: Worker ant identification

Post: # 5902Post WillWithAnts
Wed May 18, 2016 8:06 pm

If it is Pheidole sp. I think it would be P. obscurithorax :P

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Aaron567
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Location: Pensacola, Florida USA

Re: Worker ant identification

Post: # 5903Post Aaron567
Wed May 18, 2016 8:18 pm

WillWithAnts wrote:No problem! Really glad I could help! This is where I go to when I don't know where to start looking: http://www.myrmecos.net/north-american-ants/
Are you keeping anything right now?
I currently have 3 queens in test tubes waiting for their eggs to hatch. 2 Solenopsis Invicta and 1 unknown tiny queen.

I found another unknown ant species and I posted about it. I'm almost certain they are leaf cutter ants.

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Aaron567
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Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 4:38 pm
Location: Pensacola, Florida USA

Re: Worker ant identification

Post: # 5961Post Aaron567
Thu May 19, 2016 4:45 pm

WillWithAnts wrote:If it is Pheidole sp. I think it would be P. obscurithorax :P
Probably. According to Antwiki.org, the species is established in Escambia (the county I live in), Santa Rosa, Fort Walton, and Okaloosa. Apparently the only states the species lives in North America is Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi.

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