Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#1913145
I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex

I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii - Neivamyrmex
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas, USA
November 5, 2020
It was coming out of a hole in the base of a tree and we thought the ants were attacking it. Could they be the same species? I'll include a picture of the ants that were with it. Not checking anything as I have no idea if this is adult or immature. First time I've ever seen it

Images of this individual: tag all
I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex I think this is a Neivamyrmex harrisii  - Neivamyrmex

Moved to Neivamyrmex
At least it is certain that this is Neivamyrmex. I also suspect it is N. opacithorax, based on the worker head shape lacking conical points at the rear corners of the head, and instead appearing to have simple rounded bumps as found in N. opacithorax.
Further, I think it likely the males are the brothers of the workers. Workers do tend to mob the males in the nest, presumably attracted by some sort of surface secretion they emit. Workers of army ants also mob conspecific males from other colonies when they "come a-courting", and escort them into the nest, not uncommonly helping to remove their wings once they're inside, too. The queens are wingless so males have to fly to and enter other colonies of their species to mate.

 
Interesting. Well, I can tel
Interesting. Well, I can tell you that they were exiting a hole in the ground with wings. There were many males coming out. It was a very interesting thing to observe. I love finding new things and learning more about nature. I suspect that they were leaving their own nest rather than courting since they were definitely exiting rather than entering.

not 100%
Nice find! Neivamyrmex are difficult to come across in my experience and always a treat to see.

Without more detailed images of either the male's head or the worker's petiole there's no way I can be sure, but this is likely Neivamyrmex opacithorax. One of our most common Neivamyrmex, the shiny head and red-orange matches perfectly (although harrisi is similar in these regards). The workers may be more surface loving than Neivamyrmex harrisi, but I could be wrong about that.

N. opacithorax has a long and thin rectangular petiole when viewed from the top, in contrast to most of the species that look like it (which have squarish petioles dorsally viewed), and I think I see it in some of these ants but can't be sure. The males also have smaller ocelli, which I again think I see in your photo but am not completely sure about.

You didn't happen to collect any specimens did you?

 
First, no, I didn't collect s
First, no, I didn't collect specimens. I wish I had my macro with me. Alas, I had a 500mm lens so I had to get at least 10 ft back to take the shots. SO...my friend took some of the ants, not the ones with wings. I did unearth the ants. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but at the time, we thought it was a wasp and that it was being attacked by the ants. I used a stick and turned the leaves and such over. They were not at the surface beforehand.

I probably cannot help much with the regular looking ants but I might be able to provide another pic of the winged one.

Literally two women playing with ants using sticks and cameras :)

 
looked further
brightened it a little and I think I see the thinner petiole on some of the workers. If the male is indeed the same species as the workers, it would eliminate harrisi based on the smaller ocelli. I'd say it's between N. kiowapache and N. opacithorax. I'd still like better worker images of the petiole or head before being certain.

 
The pics of the workers are m
The pics of the workers are my friend's pics. I did take a few. I'll add them in here

 
Okay, she found two more she
Okay, she found more she thought might help you of the male. If this doesn't help, let me know exactly what you need to see and she'll look and see if she has anything.

 
All of these images...
...are showing your name in the copyright field. If some were taken by another individual, please click on edit under those shots and enter the photographer's name in the "Copyright owner" field.

Thanks!

 
Done. Sorry, I had her permi
Done. Sorry, I had her permission (in fact, she's following this observation) and didn't realize I needed to do that.

 
Correct
Lol, she has my permission, if you know my history in here, you know I'm about 2 years behind in processing my shots so this way gets this species identified and documented sooner.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.