Tonight’s challenge is aimed firmly at the ant enthusiasts, testing advanced knowledge of both myrmecological geography and collecting techniques.
Photographed in Kibale forest, Uganda
Which of the following ants are most likely to be recorded from the array pictured above?
To win all 10 points for this week’s mystery, you have to be the first person to correctly pick the most likely samples, with no errors.
The cumulative points winner for the month of November will win their choice of 1) any 8×10-sized print from my insect photography galleries, or 2) a guest post here on Myrmecos.
Good luck!
A personal blog by Illinois-based biologist and photographer Alex Wild.
I’m guessing Just D.
D, G, I
F, G, I
B, D, F, G, I
E F G I
(with a side note) Just my opinion, but ya shoulda’ included a teddy bear Tetramorium.
D!
I don’t know if it will get me any points, but I’ll just add that this is winkler sifting, which is done on leaf litter/soil collections, so the arboreal ants pictured above (like C, a Pseudomyrmecine) are unlikely candidates.
B D F G
Thaumatomyrmex (B), Prionopelta (D), Wasmannia auropunctata (F), Brachymyrmex (G) — all Neotropical ground or leaf-litter nesters.
Definitely wont get Azteca? (A); Tetraponera (C, wrong biogeo. region!); Old World Tetramorium (E, wrong region); Polyrhachis (H, wrong region); New World Tetramorium (I, presumably Nearctic).
Extracted via Maxiwinkler leaf litter samples (as in the image provided) or quantitative miniwinks.
OK — and as far as “collecting likely” from the winklers goes: D, F, G. Thaumatomyrmex is uncommon. Prionopelta will be most common in Neotropical samples, somewhat rare in Afrotropical samples. Wasmannia auropunctata: not happening in Afrotropics.
Ok, ok, also: A, C, H, arboreal; the two species of Tetramorium may best be collected via other techniques.
Polyrhachis (H), look twice …
I mean, Polyrhachis (H)? Look twice.
E is not a tricky Tetramorium but is still in the wrong region because it’s Podomyrma adelaidae (aka spotted muscleman tree ant), an Australian arboreal-nesting Myrmicine. And in my backyard it comes down out of the trees to forage on/or close to the ground which could mean leaf litter.
Good point KMS! I am showing my biogeographic knowledge-bias here
F, H
Oh! I forgot about the biogeography element… D and G then.
Oh rats. I missed the image caption. I thought we were shooting for Neotropical leaf litter ants >_<
(you win)
None – the photographed ants are all alive.
D!
Oh, yesterday I thought that it was about the imaged genus and not the particular species. Well, then I agree with Marek: only D & G!!