Plagiolepis pygmaea
DifficultyIntermediate · 5/7
Species comparison
Plagiolepis pygmaea vs Solenopsis fugax
Side by side: difficulty, size, growth, climate, hibernation and nuptial flights, from the data and sources of each species sheet.
Head to head
| Plagiolepis pygmaea | Fact | Solenopsis fugax |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping | ||
| Difficulty | ||
Easier5/7 Intermediate | Difficulty | 7/7 Advanced |
| Escape risk | ||
High | Escape risk | High |
| Diet | ||
SugarInsects | Diet | InsectsSugar |
| Best nests | ||
Ytong nest · Sandwich nest · Test tube setup | Best nests | Acrylic nest · Ytong nest · Test tube setup |
| Colony | ||
| Growth | ||
Moderate | Growth | Moderate |
| Colony size | ||
Reaches 5,000 workers | Colony size | No data yet |
| Workers | ||
1.3–2 mm All the same size | Workers | 1.5–2.5 mm All the same size |
| Queen | ||
3–4.5 mm | Queen | 4–6.5 mm |
| Colony founding | ||
Fully claustral Several queens | Colony founding | Fully claustral One or more queens |
| Defense | ||
Bites · Sprays formic acid | Defense | Bites · Stings |
| Climate | ||
| Nest temperature | ||
21–28 °C | Nest temperature | 21–28 °C |
| Nest humidity | ||
50–60 % | Nest humidity | 50–70 % |
| Hibernation | ||
10–15 °C Nov – Feb | Hibernation | 5–10 °C Nov – Feb |
| Nuptial flights | ||
Jun – Aug | Nuptial flights | Aug – Oct Hot days |
| Native range | ||
Europe, Middle East | Native range | Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Asia |
Size to scale
Plagiolepis pygmaea
Workers · 1.3–2 mmQueen · 3–4.5 mmSolenopsis fugax
Workers · 1.5–2.5 mmQueen · 4–6.5 mm
Their year side by side
Plagiolepis pygmaea : Hibernation: Nov – Feb, Nuptial flights: Jun – Aug
Solenopsis fugax : Hibernation: Nov – Feb, Nuptial flights: Aug – Oct
Months for temperate Europe and the Mediterranean. The weather decides the exact days, so flights can come earlier or later where you live.
How to tell them apart
Plagiolepis pygmaea
Minute, shiny brown to blackish workers, often with paler yellowish legs and antennae, so small they look like moving specks, and with abdomens that swell round when they are full of liquid food. Several very similar Plagiolepis species exist, so a sure identification needs a microscope: the differences are tiny details such as the proportions of the antennal segments.
- Tip Offer sugar as a smear of crystallized honey or on a tiny scrap of foil, and keep any cotton only lightly moist: a single drop or a soggy plug can trap or drown several workers at once.
- Watch out Plan the escape barrier before the first workers hatch, and watch every joint: workers crowd into the thin gap between a test tube and its plug or a connecting tube, and Italian keepers lost many there, either crushed when the plastic expanded again after the winter rest or killed by accident when the plug was opened.
Solenopsis fugax
Tiny pale yellow to brownish-yellow workers with minute eyes that live underground and are rarely seen at the surface, while the queens are far bigger, usually dark brown to blackish, and are easily mistaken for Tetramorium or Plagiolepis queens. Several European thief ants look almost the same, so a sure name needs a microscope.
- Watch out Do not trust plaster, hot glue or even silicone to hold these workers: an experienced keeper reports that they dig through all three, that only masonry filler lasted, and that the escapes then come through tube connections and glass joints. Seal every join and keep the whole setup inside a closed box.
- Watch out Never place the nest next to a Lasius or Formica colony. An experienced Italian keeper warns that thief ants find a way to their neighbors and carry off the brood, however much food they get.
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