10 replies to this topic

[steelchair]

1. Location of collection: Michigan. The Thumb
2. Date of collection: 9/20/14
3. Habitat of collection:Yard and sidewalk
4. Length (from head to gaster):4mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: Dark brown to black
6. Distinguishing characteristics: 2 petiole
7. Anything else distinctive: 
8. Nest description:inbetween sidewalk slabs. http://i1110.photobu...2

[Gregory2455]

Myrmica? I don't know your fancy northern ants.

[steelchair]

Thanks for trying. Atleast I have some names to google.

[dspdrew]

The Canadian members would be of much more help.

[dean_k]

I think it's a pavement ant aka Tetramorium caespitum.

 

I don't think they fly this time of year but the Canadian summer this year has been very awkward. Cool summer and summer-like fall, so I guess anything's possible.

Edited by dean_k, October 1 2014 - 8:44 PM.

[Gregory2455]

Hmm, actually not a bad guess, but those have longer gasters and have a darker color.

[Mercutia]

Not Tetramorium sp. E (pavement ant).

 

Definitely semi-claustral, looks closer to Myrmica sp. which makes it near impossible to narrow down an exact species.

[Crystals]

At 4mm she is too small for a Myrmica queen, unless it is a parasitic one. 

 

She is semi-claustral, so she will need both sugar water and protein every few days.  She is on the thin side, so advise feeding her well the first few days.

 

Looking at the antweb list from Ohio, there are not that many 4mm ants with 2 nodes.  Some possibilities are Myrmecina, Cardiocondyla obscurior, and possibliby a few others.

http://www.antweb.or...e&genCache=true

 

I would need a better side view before I tried to ID it further.

[Mercutia]

I completely didn't check the size. Possibly Apheanogaster? Maybe A. fulva then? Stabbing in the dark here but maybe if we got a better picture of her head + mandibles?

[Crystals]

Aphaenogaster are usually the same size or a bit larger than Myrmica.

[steelchair]

Sadly she died a few days after the original post.