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Project Noah Nature School
Formica obscuripes
Workers variable in size (body length ranging from about 4 to 8 mm) and colour. Larger individuals with head reddish-orange; thorax, legs and antennae reddish-orange to black; abdomen black. Smaller individuals often nearly all black or dark brown.
Grassy field on Annacis Island in the Fraser River delta.
As seen in the last photo, this nest lacked the large mound that is typical of the species. When we arrived at the nest, shortly after noon on a hot, sunny day, only a few workers were visible. More appeared soon after we shaded the nest openings with an umbrella. Some workers were engaged in carrying small pebbles up from the nest and depositing them on the surface.
Spotted on Aug 27, 2017
Submitted on Aug 29, 2017
4 Comments
Thanks, Daniele, for notifying me about the SOTW nomination. Thanks too for your comments, Mark and Brian.
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated CJWhitmill!
Excellent series and spotting.
Great pics CJWhitmill!! It's not easy to good pics of these ants.