Cataglyphis velox – Colony with queen and workers
Colony of desert ants, the large red and black Cataglyphis velox
You'll love it:
- ❤️ Beautiful color and presence of several castes: minor, media and major,
- ❤️ Large major worker ants up to 12mm long and 22x heavier than minor ants,
- ❤️ Lively and active, can run up to 3km/h (a record among ants!)
- ❤️ Excellent vision, well-developed intelligence, and good memory
- ❤️ Recognizes the landscape, orients itself with the stars, and counts its steps!
- ❤️ Good hunter, easy to feed with sugary liquids, jellies, and fresh insects
Description
Discover the Cataglyphis velox – The desert sprinter
Introducing Cataglyphis velox:
This fascinating species is renowned for its lightning speed and remarkable ability to navigate in extreme environments. It takes advantage of the absence of predators during the hottest parts of the day to hunt without risk. Native to the hot, arid regions of the Mediterranean basin, this large, thermophilic ant is remarkably adaptable and, thanks to its size and color, is very pleasant to keep.
With its exploratory behavior, Cataglyphis velox is able to find its way back to its nest using the sun, combining polarized light perception and counting steps—a fascinating feat of orientation to observe. In captivity, it is ideal to provide it with a large foraging area with a desert-like decor heated by an infrared lamp or a heating cable under the sand.
🌡️ Recommended breeding conditions
- Ideal temperature : approximately 27–32°C during the day; provide a warm spot and observe if ants settle there.
- Humidity : low in the hunting area, moderate humidification of the nest (always maintain a small humid area)
- Food : fresh insects (crickets, flies, worms), sugary liquids (diluted honey, protein syrup, etc.)
- Wintering : A winter break of a few weeks at 15–18°C can stimulate the biological cycle.
🏠 Recommended installation
Cataglyphis velox will appreciate our spacious, premium-finished foraging areas (such as the 35x15cm Observation Areas) and will adapt perfectly to Fourmiculture ant farms like the Minora for starting a colony. Avoid overly humid environments, which can harm the larvae during molting into cocoons. Providing a water dish is ideal. However, do not allow the inside of the nest to dry out completely; a water dish does not replace the humidity found underground.
Note
- Polygynous species : may contain a few queens per nest, and up to several thousand workers (approximately 5000 maximum).
- It does not possess true coordinated hunting behavior: the workers go out exploring individually.
- Diurnal species : their activity is mainly visible during the day.
Adopt a colony of Cataglyphis velox and immerse yourself in the fascinating world of desert ants. Perfect for experienced keepers or those curious to discover a lively and independent species, this ant offers a fascinating glimpse into adaptation to extreme climates.
Additional information
| Number of female workers | 1 queen + 11 to 25 workers , 1 queen + 26 to 50 workers , 1 queen + 5 to 10 workers |
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