ANTSTORE World of Ants (F)  >> English forum (F)  >> Help to identify ant species (F)
 [1]   [2] 

Click to view full story of "Lasius fuliginosus?"

MorbidMike: Lasius fuliginosus? (13. Mai 2009 19:05)

I have found a species of Lasius ant in my garden (I live in the woods). They have created a very nice path, loads of them are running up and down over the path.

Now I do not know which species it is... They strongly remind me of Lasius fuliginosus, but in my youth I had a nest of these closeby and the ones in my garden are a lot smaller. They have the same black shining carapace but they are just smaller. I have no idea which species this could be. I know this is hard to say without a photograph, maybe I will upload one soon. Perhaps it is Lasius fuliginosus but I have grown so much that the ants look smaller to me :wink: (I was 10 years old when I last saw that species). I would estimate their size at around 4 mm, almost the same size as L. niger and definitely smaller than M. rubra.

Zagone: Re: Lasius fuliginosus? (13. Mai 2009 21:02)

To me it certainly sounds like L. fuliginosus. I have two large nests of these where my sister lives and they form these same impressive high-ways.

As far as I've understood they're hard to keep in captivity, which might be no wonder with how they like to wander several meters from their nest en masse. ^^

MorbidMike: Re: Lasius fuliginosus? (15. Mai 2009 15:16)

Indeed, but I was not planning to keep them anyway. I have one Myrmica rubra and one Formica fusca to care for at the moment... that is enough :wink: . It is just very fascinating to see them busy, they really remind me of wood ants in their behaviour of tree climbing and massive highways. I have measured the ants and they are 4-5 mm so they could indeed be fuliginosus, I guess my memory is wrong about their size. Thanks for the help!

damondeionno: Re: Lasius fuliginosus? (15. Mai 2009 15:49)

Can you take some pics anyway?

Zagone: Re: Lasius fuliginosus? (15. Mai 2009 21:31)

I can upload some of my pics of the same species for comparison. :]

damondeionno: Re: Lasius fuliginosus? (16. Mai 2009 11:47)

Would be good. I've seen what I have assumed were Lasius fuliginosus a few times in the UK, and also in France, but they didn't look quite the same to me as what Antstore are selling, so it made me wonder if I've got it wrong.

If you could both upload pics that would be great.

Zagone: Re: Lasius fuliginosus? (16. Mai 2009 19:03)

Here's the original image:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2031/3535826973_f573f3877a.jpg
(Click for larger image.)

MorbidMike: Re: Lasius fuliginosus? (17. Mai 2009 16:05)

Yeah these are definitely the same I have in my garden. I will make some pics if I ever get hold of my sister's digital camera...

Zagone: Re: Lasius fuliginosus? (18. Mai 2009 00:35)

Anyone got any good info on these? They always return with such bloated tummies, it's from milking honey-dew right? Or could they also be taking nectar straight from flowers?

Messorus: Re: Lasius fuliginosus? (20. Mai 2009 19:02)

Queen makes new colony by parasitism on other younger colonies of Lasius species-niger, brunneus, eumarginatus, which have nest i tree, near surface....
Take a look at library and books, I can write more but I´m bussy


 [1]   [2]