Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We took a hike out this morning looking for ants and HLs and ran across this female on the firebreak.
We also saw one hatchling, the first one this year!

It's interesting to note the broken horns.
I don't usually see this.

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Cables Home
2 Kings 6:15-17

Hey Cable,

I just found three baby CHLs yesterday in the Oak hills area off the 15 freeway. They were about the size of a nickel, and I'd guess they were probably about a week old, if that. I have a question though. I found ants all over the place there, and some looked like they could've been fire ants, but I am no entomologist so I could be wrong. They looked like Pogonomyrmex californicus, but without the dark abdomen. They were small enough for the hatchlings to eat, so mayeb I'm just worried about nothing. Well, thought I'd put in my two cents.

-Phil

Hi Phil,
Good to hear from you. Also good to hear the Coronatum report! Those ants are probably P. Subnitidus which are also quite common in the hills here where the Coronatum are plentiful.
They have a sting that is at least equal to Rugosus and are much more aggressive.
Cheers!
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Cables Home
2 Kings 6:15-17

I agree, they could well be P. subnitidus, However P. californicus does come in all red as well. The best way to id the two is that P. subnitidus has long spines on the rear end of the thorax, P. californicus does not.