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Post by bowser on Apr 21, 2010 21:42:35 GMT
Hi hope you can help, I’ve been trying to find a picture you had on the main page of the forum a week or so ago where you currently have the “nigers hunting sap” video. The picture was of some beautiful ants with large striped gasters (white and brown I think). If you can remember the picture I am talking about could you please let me know the name of the ants or even better post the picture.
Thanks
Trev
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Post by Jenny on Apr 22, 2010 6:51:26 GMT
Hi Trev, the picture I had on the top table on the front of the forum was of the species Formica lusatica. They are very fast and are ants with attitude.
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Post by bowser on Apr 22, 2010 20:11:13 GMT
Thanks Jen, my reason for asking was because I recently saw a picture somewhere of some ants a lot like these and wanted a second look. I now doubt this is the same ant species I have seen in another image but is what triggered a memory of what I have seen about 2-3 weeks ago somewhere.
The ants I saw somewhere had an even bigger fat round shiny gaster which was striped bright white and either black or brown and a little head and midsection. They looked really silly to me as if the gaster was too big, unfortunately I can’t find this picture anywhere now and was hoping your ants were the same but I don’t think they are although similar and I’d love to have my own colony of Formica lusatica soon.
If anyone knows what ant I am talking about from my vague description please let me know they really stood out to me as being very different and I am certain not very common because I’ve looked through hundreds of pictures now with no luck.
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Post by bowser on Apr 22, 2010 22:00:26 GMT
Just as I had convinced myself I hadn’t seen these ants I found them on another forum although I am not convinced of these colours it maybe the light in this picture. They are called Prenolepis imparis, I found another picture of them on Alex Wilds photography and they are a different colour. It explains it’s the younger ants which act as swollen food stores that looked funny to me. www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Taxonomic-List-of-Ant-Genera/Prenolepis/8709649_ixKJX#575626263_4Laoz
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 23, 2010 8:27:07 GMT
Quite a few ant species use the living bodies of young workers as food storage containers. The common name given to such ants is "repletes", as in replenishing the larder to be well supplied, or to be full of food and drink Because our Formica lusatica are so full of food, (as they're always on an eating binge) their gasters expand to almost bursting point, as these girls never seem to tire of hunting and foraging; and will take anything food-wise, from cake and honey water, to big flies and crickets. Their brood must really be ravenous feeders Almost all of this years newly laid eggs have now become large larvae, with about 30% actually now in the pupal stage, having spun cocoons. The growth rate of the brood in this species is phenomenally very fast
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