What was that mysterious myrmicine?
It was Vollenhovia emeryi, an Asian ant introduced to the eastern United States. This species appears sporadically around Washington, D.C. Apparently yesterday’s post posed an unusually difficult challenge- I don’t recall the last time the commentariat took more than 12 hours to solve the mystery.
So. Eight points to Mr. I Love the Ants, who arrived at the correct answer eventually.
For more on this ant:
- Okhawara et al 2006. Clonal reproduction and genetic caste differences in a queen-polymorphic ant, Vollenhovia emeryi. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2006.0491 Biol. Lett. 22 September 2006 vol. 2 no. 3 359-363
- Kjar, D. S, Suman, T. W. 2007. First records of invasion by the myrmicine Japanese ant Vollenhovia emeryi WM Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the United States. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 109:596-604.
- new Vollenhovia photos.
I actually tried and tried on this one for about a half an hour. Ants are hard!
You could always use the amazing simplified ant taxonomy system seen someplace on the web that I don’t want to bother to find:
1a) size smallish to tiny (2) [Figure 1]
1b) size largish to scary !! (3) [Figure 2]
2a) all black …. small black ant
2b) all red …… small red ant
2c) black AND red …. small black and red ant
3a) all black …. large black ant
3b) all red …… large red ant
3c) black AND red …. large black and red ant
Figure 1 …
Figure 2 …..
Works for me !!
You mean this?
Revision of the Formicidae of North America
Some day the ICZN will recognize blog posts as legitimate publication. And then, we’re screwed.
Indeed !! That’s the ticket —- it represents a significant contribution to simplified ant taxonomy, and you have my thanks and appreciation…..wait …..
You went and semi-spoiled it with all that fancy-foreign-lingo-type-stuff and the sting-stuff. And how are we to incorporate the clades in those that spray vs bite vs sting or just run for it ? Also, when we find a squashed small red ant specimen on a sidewalk collecting trip, for example, how are we to judge that behavior; it just may not work out properly. Hmmm – we could add a “un//squashed” or couplet I suppose.
Also brings to mind the famous quote from To Have And Have Not “Was you ever bit by a dead bee ?” 8/
LOL @ Alex – survival of the LCD
Hmm… no wonder I missed it. I’ve never collected it or looked it up in a collection. Very cool – I’ll need to add that to my collection sometime. Anything known about its natural history?
Or I could just look at the linked articles, duh.
Is this ant confined to more urban/disturbed habitat like RIFA or something that we’re beginning to find in relatively intact places as well? Also, where are they currently placed in the myrmicines?
And finally, that’s a really weirdly-textured larva the one worker is carrying in the picture.
Awesome – that was tricky. Of course, I looked at Vollenhovia in my Bolton, but I needed a view of the petiole!
Out of curiosity, how come Mr. I Love the Ants only got 8 points?
Inflation
Heh.
Actually, it’s because I had to drop a hint to get people on the right track. MILTA’s first guess was incorrect.
Not that I care about the two points, but I don’t think you gave a hint at all. You asked if we needed one but I don’t think it ever got posted.
That in itself was the hint that no one had yet guessed it.