Formica rufa group
Encyclopedia
The Formica rufa group is a sub-generic group within the genus Formica
Formica
Formica is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, or field ants. Formica is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae...

, first proposed by William Morton Wheeler
William Morton Wheeler
William Morton Wheeler, Ph.D. was an American entomologist, myrmecologist and Harvard professor.-Early life:...

. It contains the large, mound-building species of Formica commonly termed "wood ants".

The British members of the Formica rufa group are as follows:
  • Formica aquilonia
    Formica aquilonia
    Formica 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 lugubris
    Formica 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....

    Zetterstedt
  • Formica pratensis
    Formica pratensis
    Formica 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 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...

    Linnaeus


This certain breed of ant can inhabit open wood with both hard and soft woods, dense pine forests, and even moor land. These ants are tiny, only about 10 millimeters long. Nevertheless they can produce formic acid in their abdomens and eject it 12 centimetres in the air.

North American members include:
  • Formica integroides
  • Formica obscuripes
    Formica obscuripes
    Formica 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...

  • Formica obscuriventris
  • Formica ravida
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