They Arrive on Wednesday
Pachycondyla apicalis
Big and long- legged antspecies that combines several preferences of other antspecies. Pachycondyla apicalis have almost the same visual ability as Myrmecia (bulldogant), furthermore apicalis is highly adaptive (learns quick to accept food offered by hand) and is able to stridulate clearly hearable just as Paraponera and Atta.Unlike to most of the other antspecies apicalis do not depend on chemical traces because it predominantly navigate by the use of visual orientation.While transportation of prey back to the nest they use the alternative to jump off a twig and is stil able to find their way home after short reorientation (subjective study).This antspecies use the ability to lead conspecifics through tandem walks and do hunt single and also in packs.Pachycondyla apicalis is unique and not comparable with other Pachycondyla species.
* Taxonomy: Subfamily Ponerinae, Tribe Ponerini
* Distribution: Central- to South America
* Color: black
* Size: 20 - 21 mm
* Appearance: black with yellow antenna tops, lank
* Hibernation: No
* Nutrition: Honey-/Sugar water and insects
* Temperature: warm, 22 - 28°C (Rainforest climate)
* Humidity: high
* Soil condition: Humus layer soil
* Nest building: rotten wood (tree roots/branches)
* Planting: Any rain forest plants
* Keeping level: easy
(Pictures of ants on this post are not mine, but taken from the site I got the ants from)
My new setup consists of a 50x30x50cm tank, with a 5cm layer of gravel and vermalite on the bass, covered with 5-10cm of spagnum moss peat, and it is plants with 3 types of tropical moss, and a small flowering tropical plant (cant remebr the name), all the plants love high humidity, as do the ants
Heated with a 60w ceramic heat lamp, with a 25w spot lamp for light, and at night a 25w heat mat on one side, with the heat lamp. Temp will be 26-28 during the day, 24-26 at night, humidity will be kept at around 80-90%.
Due to the large amount of gravel and vermalite, I will be able to keep the tank well stocked up with water, which will keep the humidity nice and high.
A big chunk of bog wood is in the middle for decoration and as a feeding place for sugar and nectar
I dont need to worry to much about break out protection for this species, as they cant really climb glass very well, and are very big (2cm!), so a simpe lid will do fine, however I have put an electric fence around the top, just incase, as they have a nasty sting
