Formica rufa species group

The ''Formica rufa'' group is a subgeneric group within the genus ''Formica'', first proposed by William Morton Wheeler. This group contains the mound-building species of ''Formica'' commonly termed "wood ants" or "thatch-mound ants", which build prominent nests consisting of a mound of grass, litter, or conifer needles. The species ''Formica rufa'' or the red wood ant is the type species of this subgroup.

This particular group can inhabit open deciduous woodlands, dense pine forests, and even moorland. Workers vary in size, the largest reaching about long. They can produce formic acid in their abdomens and eject it in the air when threatened.Dr Timothy Batchelo
Msu.edu - Southern red wood ant Formica rufa
/ref> The only function of males is to mate in flight with queens. Species previously attributed to the ''Microgyna'' group were transferred to the '' F. rufa'' group by the Wheelers in 1986.

Colonies

The genetic relationships in ''F. rufa'' group colonies can be complex. Colonies can be polygynous (having multiple queens) and these are often polydomous (having multiple nests per colony). Queens may be singly or multiply mated, and in polygynous colonies, may or may not be related. Colonies are rarely, if ever, independently formed. They either bud off from existing colonies, or are formed by temporary social parasitism of colonies of '' F. fusca'' or other closely related species. A wood ant queen ousts the existing queen, lays eggs, and the ''F. fusca'' workers raise her offspring until the nest is taken over. Some species in the ''F. rufa'' group sometimes form enormous "supercolonies" consisting of hundreds or thousands of nests. The largest documented example is an ''F. yessensis'' colony in Japan covering containing an estimated 306 million workers and 1 million queens.

Member species

European species include:
*''Formica aquilonia'' Yarrow, 1955
*''Formica lugubris'' Zetterstedt, 1838
*'' Formica paralugubris'' Seifert, 1996
*''Formica polyctena'' Förster, 1850
*''Formica pratensis'' Retzius, 1783
*''Formica rufa'' Linnaeus, 1761

North American species include:
*'' Formica ciliata'' Mayr, 1886
*'' Formica coloradensis'' Creighton, 1940
*'' Formica comata'' Wheeler, 1909
*''Formica criniventris'' Wheeler, 1912
*''Formica dakotensis'' Emery, 1893
*''Formica fossaceps'' Buren, 1942
*''Formica integra'' Nylander, 1856
*''Formica integroides'' Emery, 1913
*''Formica laeviceps'' Creighton, 1940
*''Formica microgyna'' Wheeler, 1903
*''Formica mucescens'' Wheeler, 1913
*''Formica obscuripes'' Forel, 1886
*''Formica obscuriventris'' Mayr, 1970
*'' Formica oreas'' Wheeler, 1903
*'' Formica planipilis'' Creighton, 1940
*'' Formica propinqua'' Creighton, 1940
*''Formica ravida'' Creighton, 1940
*'' Formica reflexa'' Buren, 1942
*'' Formica subnitens'' Creighton, 1940

Asian species
*'' Formica yessensis''

See also

*'' Pissant''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3748275

rufa species group
Insect species groups