Little red thing on an ant - Solenopsis invicta - BugGuide.Net

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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Ants (Formicoidea) » Ants (Formicidae) » Myrmicinae » Solenopsidini » Fire Ants and Thief Ants (Solenopsis) » Fire Ants (Solenopsis Fire Ants) » Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta)

Photo#107475

Copyright © 2007 Carl Krucke

Little red thing on an ant - Solenopsis invicta

Summerville, Dorchester County, South Carolina, USA
May 3, 2007
Size: 4mm give or take...

1st of 2. I was playing with a new macro converter I just got, shooting small ants running around between the paving stones on my back walk. While reviewing, I noticed several ants had these little red things attached to them like the one in the background here. I'm not as interested in what kind of ant it is, (probably myrmicinae, Solenopsis invicta) but I'd really like to know what the red things are.

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Little red thing on an ant - Solenopsis invicta

Little red thing on an ant 2 - Solenopsis invicta

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Contributed by Carl Krucke on 4 May, 2007 - 10:23pm
Last updated 19 November, 2009 - 10:41pm

Moved

Moved from Fire Ants.

… Carl Krucke, 19 November, 2009 - 10:41pm

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Moved

Moved from Ants.

… George Waldren, 25 June, 2007 - 3:50pm

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Moved

Moved from Ants.

… john and jane balaban, 11 June, 2007 - 8:15am

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Mites?

I've seen red mites on beetles and dragonflies and leafhoppers, so why not ants? Keep at it and see if you turn up any photos with legs or other features showing. I couldn't rule out eggs, perhaps of one of the beetle species that lives in ant colonies?

… Stephen_WV, 5 May, 2007 - 4:33am

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I am inclined to say it is a

I am inclined to say it is a mite as well, however without a clearer picture hard to be 100% sure.

… Gordon C. Snelling, 5 May, 2007 - 8:56am

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Mites were my first thought too

Mites were my first thought too, and yeah, the images definitely a tad on the fuzzy side as far as pinning an ID down goes, but they were accidental captures. I'll try some more soon. Should be able to get something better now that I know what I'm looking for.
(5/6/07 addendum - That colony apparently moved on after some rain last night. I took 606 shots of another colony today, not a single ant had the mysterious red thing. Oh well)

Can mites be that small?

… Carl Krucke, 5 May, 2007 - 8:56pm

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