This ant was found yesterday afternoon, 7.19.18, on my driveway. It is the second one like it that I've found in the last week, though the first one only lasted a day in a test tube setup. I gave this one a small drop of food to see if that doesn't help keep her going. She measures approximately 6mm in length and is a dark tannish-red color, aside from the gaster which is very dark, it looks black. The build leads me to believe it's a Tetramorium sp, though it is easily twice as large as the Tetramorium immigrans workers I find all over, which only measure around 2.5-3mm. It does look like she is a queen, though the only species that she seems to resemble is bicarinatum. The problem is that I have read bicarinatum are really only present in the southern US around the gulf. I have included the four best photos I could get of her, though she seems calm, the lights for the photos had her pretty riled up. Sorry for the fuzziness due to the cotton ball, hopefully these are still clear enough to make some kind of positive ID.
Queen ID - South Chicagoland - Captured 7.19.18
Moderator: ooper01
Queen ID - South Chicagoland - Captured 7.19.18
Founding:
1 Camponotus pennsylvanicus
1 Tetramorium immigrans
1 Unknown
1 Camponotus pennsylvanicus
1 Tetramorium immigrans
1 Unknown
Re: Queen ID - South Chicagoland - Captured 7.19.18
Possibly Myrmica sp?
Founding:
1 Camponotus pennsylvanicus
1 Tetramorium immigrans
1 Unknown
1 Camponotus pennsylvanicus
1 Tetramorium immigrans
1 Unknown
Re: Queen ID - South Chicagoland - Captured 7.19.18
After more research, I'm thinking this may be Myrmica spatulata? I'm having trouble finding much info on this species. Any help with verifying ID and any info on care would be much appreciated, thank you.
Founding:
1 Camponotus pennsylvanicus
1 Tetramorium immigrans
1 Unknown
1 Camponotus pennsylvanicus
1 Tetramorium immigrans
1 Unknown
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Re: Queen ID - South Chicagoland - Captured 7.19.18
Myrmica typically cannot be identified without microscopic examination of dead workers.
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.
Re: Queen ID - South Chicagoland - Captured 7.19.18
Spatulata was the only one I read lives in Illinois, so I was taking a stab in the dark, lol. Hopefully she founds and I'll get some good worker shots.
Founding:
1 Camponotus pennsylvanicus
1 Tetramorium immigrans
1 Unknown
1 Camponotus pennsylvanicus
1 Tetramorium immigrans
1 Unknown
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