did some research again

[arcfyre]

Seems the Lasius niger is also located in south africa...thought it was only where you guys live...now I bet most of you kept them before so are they black with gray stripes on the abdomen...also come in dark brown apparently...is this just a very common ant specie or what?

[arcfyre]

I checked photos of L.niger and I can positively say its not that type of ant. But then what is it. The workers are 3-5mm in length like the niger but it looks a bit different...the stripes are much thicker in pattern, more hairy than the niger. Some sites say nigers are not located in south Africa but another one said it is. Confusing...

[Wood~Ant]

Very probable that they are this South African ant Lepisiota (click to view pictures).

[arcfyre]

I checked thanks...but I'm still not sure. I just have to find someone camera I can use to post a picture. These ants have bit larger abdomens than the ones I saw...also did take a pretty close look and they didn't have orange legs...and the end of its abdomen wasn't as pointy as this lepisiota (hope I'm spelling it right). Hehe. To save you the search...you can't maybe suggest a web page I could visit to have a look at a few ants?

[arcfyre]

I checked now lepisiota...Lepisiota capensis are the small black sugar ant which is all over the place here...and what was interesting as I was tracking them back to their nest, I found these larger black ants and the small black ants basic nesting together...well it looked that way...wish I could show it to you. Anyway...is it possible if this larger black ant is a Lepisiota ant, that it is like of the same family or something of the small Lepisiota Capensis ant...and that why they're in peace with each other??? I might sound dumb now but I know nothing about families and these types of thing about ants... I will however take a better look at them to make sure they don't look like on the photos

[Deleted]

Hi,
It may be this species adapts a major and minor trait where their workers are small and large like the leaf cutter and Atta cephalotes. These other ants are probably majors if they are in simbyotic relationship together. However, it could be a species of slave making ant that has taken over this nest and used it for it's brood and workers.

[Wood~Ant]

Sept 16, 2014 17:43:02 GMT arcfyre said:

I checked thanks...but I'm still not sure. I just have to find someone camera I can use to post a picture. These ants have bit larger abdomens than the ones I saw...also did take a pretty close look and they didn't have orange legs...and the end of its abdomen wasn't as pointy as this lepisiota (hope I'm spelling it right). Hehe. To save you the search...you can't maybe suggest a web page I could visit to have a look at a few ants?

A good friend of mine has a site which covers African ant species. Try this link

[arcfyre]

Thanks a lot dudes.

[arcfyre]

Hey I checked all the photos of that specie and yes its definately that one. Theres one picture that shows them pretty well. And I checked the ant aswell. Nice ant isn't it!? Thanks Wood! And Formica!

[arcfyre]

Sept 16, 2014 13:04:48 GMT Wood~Ant said:

Very probable that they are this South African ant Lepisiota (click to view pictures).

[arcfyre]

Hey Wood. Sorry mate I can't find anything on this specie that you showed me. Mainly because I don't know what their name is. Where did you see its a Lepisiota ant friend? If I type in Lepisiota in google I eventually find the ant but can't make the search more extensive because that's all I know from the name...help please. I can go thru every Lepisiota specie there is and see which on macthes...but if there's an easier way please help.