Larger than the usual queens I find around here, bright orange abdomen, and found living in a aphaenogaster colony
Single worker individual found in a walnut with a mixed group of Temnothorax ambiguus and Temnothorax longispinosus workers. No queen.
Found this queen attempting to infiltrate a T. longispinosus colony, presumably directly after a nuptial flight. Several other mature colonies were found present in the area located in acorns. Colonies had mixed hosts of T. longispinosus and T. curvispinosus. Habitat was a deciduous forest, ground cover was mostly open with a dense leaf litter layer and sparse shrubbery.
apologies for the awful picture, but you can see a black worker and several yellow workers.
Collected with Berlese funnel. Soil sample taken from sandhill forest remnant dominated with various oaks, including Water, Turkey, Scarlet, White, and Red. Other ants present in soil sample were Solenopsis sp., Strumigenys talpa, Brachymyrmex depilis, Pheidole flavens-group sp., and Nylanderia sp.. Soil was primarily sand-based.