Formica rufa, also known as the
southern wood ant or
horse ant, is a
borealBoreal may refer to*Boreal ecosystem**Boreal climate, the climate found in a region of boreal forests, and designated Dfc, Dwc or Dsc in the Köppen climate classification scheme.*Boreal Forest of Canada*Boreal owl...
member of the
Formica rufa groupThe Formica rufa group is a sub-generic group within the genus Formica, first proposed by Wheeler.It contains the large, mound-building species of Formica commonly termed "wood ants".The British members of the Formica rufa group are as follows:...
of
antAnts are social insects of the family Formicidae , and along with the related wasps and bees, they 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...
s, commonly found throughout southern
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in both coniferous and broad-leaf broken woodland and parkland. They are the largest native ant species of the British Isles, workers can measure 8–10 mm in length. They have large mandibles and like many other ant species they are able to dispense
formic acidFormic acid is the simplest carboxylic acid. Its formula is HCOOH or CH2O2. It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in the venom of bee and ant stings.In nature, it is found in the stings and bites of many insects of the order...
from their abdomens as a defence.
Formica rufa, also known as the
southern wood ant or
horse ant, is a
borealBoreal may refer to*Boreal ecosystem**Boreal climate, the climate found in a region of boreal forests, and designated Dfc, Dwc or Dsc in the Köppen climate classification scheme.*Boreal Forest of Canada*Boreal owl...
member of the
Formica rufa groupThe Formica rufa group is a sub-generic group within the genus Formica, first proposed by Wheeler.It contains the large, mound-building species of Formica commonly termed "wood ants".The British members of the Formica rufa group are as follows:...
of
antAnts are social insects of the family Formicidae , and along with the related wasps and bees, they 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...
s, commonly found throughout southern
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in both coniferous and broad-leaf broken woodland and parkland. They are the largest native ant species of the British Isles, workers can measure 8–10 mm in length. They have large mandibles and like many other ant species they are able to dispense
formic acidFormic acid is the simplest carboxylic acid. Its formula is HCOOH or CH2O2. It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in the venom of bee and ant stings.In nature, it is found in the stings and bites of many insects of the order...
from their abdomens as a defence. Formic acid was first extracted in 1671 by the English naturalist
John RayJohn Ray was an English naturalist, sometimes referred to as the father of English natural history. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', 'having ascertained that such had been the practice of his family before him.' He published important works on plants,...
by distilling a large number of crushed ants of this species.
A common diet for a wood ant colony is invertebrates found around the nest, particularly aphids harvested from the surrounding trees, although they are voracious scavengers. Nests of these ants are large, conspicuous, dome-shaped edifices, usually situated in woodland clearings, where the sun's rays cannot reach them.
F. rufa is commonly used in forestry and is often introduced into an area as a form of pest management.
F. rufa is highly polygynous and often re-adopts post-nuptial queens from its own mother colony, leading to old, multi gallery nests which may contain well over a hundred egg-producing females. These colonies can often measure several metres in height and diameter.
Formica rufa is aggressively territorial, and will often attack and remove other ant species from the area.
Nuptial flightNuptial flight is an important phase in the reproduction of most ant and some bee species . During the flight, virgin queens mate with males and then land to start a new colony, or, in the case of honey bees, continue the planned succession of an existing hived colony.- Before the flight :A mature...
s take place during the springtime and are often marked by savage battles between neighbouring colonies as territorial boundaries are re-established.
Workers show considerable polymorphism and it has been noted that larger individuals forage further away from the nest.
The species can also establish nests using the mechanism of temporary social parasitism, the hosts being species of the
Formica fusca group, notably
F. fuscaFormica fusca, the common black ant of Europe, is a palaearctic ant with a range extending from Portugal in the east to Japan in the west and from Italy in the south to Fennoscandia in the north. F...
and
F. lemani, although incipient
F. rufa colonies have also been recorded from nests of
F. glebaria,
F. cunniculariaFormica 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....
and similar species including the
LasiusLasius Latr. is a genus of boreal formicine ants.Included within this genus is the common black garden ant, Lasius niger, and its close relatives from dry heathland, L. alienus and L. neoniger....
genus.
Bee paralysis virus
In 2008, the Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) was reported for the first time in this species and another species of ant,
Camponotus vagusCamponotus vagus is a species of large, black, West Palaearctic carpenter ant with a wide range that includes much of Europe, a large area of Asia, and part of Africa.-Description:...
. CPPV affects
beeBees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s, ants, and
miteMites, along with ticks, belong to the subclass Acarina and the class Arachnida. Mites are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups. They have exploited an incredible array of habitats, and because of their small size most go totally unnoticed...
s.
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