Leafcutter's Oecophylla smaragdina (Australian)

User avatar
Leafcutter
Minim
Posts: 256
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2015 4:12 pm

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by Leafcutter » Sat Apr 16, 2016 9:03 pm

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


Atta cephalotes (2019)
Camponotus detritus (2018)
Camponotus maculatus (2018)

User avatar
Leafcutter
Minim
Posts: 256
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2015 4:12 pm

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by Leafcutter » Sun Apr 17, 2016 2:59 pm

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Atta cephalotes (2019)
Camponotus detritus (2018)
Camponotus maculatus (2018)

User avatar
Acromyrmexbob
Site Admin
Posts: 2199
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2015 10:32 pm

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by Acromyrmexbob » Sun Apr 17, 2016 5:47 pm

Raj, they look great. Have you been bitten yet. I remember in Africa when I was collecting them I used the Acro approach to collecting, no gloves. It was an amazing feeling. Not cutting the skin but very nearly. At the point where the pain was just bearable and no more. Worse than an Acro, not as bad as a soldier atta. The green ones are identical. Should be a gas with colonies of a few thousand!

RichardP
Worker
Posts: 437
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 10:30 am

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by RichardP » Sun Apr 17, 2016 5:52 pm

Great looking ant.. really interesting.... Hmmm... next project..?

User avatar
Leafcutter
Minim
Posts: 256
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2015 4:12 pm

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by Leafcutter » Sun Apr 17, 2016 8:42 pm

Acromyrmexbob wrote:Raj, they look great. Have you been bitten yet. I remember in Africa when I was collecting them I used the Acro approach to collecting, no gloves. It was an amazing feeling. Not cutting the skin but very nearly. At the point where the pain was just bearable and no more. Worse than an Acro, not as bad as a soldier atta. The green ones are identical. Should be a gas with colonies of a few thousand!
No, I haven't been bitten. I try to put my finger near the workers but they just run away scared! You were collecting O. longinoda, fantastic looking species, more akin to the Asian Oecophylla smaragdina in size, dark brown in colour.

Atta cephalotes (2019)
Camponotus detritus (2018)
Camponotus maculatus (2018)

User avatar
Andyj
Site Admin
Posts: 505
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 7:26 pm
Location: Sunny Devon
Contact:

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by Andyj » Sun Apr 17, 2016 9:59 pm

In another life i would try these again, great fun whilst the colony is small enough but my god to they grow fast even with one queen. Feeding was a nightmare i remember, the slightest disturbance and out they all came....gnashing... :) They love hot spots right under a heat lamp for their larvae. Sadly for me they had to go after about 4 months together with all my ants due to a personal crisis. Never did find out how they did.

Here's a small vid i made of my boring brown ones :)


User avatar
Leafcutter
Minim
Posts: 256
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2015 4:12 pm

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by Leafcutter » Mon Apr 18, 2016 8:23 pm

My observations so far
  • The older generation workers have darker green abdomens, as opposed to the light, emerald green abdomens of the new workers. This possibly suggests the workers change colour over time.

    The Queen has a relatively light emerald green abdomen and lighter body suggesting she is a fairly new Queen. I have heard of maturing Queens having darker bodies but have yet to verify that claim with personal experience.

    When I mist the tank, the ants try to go back to the test tubes, suggesting that in both captivity and nature, they are aware of the rainy seasons and quickly retreat to safety from the rain

    The growth rate is very high! New workers are eclosing from their pupae form everyday and the time from egg-to-larva is quite short.

Atta cephalotes (2019)
Camponotus detritus (2018)
Camponotus maculatus (2018)

User avatar
Leafcutter
Minim
Posts: 256
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2015 4:12 pm

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by Leafcutter » Tue Apr 19, 2016 6:10 pm

Spotted two newly eclosed media workers today. Slightly larger ants and a lot more aggressive, can't wait for the majors... :D.

Atta cephalotes (2019)
Camponotus detritus (2018)
Camponotus maculatus (2018)

User avatar
Deansie26
Major
Posts: 1237
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 3:30 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by Deansie26 » Tue Apr 19, 2016 6:48 pm

If you start a non leafcutter section thread I'll move the posts for you Raj, be a good journal

User avatar
Leafcutter
Minim
Posts: 256
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2015 4:12 pm

Re: Trip thread: Australia and South Korea

Post by Leafcutter » Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:01 pm

Deansie26 wrote:If you start a non leafcutter section thread I'll move the posts for you Raj, be a good journal
I'd move them myself but since you're here, I'll let you do it Jamie :D.

Atta cephalotes (2019)
Camponotus detritus (2018)
Camponotus maculatus (2018)

Post Reply