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mattybadboy44: ID needed (27. Aug 2011 15:12)

Hi,

Just found some ants at our local park by accident, I saw them running on the car park and they it was their size that drew me to them and they weren't anything I had seen before. They are black and red, red middle and black head and bum, look a bit like Raptiformica sanguinea but maybe not as colourful or quite as big. They could well be Raptiformica sanguinea but with my limited knowledge I can't tell for sure, they were not aggressive as I picked one up and it run on my hand and then sat there for a while they were very fast indeed.

I will post some pics soon maybe today later or tomorrow when I go back with my camera, I can also easily catch one but I have no idea where the nest is? They were scattered over quite a large area and also up a tree and over the leaves on the nearby trees. I also saw one F. fusca on the leaves but not together with the red and black ants.

Any ideas what ant it could be? it's definately not rufa they are different to these ants, rufa can be found at our local nature reserve and I have obserbed these many occassions.

I can provide a specimen also, I really want to know what these ants are.

Thanks

Matt

mzfckr: Re: ID needed (27. Aug 2011 22:46)

its hard to judge without a photo

mattybadboy44: Re: ID needed (28. Aug 2011 18:39)

Sorry my camera is not the best so I took a few.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6089747336_25ae13308a.jpg
DSCF0952 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6089202655_d59903bd12.jpg
DSCF0951 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6089746864_0ba3830c17.jpg
DSCF0947 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6089202121_754112e898.jpg
DSCF0946 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6089201855_bac0b395f3.jpg
DSCF0945 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6184/6089746128_ba6f2d77ba.jpg
DSCF0943 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6079/6089745892_5892128bc8.jpg
DSCF0942 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6089745222_f9b89e9e12.jpg
DSCF0939 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6076/6089744990_8c6bca6f90.jpg
DSCF0938 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6181/6089200255_510aec31e0.jpg
DSCF0934 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6079/6089744536_4f0dff1b38.jpg
DSCF0933 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6187/6089744146_c66acd8a73.jpg
DSCF0932 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6089199483_d87f3c26db.jpg
DSCF0912 by mattybadboy44 , on Flickr

DigiSERBIA: Re: ID needed (28. Aug 2011 19:49)

looks like rufibarbis too me

mattybadboy44: Re: ID needed (28. Aug 2011 19:56)

looks like rufibarbis too me
That's what I thought after comparing them to internet photo's, but they are supposd to be almost extinct in UK and only occur in 2 areas I thought, if it is rufibarbis then it's brilliant it's a super colony covering a whole 2 banks 50 metres long and maybe more I have not checked any further. I simply cannot find a nest even though the ants are everywhere?