Formica
Encyclopedia
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, or field ants. Formica is the type genus
Type genus
In biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...
of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae
Formicinae
Formicinae is a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.Formicines retain some primitive features such as the presence of cocoons around pupae, the presence of ocelli in workers, and little tendency toward reduction of palp or antennal segmentation in...
. In turn Formicas own type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is the European red wood ant Formica rufa
Formica rufa
Formica rufa, also known as the southern wood ant or horse ant, is a boreal member of the Formica rufa group of ants, commonly found throughout much of Europe in both coniferous and broad-leaf broken woodland and parkland. Workers can measure 8–10 mm in length...
.
Habitat
As the name wood ant implies, many Formica species live in wooded areas where there exists no shortage of material with which they can thatch their mounds. The most shade tolerant species are F. lugubrisFormica lugubris
Formica lugubris is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. It is found in Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom....
in Eurasia and F. subaenescens (fusca) in North America. However, sunlight is important to most Formica species, and colonies rarely survive for any considerable period in deeply shaded, dense woodland. The majority of species, especially outside the rufa species group, are inhabitants of more open woodlands or treeless grassland or shrubland. In North America, at least, these habitats had a long history of frequent landscape-scale fires that kept them open before European settlement. Conversion to agriculture and fire suppression have reduced the abundance of most American Formica, while the cessation of traditional haycutting seems to have had the same effect in Europe. However, at least a few Formica species may be found in a wide range of habitats from cities to seasides to grasslands to swamps to forests of the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
Nests
Mound building, forest dwelling Formica like F. rufa often have a considerable effect on their environment. They maintain large populations of aphids on whose secretions they feed, and the ants defend them from other predators. They also prey on other insects. In fact in many countries they are introduced in forests to control tree pests, such as swains jack pine sawfly and eastern tent caterpillars in North America. The effects of mound-building grassland species such as F. montana are not well-studied but their local abundance, conspicuous mound-building and very frequent association with aphids and membracids points to a comparably important ecological role.Formica nests are of many different types from simple shaft-and-chamber excavations in soil with a small crater or turret of soil above to large mounds, under stones or logs, or in stumps. None are arboreal. The genus is abundant in both the Nearctic
Nearctic
The Nearctic is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones dividing the Earth's land surface.The Nearctic ecozone covers most of North America, including Greenland and the highlands of Mexico...
and Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
Regions. Due to their relatively large size and diurnal activity, they are among the more commonly seen ants in northern North America.
Most Formica species are polygynous, and some are polydomous.
Some species, including Formica rufa, which is common in Southern England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
, make large visible nests of dry plant stems, leaves, or conifer needles, usually based around a rotting stump. Wood ants typically secrete formic acid
Formic acid
Formic acid is the simplest carboxylic acid. Its chemical formula is HCOOH or HCO2H. It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in the venom of bee and ant stings. In fact, its name comes from the Latin word for ant, formica, referring to its early...
; F. rufa can squirt the acid from its acidopore several feet if alarmed, a habit which may have given rise to the archaic term for ant pismire, and by analogy its American equivalent piss-ant. They can be relatively large: F. rufa workers can reach a maximum length of around 10 mm. The eastern US species F. dolosa and the western F. ravida (=haemorrhoidalis) may reach slightly greater lengths.
"Slave-making" behavior
Formica are notable for their parasitic and slave making behaviors. There are three categories:- In the exsecta and rufa-microgyna groups, virgin queens cannot start colonies on their own, but invade colonies of other groups and by various processes eventually oust the host queen and have the host workers help them raise their own brood. Eventually the colony consists of only the invading queen's offspring. This is called temporary social parasitism.
- In the sanguinea group, colonies are started as above, but then in some species of the group workers go out and raid colonies of other groups for new workers to act as a work force, so-called slaves (but this is a poor analogy). Some species of this group need to do this to survive, for others it is optional.
- The pallidefulva, neogagates, and fusca groups are those most often parasitized by the above groups. They are also enslaved by ants of the genus PolyergusPolyergusPolyergus, also called Amazon ants, is a small genus of 6 described species of "slave-raiding" ants...
. The evolution of this behavior is believed ultimately to have been derived from the common habit of many Formica species of adopting recently mated queens into established colonies. Indeed, in many of the parasitic species outside the "slave-makers", this "secondary polygyny" is common.
Species
There are many species of Formica (ITISIntegrated Taxonomic Information System
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagency group within the U.S...
records nearly 200).
- Formica aquiloniaFormica aquiloniaFormica aquilonia is a species of wood ant of the genus Formica which are widely distributed in Europe and Asia, occurring from Scandinavia in the north to Bulgaria and Italy in the south, and from the UK eastwards through France and Germany to Russia, while they are also found in the coastal areas...
Yarrow - Formica cuniculariaFormica cuniculariaFormica cunicularia is a mining ant of the Formica fusca group. Forelian systematics places it in the subgenus Serviformica. Locally common in southern England, its appearance and habits ally it, to some extent, with Formica rufibarbis, although the former's red markings are far less conspicuous....
LatreillePierre André LatreillePierre André Latreille was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom after recognising a rare species he found in the prison, Necrobia ruficollis... - Formica dirksiFormica dirksiFormica dirksi is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. It is endemic to the United States.-Source:* Social Insects Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
- Formica exsecta Nylander
- Formica exsectoides
- Formica fuscaFormica fuscaFormica fusca, the common black ant of Europe, is a palaearctic ant with a range extending from Portugal in the west to Japan in the east and from Italy in the south to Fennoscandia in the north. F...
Linnaeus (F. (Serviformica) fusca) - Formica gagatoides Ruzsky, 1904
- Formica lemani Bondroit
- Formica lugubrisFormica lugubrisFormica lugubris is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. It is found in Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom....
Zetterstedt - Formica obscuripesFormica obscuripesFormica obscuripes is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. Endemic to North America, F. obscuripes produces large mounds covered by small pieces of plant material. The number of adult workers per colony may reach as high as 35,000 - 40,000. F...
Forel, 1886 - Formica podzolica
- Formica polyctenaFormica polyctenaFormica polyctena is a species of European red wood ant in the family Formicidae. It is found in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden,...
- Formica pratensisFormica pratensisFormica pratensis is a species of European red wood ant in the family Formicidae. It is found in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Latviania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and...
Retzius - Formica rufaFormica rufaFormica rufa, also known as the southern wood ant or horse ant, is a boreal member of the Formica rufa group of ants, commonly found throughout much of Europe in both coniferous and broad-leaf broken woodland and parkland. Workers can measure 8–10 mm in length...
Linnaeus - Formica rufibarbisFormica rufibarbisFormica rufibarbis is a European formicine ant of the Formica fusca group. In the classification by Auguste Forel, it is treated in the subgenus Serviformica....
F. - Formica sanguineaFormica sanguineaFormica sanguinea is a species of slavemaker ant. It ranges from Central and Northern Europe through Russia to Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula. This species is colored red and black with workers up to 7 mm long. Its common name comes from their practice of enslaving other species of...
LatreillePierre André LatreillePierre André Latreille was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom after recognising a rare species he found in the prison, Necrobia ruficollis...
FabriciusJohan Christian FabriciusJohan Christian Fabricius was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others...
- enslaves other ant species - Formica talbotaeFormica talbotaeFormica talbotae is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. It is endemic to the United States.-Source:* Social Insects Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
- Formica transkaucasica Nasonov
- Formica uralensisFormica uralensisFormica uralensis is a species of ant in the Formicidae family. It is found in Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine.-Source:...