Click to view full story of "Messor sp. - ID?"

bouldering: Messor sp. - ID? (14. Mär 2015 16:28)

Hi!
Could someone help me with id? Messor sp. - Cyprus, December 2014:

Jgrq8Ht.jpg

HK7kAP2.jpg

eixK2ka.jpg

lMGXPnT.jpg

cwl5Jtc.jpg

w9ihvY6.jpg

eivI5XA.jpg

mi8EEr4.jpg

Thanks!

baumarkthammer: Re: Messor sp. - ID? (16. Mär 2015 13:09)

It is extremly hard to tell. Messor wasmanni, Messor capitatus and Messor barbarus queens all look alike. To tell for sure you will have to wait for the first workers.
The problem is that the queens and the workers can have very big differences in colour and size. I have seen nearly black Messor wasmanni and very bright Messor capitatus. So it is hard to tell by the queen and I have never found a good way to keep them apart because I did not find hundrets of them.
I suspect it is a Messor capitatus because of the hairs and the colour. You will have to wait for the workers to tell for sure.