Beauty beyond Imagination has captured their attention – Issue #89

Hello Explorer,
My wife and I went exploring a natural piece of bush late afternoon close to Tzaneen a few weeks ago. In a sun fleck my wife spotted her favourite, and one of the most beautiful, ant species in South Africa. On a thick tree branch there was a sparse trail of ants walking up and down the tree, a colony of Silver Spiny Sugar Ants (Polyrhachis schlueteri) was utilising the tree. I took a bunch of photos and collected a specimen for A BugMan’s Ant Project (Yes, the project is still ongoing).
I have previously encountered single ants of this species, but never had the opportunity to photograph and truly admire the species. On the ant group, this species is one of the most coveted species there is, due to their beaty. As the name suggests, they are silver, and the silver you can only really admire in full if you have a live specimen in sunlight. This silver colouration all over the body has had them dubbed the “Chromies” among the ant keepers in South Africa.
Once I got the photos onto the computer and started editing them, I realized that there is so much more going on with their colour than what most people believe. The silver colouration of these ants aren’t just their exoskeletons that are silver. The exoskeleton is completely black, and it is covered in fine silver hairs all over the body.
Unfortunately, the biology, namely the habits, diet, and manners of this species has not yet been documented well. Hopefully we will learn more about this species soon, because I believe that they will exhibit very interesting and unique behaviour!
Have you ever encountered a species that just kept on getting more beautiful as you investigated it more? Which species would you like to see up close and why exactly? When last did you stand still and admire a common species in detail?

If you would like to send me a message with your answers, feel free to do so on Instagram @abugmanslife or via email to [email protected].