ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Help with identifying the species your ants

Moderator: ooper01

Cichlid
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:53 am
Location: Ontario Canada

ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41202Post Cichlid
Sun Jul 15, 2018 12:29 pm

Caught today July 15 Stratford Ontario Canada.

I've been scrolling through this for over an hour and I'm no closer to figuring out what i caught https://insectsofsouthernontario.ca/category/ants/

Thanks for helping me out.

https://imgur.com/a/uzPFV8z

https://imgur.com/a/rSSi2ny

I'm guessing these 2 are males
https://imgur.com/grkYUmQ

MorbidBugg
Posts: 284
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:11 pm
Location: Orangeville

Re: ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41206Post MorbidBugg
Sun Jul 15, 2018 12:53 pm

Is that ruler in mm or cm?
Ants are life's most successful invaders. Understand and respect that power.

Cichlid
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:53 am
Location: Ontario Canada

Re: ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41209Post Cichlid
Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:07 pm

inches
So they are all about11-13mm long

MorbidBugg
Posts: 284
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:11 pm
Location: Orangeville

Re: ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41211Post MorbidBugg
Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:13 pm

Camponotus pensylvannicus
Ants are life's most successful invaders. Understand and respect that power.

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

Re: ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41218Post Batspiderfish
Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:55 pm

Formica sp.

We'll need photographs showing how many segments of the gaster have a matte of silvery hairs on them, as well as an image of the ant's face.

I'm not so sure the "male" isn't a queen from the one photograph. Can we have more? Images from the side help.
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.

MorbidBugg
Posts: 284
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:11 pm
Location: Orangeville

Re: ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41231Post MorbidBugg
Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:16 pm

Darn, I always get these two species confused.
Ants are life's most successful invaders. Understand and respect that power.

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

Re: ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41235Post Batspiderfish
Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:27 pm

MorbidBugg wrote:
Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:16 pm
Darn, I always get these two species confused.
One of them actually does kinda look like Camponotus, but I assume by her close proximity to a Formica queen that they are the same species or at least genus.
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.

MorbidBugg
Posts: 284
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:11 pm
Location: Orangeville

Re: ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41245Post MorbidBugg
Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:39 pm

Batspiderfish wrote:
Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:27 pm
MorbidBugg wrote:
Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:16 pm
Darn, I always get these two species confused.
One of them actually does kinda look like Camponotus, but I assume by her close proximity to a Formica queen that they are the same species or at least genus.
I assume that was your reason for requesting the specific pictures of the head was for a more definitive Identification? Don't mind me picking your brain...
Ants are life's most successful invaders. Understand and respect that power.

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

Re: ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41262Post Batspiderfish
Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:58 pm

MorbidBugg wrote:
Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:39 pm
I assume that was your reason for requesting the specific pictures of the head was for a more definitive Identification? Don't mind me picking your brain...
The two main features for identifying fusca-group Formica is the hair density on the gaster and the length of the antennal scapes in relation to the length of the head (excluding mandibles).
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.

Cichlid
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:53 am
Location: Ontario Canada

Re: ID: Southwestern Ontario Canada

Post: # 41295Post Cichlid
Sun Jul 15, 2018 6:59 pm

Ive updated a few more pictures in the original links with some more shots but the last link wont update so here's a new onehttps://imgur.com/a/fBIgGrV of the would be 2 males. Ill note the one with the more slender pointed gaster is perhaps dying. Upon closer inspection of the tube with 3 in it is seems 1 of them might be different. Let me know if these are detailed enough and or witch ants you need better shots of.

I did some google foo! and Formica sp. kind of confused me as I did not see many sp. Formica results. certainly not any with information specific to Formica sp. Does sp. stand for something specific or is it a scientific suffix? I referenced the above linked site for my local species and none matched sp.

I also looked here http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Formica_species_groups and this immediately goes over my head in complexity.

Thanks for your patience.

Cichlid

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests