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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 8, 2012 0:23:42 GMT
This has been done before a long time back on the old Wood Ant's Hill forum, so I am resurrecting this game which is educational and fun. Please note there are no prizes for the correct answer.  I was thinking of making this a poll question, but decided against it as each question would then need a separate thread/poll.  I am related to the wood ants and have a V shaped notch on my clypeus. I was last seen around 1997 in the sandy clifftop woodlands in Bournemouth, and was found earlier along the Jurassic coast of southern England in Dorset. I am extremely rare and may now even be extinct from the UK, as recent sightings have not been made on the mainland. So, what ant am I? |
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Post by IceWhyte on Apr 8, 2012 2:30:38 GMT
Formica sanguinea, bit of a guess to be honest.
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Post by UKantz on Apr 8, 2012 7:13:26 GMT
I think Formica lusatica  |
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 8, 2012 7:52:21 GMT
Formica sanguinea, bit of a guess to be honest. Excellent guess, but not the right answer. |
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 8, 2012 7:56:25 GMT
I think Formica lusatica Good guess, but this ant is not a native to Britain. The ant species I am looking for is, or was during the last century, even though it was as rare as a related ant species which is also very rare. One more clue, I have seen this ant in person back in 1997. |
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 8, 2012 8:00:39 GMT
Here is a visual clue to help.  Attachments:
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Post by IceWhyte on Apr 8, 2012 9:25:02 GMT
I haven't really read much about these species but by the process of elimination is it Formica exsecta?
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 8, 2012 9:47:37 GMT
I haven't really read much about these species but by the process of elimination is it Formica exsecta? You'd make a good Sherlock Holmes. Elimentary my dear Icewhyte, that answer is correct.  |
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Post by UKantz on Apr 8, 2012 9:52:36 GMT
Well done icewhyte  |
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 8, 2012 9:53:40 GMT
Next question. I am well known in tropical countries for using the silk threads of my larvae to weave a nest made from leaves. I have a nasty bite for a formicine ant and also spray formic acid, and I blend in with my surroundings being green, which is an unusual colour for an ant. |
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Post by UKantz on Apr 8, 2012 9:54:31 GMT
Wood would you consider doing another game like this? ;D
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 8, 2012 9:59:33 GMT
Wood would you consider doing another game like this? ;D That is a question, not an answer; but this game will be ongoing. |
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Post by IceWhyte on Apr 8, 2012 10:13:51 GMT
I do believe you are refering to the weaver ant Also known as the Oecophylla species. |
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Post by UKantz on Apr 8, 2012 12:46:10 GMT
I think the Australian weaver ant otherwise known as Oecophylla smaragdina
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 8, 2012 13:15:54 GMT
I think the Australian weaver ant otherwise known as Oecophylla smaragdina Well done, that's the right answer. ;D Now perhaps another member can post a question on a specific ant, as I know many of you are very knowledgeable about ants? Please make a set of clues, and if you think it will help to ID the species, then post a picture clue as well. Try to make your clues fairly difficult, but not so hard that it is almost impossible to guess the ant correctly, as we need to remember we have novice learners to myrmecology as well as a few experts here on the Ant Hill. |
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