QuoteMy favorite invertebrate is Formica pacifica. They are very pretty diurnal foragers in my area. Originally adapted to rocky stream beds and other open habitats, they have adapted well to paved urban areas. There is a colony that lives at the top of my driveway in a utility access point. They have great big eyes and beautiful silky silver pubescence.
I am particularly attached to these neighbors because the best ant photograph I've ever taken was of one of them, and the only time I've corresponded with professional myrmecologist John Longino was when he verified the species I.D. from that photo.
I've kept other species of ants as pets, but F. pacifica nests are marvellously inaccessible because they nest under the pavement.