Ant in Singapore

Request help to identify insects or other creatures. Please post the location that the insect you want to identify came from, this will help greatly in species determination.
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jayup98
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Ant in Singapore

Post by jayup98 »

Hi, this is a really common ant, but I can't seem to identify it, some help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

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Trehopr1
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Re: Ant in Singapore

Post by Trehopr1 »

Your best bet in identifying this species of ant is in finding a Singapore "field guide" to common insects or a website dedicated to insects of Singapore.

While we do try here to be "worldly" in our identifications of insects (here); there are some questions which are simply too specific and cannot necessarily be answered here.

The ant family (Formicidae) at present is "estimated" to have at least 22,000 distinct species. So far, nearly 14,000 species have positively been identified (throughout the world); making it a very large and complex family of insects. To the best of my knowledge no one here is a specialist (of any kind) on ants.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the fauna of both the US and Europe is far better known than that of the rest of the world. It is here where the bulk of histories entomologists and insect enthusiasts have lived, studied, and amassed tremendous libraries (museums) of insect life on this planet.

Basically, most other countries (outside of the realm mentioned) have AT BEST only a "fledgling" status of understanding of anything much of their insect fauna. Perhaps, only in these last 40 or 50 years has the science of entomology (taken root) in countries generally associated with Europe or the US.
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adamcotton
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Re: Ant in Singapore

Post by adamcotton »

Impressive zoom function on the super photo you posted. I agree with Trehopr1, it will be very difficult to identify the ant here, or most other places for that matter.

By the way, since you seem to be keen on nature photography, did you know Sunny Chir from Singapore, who sadly died in 2018? He was a good friend of my late friend here, and I met him when he visited Chiang Mai.

Adam.
jayup98
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Re: Ant in Singapore

Post by jayup98 »

Hi Trehopr1,

Thanks so much for your advice. It's really inspiring to learn from forums compared to reading articles.

I'm only a leisure wildlife enthusiast and have much to learn from experts like you. It is eye-opening for me to learn how vast the diversity of insects even within the ant family itself.

Thankfully I have managed to find a couple of Singapore ant wikis to aid my exploration. I found that the ant in the picture is probably a Golden Ant (Polyrhachis beccarii). They are easily sighted here, but I always see them isolated, so I haven't been able to locate a colony.
jayup98
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Re: Ant in Singapore

Post by jayup98 »

Hi Adam,

All thanks to today's photographic tools, the photos they produce leave us in wonder.

I have no impression of Sunny. But as a nature lover I'm sure he must have led a fulfilling life.
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Trehopr1
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Re: Ant in Singapore

Post by Trehopr1 »

I'm happy to have been of some help to you.

The realm of insects is vast, fascinating, and fairly complicated. Where possible, I try to steer questions to the right sources or experts for the proper answers.

I enjoy your participation in our forum and your photography indeed is quite impressive !
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