acerola: Ant queen flew in (20. Mai 2007 17:23)

Hi, I found an ant queen in the kitchen sink under the open window yesterday evening. I did not identified her yet. As a matter of fact I'm not sure about her subfamily yet.
She is quite big 12-13mm long. The antenna has 12 section and she has 9 teeth in her mandible. She has only one segment between her gaster and alitrunk.
Here are the pictures.
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/5559/img631901pd3.jpg
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/9081/img631501ag9.jpg

Skippy: (20. Mai 2007 18:50)

Hi Acerola

I found somethink like that today evening (in kitchen too :lol: ) ,but a bit smaller - 9-10mm. I don´t know what is it. The body is like Camponotus ,but her head... I don ´t know ,I never see queen like that in Slovakia. I believe (if is she fertile) ,she make colony and by worker we will discover what is it. When I found my queen ,I went outside ,but at never place no some second queen. What you know ,maybe you found new ant species :lol: .

Very nice ant and very nice photos :)

Greetings Skippy

acerola: (21. Mai 2007 00:01)

I think I know the answer. I received an answer from a Hungarian forum member again. I don't tell you the answer yet. I'm curious if anybody can get the same result. I have to help you with more pictures. I think that is essential for the correct answer.

One more picture from the face.
http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/6096/img631601bu5.jpg
And one picture from the end of the abdomen. This one is the essential one, there is no hole at the top arrow it is somewhere at the other arrows.

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/7299/img634001pa0.jpg

JimmyVe: (21. Mai 2007 12:07)

I can not tell you witch species it is but she still has her wings. Maybe she is not fertilized. (I know i is not a 100% prove if she doesn't has her wings)

Skippy: (21. Mai 2007 17:12)

My queen already have not wings and she has 4 eggs now - very quickly queens :) ,I believe ,your queens is fertilized too Acerola ;)
Keep up the good work!
Skippy

acerola: (21. Mai 2007 17:50)

I have the first eggs also.
There are not too much activity in the guessing game, so I reveal you the solution. This is a quite rare ant. Liometopum microcephalum It has very big colonies in oak and pine trees. A similar in behaviour like Lasius fuliginosus with pathways between treetrunks. A little polymorf meaning there are different ant sizes. And the workers are quite attractive they have orange thorax and brown abdomen.
I read a russian article (in english of course) that stated, that the queens are inseminated in the nest. So they are fertile in spite of their wings.

Thats all now, if you have any new information, just write here.

Skippy: (21. Mai 2007 17:54)

Now I think Acerola ,my ant is some small Lasius (8mm is small for normal lasius) . But I don´t like small Lasius ,so I make small colony and I will get it to trade ;) . I am interested by your Liometopum microcephalum ,how size worker it is? when queen is a bit big.

Thanks Skippy

JimmyVe: (21. Mai 2007 19:16)

nice ants, but i think they are protected not ? (I'm not sure you may keep them)

Skippy: (21. Mai 2007 19:20)

I think ,in central europe are protected only original Formica ant spec (no serviformica and more else)

Skippy

acerola: (21. Mai 2007 19:36)

I think it is not protected here. In the other hand Formica (rufa and pratensis) nests are protected, but what about a single Formica queen?
The worker size is 3-7mm and the queen size is 9-11mm in my book. My queen a little bigger.
By the way she has very small eggs but many of them almost 10 already.

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