Shiny gaster, hairy rear of head, size >6.5 mm based on comparison with tetramorium immigrans (the tetra worker was pretty normal size, 3-5 mm, I have measured tetramorium against a ruler in the past and I know this one was not unusually small)
I couldn't see what they were raiding, but Formica dolosa is present here, as is incerta, neogagates group, exectoides, integra, and something that I suspect is difficilis group but have yet to ID
EDIT: I have since confirmed that the neogagates group here are F. lasiodes and the suspected difficilis group ones are F. difficilis
Found outside at night, keys to M. latifrons here https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Key_to_Myrmica_of_North_America#22A
I have more pics if needed
This had wings, but they came off in handling, likely a mated queen
Queen landed on me to remove her wings
Ant is around 3.2 mm long, mesosomal hairs are up to 0.03 mm long
note that this is at 1500ft elevation in the southern adirondacks, the flora here is closer to what you find at the summit of Gore Mountain ski area than what you would find in Saratoga Springs
In the past I believe I have seen this colony enslave F. subsericea
lack of pubescence on T3
Got stung by this
Dark with bicolored antenna
Nest under rock was still busy in 42F weather
Taken from nest under rock
Observation of the thing it it's mouth is here https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/184186349
There were 2 pallidifulva-group ants at this site, 1 looked like the southern NY dark morph incerta to the naked eye, but a little small. I didn't get a picture of those, but then there were these larger brighter ones that looked similar to dolosa with the naked eye, but the gaster does not look pubescent enough on close up
First time I've confirmed a worker at 1500 ft elevation
These were coming from a nondescript hole in the mossy ground, with no mound like the neighboring neoniger had, and they looked bigger and darker than surrounding neoniger
Observation is for the ant
Queen
Harpagoxenus, Temnothorax, and Leptothorax wilsoni ruled out by 6 teeth on mandible (visible in microscope, but my microscope can't steady specimens for imaging in face view)
Formicoxenus ruled out by lack of eye hairs
Leptothorax sphagnicola ruled out by lack of erect hairs on scape and tibia (images 5 and 6)
Leptothorax muscorum group ruled out by notched clypeus (again can't image face view in microscope)
Note that this is at 1500ft elevation in the southern adirondacks, the flora here is closer to what you find at the summit of Gore Mountain ski area than what you would find anywhere else in Saratoga County, and other northern ants are also present, this Formica aserva obs: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/160980865 was only 38 m away from where I found the Leptothorax
EDIT: Corrected 38 ft to 38 m
can't tell if there are some erect hairs in the scape, or if those were appressed hairs that I roughed up handling the ant
Using this key, https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Key_to_Myrmica_of_North_America taking the path 1-2*-3-4-15-17-18*-19-22-23-fracticornis*
*means I determined this based on range rather than characteristics