passing fluids - Camponotus anthrax

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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) » Formicinae » Camponotini » Carpenter Ants (Camponotus) » Subgenus Myrmentoma (Camponotus Subgenus Myrmentoma) » Camponotus anthrax

Photo#464769

Copyright © 2010 Eleanor Caputo www.Studio18galleries.com

passing fluids - Camponotus anthrax

Jackson, CA sierra foot hills, Amador County, California, USA

I don't know what kind of ants these are but they were passing little beads of liquid back and forth. I have quite a few very LARGE colonies on my property. I watch them all the time. They have cleaned my dog food in one night. Those are large black ants

I have large black ants, biting red ants, small black ants and small black and red ants and then I see fuzzy red velvet ants sometimes. anyone interested in studying them can come to my home. I have one colony that I have watched for 4 years. They're den is getting so large if I walk near it I can cave it in. so I have to be careful. I wouldn't mind if someone wanted to collect them and relocate them. I have thousands though.

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Contributed by Eleanor Caputo on 14 October, 2010 - 9:21am
Last updated 14 March, 2014 - 11:22am

Moved

I've done some more study of this taxonomic group of ants in California, and now realize these must be this species, based on shape of propodeum and lack of genal setae. This is a very common ant in California and Arizona, but not all that often noticed because mostly nocturnal and arboreal, but sometimes entering houses.
The big black ones cleaning out the dog bowl have been moved to another distantly related species in another ant subfamily and genus.

… James C. Trager, 14 March, 2014 - 11:22am

Passing Fluids

Haha, the process is known as trophallaxis. I learned that today. I knew I was taking entomology for a reason.

… Andrew Meeds, 14 October, 2010 - 11:15am

Trophallaxis

that is cool thank you.

… Eleanor Caputo, 14 October, 2010 - 6:15pm

Nice picture!

I hope to see pictures of this quality of the other ants you mention, as well!

Camponotus clarithorax is a common, but not all that often seen species in your area. It is largely nocturnal in hot weather, shiftng more to daytime activity as weather cools.

… James C. Trager, 14 October, 2010 - 9:38am

video

Here is a youtube video of my ants at work. It is not goo quality from my phone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsLuA636l0Q

… Eleanor Caputo, 14 October, 2010 - 10:21am

thank you

I am looking for my other pics. I have some of the larger black ants carrying away a large piece of granola. they team up and it takes them a while to get going in the same direction but once they do they make good time back to the den. I have a pic of them removing food from a bowl and they made chains and ladders and they handed the pieces up the chain to the rim of the where the others took it and then gently lowered it to the ground where even another group was waiting to carry it back the 40ft back to the hole. they come out at dusk. I will collect more pics. I wish I could see inside the hole way down there. There are hundreds and hundreds of them. I will keep looking for the pics. Wow I had no idea they were rare in my area. Most of my ants are active at night except the small black ones they make there way in my house. :-( but the other leave me alone.

… Eleanor Caputo, 14 October, 2010 - 10:11am

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