Lasius claviger citronella ants
Vermillion River Observatory, Illinois
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Compare:
Lasius claviger at f/3.5
Lasius claviger at f/13
I wouldn't say that either image is better. The first is dreamier, more abstract, more interpretive. The second is crisp and illustrative. Quite a difference for a small tweaking of camera settings!
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Do you know the distribution of the claviger group ants? I recently found a colony near Querétaro, Mexio. I don't think they go much further south than that.
And, why do they smell like citronella?
Thanks for commenting, Michael. I do not know how far south these guys get- presumably their range will map to that of their host species, and that should be somewhere in Mexico...
If I remember correctly, the citronella odor is an alarm pheromone from the mandibular gland.