Camponotus Sp.

[Cheesefish77]

Found this ant this morning, not fully sure if it is a queen or not, but I have my hopes up as I have never seen this species at my house before, so I find it unlikely that it is a major worker. I believe it is a species of Camponotus, it's thorax is a dark red color, while the rest of it is black. I found it in the desert of eastern Oregon in the U.S. in the early morning, around 8-9 a.m. She can easily climb a vertical glass wall and is quite fast. Anyone know what species this is and if it is a queen or not? (I looked for wing scars but some bits of cotton made it hard to tell, as well as the fact that she kept her legs held up against her body)

[Batspiderfish]

Measurements are important for ID requests! Definitely a queen, though.

[Cheesefish77]

I measured her at around 1-1½ cm long

[Batspiderfish]

There are smaller Camponotus from the Myrmentoma subgenus that are normally 1cm long, but I am assuming that she is larger than that. The shininess, along with your description, would most likely make this Camponotus novaeboracensis, which are occasionally found that far west. That's quite a distance from its namesake, Nova Eboraca, New York.

[Cheesefish77]

There are smaller Camponotus from the Myrmentoma subgenus that are normally 1cm long, but I am assuming that she is larger than that. The shininess, along with your description, would most likely make this Camponotus novaeboracensis, which are occasionally found that far west. That's quite a distance from its namesake, Nova Eboraca, New York.

Thanks, that's super helpful info to have, now to research and hope she can found a colony