Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Register
·
Log In
Home
Guide
ID Request
Recent
Frass
Forums
Donate
Help
Clickable Guide
Calendar
Upcoming Events
Registration
is open for the
2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho
July 24-27
Moth submissions
from
National Moth Week 2023
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico
, July 20-24
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana
, April 28-May 2
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
2019 gathering in Louisiana
, July 25-27
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
2018 gathering in Virginia
, July 27-29
Previous events
Taxonomy
Browse
Info
Images
Links
Books
Data
Home
» Guide »
Arthropods (Arthropoda)
»
Hexapods (Hexapoda)
»
Insects (Insecta)
»
Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera)
»
Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps
»
Ants (Formicoidea)
»
Ants (Formicidae)
»
Army Ants (Dorylinae)
»
Army Ants (Ecitonini)
»
Common Army Ants (Neivamyrmex)
Photo#375740
Copyright © 2010
Katherine M
wasps, or sawflies? -
Neivamyrmex
-
Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, USA
March 9, 2010
Size: 18 mm
found in the shop at our park.
tag
·
login
or
register
to post comments
Contributed by
Katherine M
on 9 March, 2010 - 12:11pm
Last updated 10 March, 2010 - 11:43am
Moved
Moved from
ID Request
.
…
Ken Wolgemuth
, 10 March, 2010 - 11:43am
login
or
register
to post comments
Male Neivamyrmex
Without a doubt Male Neivamyrmex army ants. Species is hard to tell from these photos though, but they may be N. harrisi based on what I cna see of the mandible shape.. Not much more I can add that hasn't been said though by everyone else. Nice find. Neivamyrmex species are primarily raiders on other ants but do take other insect prey if the opportunity presents itself. Finding queens is very rare, and captive culture of a colony is near impossible. If you still have them and want them Identified to species feel free to send me one to look at.
…
Gordon C. Snelling
, 10 March, 2010 - 6:15am
login
or
register
to post comments
I am aware that sawflies are
I am aware that sawflies are wasps, but my staff gets a little nervous with words like "wasp", "bee" and other bugs, so I try to help them learn that there are harmless ones out there. Termites, though not the alates if I am correct, can cause damage to buildings. I'm assuming these would be harmless, yes?
thanks everyone for all their help!
…
Katherine M
, 9 March, 2010 - 1:40pm
login
or
register
to post comments
Pretty much harmless.
They can bite, and it can hurt, but a few males won't kill anyone.
An entire colony of this type of ant can swarm over prey and bring it down though. Quite interesting.
On another note...alate termites do cause damage to buldings. They eat wood too, and they're the ones that start the entire colony.
…
Natalie Hernandez
, 9 March, 2010 - 3:47pm
login
or
register
to post comments
The worker's stings are pretty mild, too (the army ants)
I've had both hands in a Neivamyrmex nest trying to locate the queen (no luck). The stings weren't too bad -- I'd say fire ants are worse on the pain scale.
Great find! Try flipping a few dirt covered logs and rocks if you're interested in finding a colony. You can sometimes see them raiding nests of other ant species. The males commonly come to lights at night.
…
George Waldren
, 9 March, 2010 - 7:44pm
login
or
register
to post comments
I'm probably way off base...
but they remind me of "Sausage Flies" (male legionary ants):
I'll be interested to see what the experts have to say.
…
Ken Wolgemuth
, 9 March, 2010 - 12:37pm
login
or
register
to post comments
agree
but if during a nuptial flight, could be females, also.
…
Blaine Mathison
, 9 March, 2010 - 1:03pm
login
or
register
to post comments
Army ant queens are not born
Army ant queens are not born with wings. Colonies divide rather than nuptial flight. They accept males into the colony which mate with 1 of only maybe a dozen new queens produced. The best of those queens is then picked to divide the colony, all other candidates are either killed or abandoned.
These would be males, though what species would be hard to say. The genus is likely Neivamyrmex though.
…
MrILoveTheAnts
, 9 March, 2010 - 1:07pm
login
or
register
to post comments
That was my understanding.
I occasionally caught sausage flies when I lived in West Africa (
Dorylus
species, I presume--really big fellas, 35-40mm or so), and I was told that they were all males.
…
Ken Wolgemuth
, 9 March, 2010 - 1:25pm
login
or
register
to post comments
Not at all.
I at least agree they are winged (alate) ants:-) By the way, sawflies *are* wasps.
…
Eric R. Eaton
, 9 March, 2010 - 12:41pm
login
or
register
to post comments
Comment viewing options
Flat list - collapsed
Flat list - expanded
Threaded list - collapsed
Threaded list - expanded
Date - newest first
Date - oldest first
10 comments per page
30 comments per page
50 comments per page
70 comments per page
90 comments per page
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.