Myrmica ruginodis
Encyclopedia
Myrmica ruginodis is a species
of ant
that lives in northern parts of Europe and Asia. It is very similar to M. rubra
, but has a more northerly and higher-altitude distribution. Overwintering larvae may become either workers or queen ant
s, with up to 20 queens living in a colony of up to 2,500 individuals. Two subspecies are recognised, differing in the relative size of the queen.
, another common species across much of Eurasia. They differ in the shape of the base of the antennae
, which are curved in M. ruginodis and sharply angled in M. rubra, and in the spines projecting from the back of the thorax
– in M. ruginodis, these are as long as the distance between their tips, while in M. rubra, they are shorter.
s and latitude
s than M. rubra
. Its range
extends from Western Europe
to Japan
, and from Italy
in the south to the Norwegian North Cape
in the north. M. ruginodis is the only species of ant to have been recorded from all of the vice-counties into which the British Isles
are divided for the purposes of biological recording, including the Channel Islands
, and the only ant species present in Shetland, where it is "locally common".
It is "very abundant" in European woodland
and moorland
, especially above an altitude of 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft), where it replaces M. rubra. The diet of M. ruginodis usually consists of small insect
s and other arthropod
s, but may also include any carcasses of bird
s and mammal
s found while foraging.
e. The larvae which have experienced the cold weather of a winter can develop into either workers or queens
, and the specialisation into castes
occurs only about a week before the end of the larval growth. A queen lays eggs
throughout the spring and summer, and these larvae form two broods, with different rates of development. The fast brood develop within three months, and become workers; the slow brood take a year to develop and are the larvae which overwinter and develop into queens or workers. Each colony contains 1,200 to 2,500 individuals, including 10–20 queens. Mating flights take place in July and August.
by the Finnish biologist William Nylander
in 1846. It has been divided into two subspecies
, based on the size of the queens. One, M. r. macrogyna, has queens significantly larger than the workers, while the other, M. r. microgyna, has queens of a similar size to the workers. M. r. microgyna has a different distribution to M. r. macrogyna (restricted to north-western Great Britain, for instance), and also differs from M. r. macrogyna in that the colonies also reproduce by "budding
", while M. r. macrogyna only reproduces through mating flights.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
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...
that lives in northern parts of Europe and Asia. It is very similar to M. rubra
Myrmica rubra
Myrmica rubra, also known as the European fire ant or common red ant, is a species of ant of the genus Myrmica, found all over Europe and in some parts of North America and Asia. They are mainly red in colour, with slightly darker pigmentation on the head. The ants live under stones, fallen trees,...
, but has a more northerly and higher-altitude distribution. Overwintering larvae may become either workers or queen ant
Queen ant
A queen ant is an adult, reproducing female ant in an ant colony; generally she will be the mother of all the other ants in that colony. Some female ants do not need to mate to produce offspring, reproducing through asexual parthenogenesis or cloning and all of those offspring will be female.Ant...
s, with up to 20 queens living in a colony of up to 2,500 individuals. Two subspecies are recognised, differing in the relative size of the queen.
Description
There is a close resemblance between Myrmica ruginodis and Myrmica rubraMyrmica rubra
Myrmica rubra, also known as the European fire ant or common red ant, is a species of ant of the genus Myrmica, found all over Europe and in some parts of North America and Asia. They are mainly red in colour, with slightly darker pigmentation on the head. The ants live under stones, fallen trees,...
, another common species across much of Eurasia. They differ in the shape of the base of the antennae
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
, which are curved in M. ruginodis and sharply angled in M. rubra, and in the spines projecting from the back of the thorax
Thorax (insect anatomy)
The thorax is the mid section of the insect body. It holds the head, legs, wings and abdomen. It is also called mesosoma in other arthropods....
– in M. ruginodis, these are as long as the distance between their tips, while in M. rubra, they are shorter.
Distribution and ecology
Myrmica ruginodis is found across the northern Palaearctic region, at higher altitudeAltitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
s and latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
s than M. rubra
Myrmica rubra
Myrmica rubra, also known as the European fire ant or common red ant, is a species of ant of the genus Myrmica, found all over Europe and in some parts of North America and Asia. They are mainly red in colour, with slightly darker pigmentation on the head. The ants live under stones, fallen trees,...
. Its range
Range (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
extends from Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the south to the Norwegian North Cape
North Cape, Norway
North Cape is a cape on the island of Magerøya in Northern Norway, in the municipality of Nordkapp. Its 307 m high, steep cliff is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, located at , 2102.3 km from the North Pole. However, the neighbouring point Knivskjellodden is actually...
in the north. M. ruginodis is the only species of ant to have been recorded from all of the vice-counties into which the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
are divided for the purposes of biological recording, including the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
, and the only ant species present in Shetland, where it is "locally common".
It is "very abundant" in European woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
and moorland
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
, especially above an altitude of 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft), where it replaces M. rubra. The diet of M. ruginodis usually consists of small insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and other arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s, but may also include any carcasses of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s and mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s found while foraging.
Life cycle
Myrmica ruginodis overwinters as larvaLarva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e. The larvae which have experienced the cold weather of a winter can develop into either workers or queens
Queen ant
A queen ant is an adult, reproducing female ant in an ant colony; generally she will be the mother of all the other ants in that colony. Some female ants do not need to mate to produce offspring, reproducing through asexual parthenogenesis or cloning and all of those offspring will be female.Ant...
, and the specialisation into castes
Eusociality
Eusociality is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification....
occurs only about a week before the end of the larval growth. A queen lays eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
throughout the spring and summer, and these larvae form two broods, with different rates of development. The fast brood develop within three months, and become workers; the slow brood take a year to develop and are the larvae which overwinter and develop into queens or workers. Each colony contains 1,200 to 2,500 individuals, including 10–20 queens. Mating flights take place in July and August.
Taxonomic history
Myrmica ruginodis was first describedAlpha taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...
by the Finnish biologist William Nylander
William Nylander
William Nylander was a Finnish botanist and entomologist.Nylander taught at the University of Helsinki for a number of years before later moving to Paris, where he was to live until his death in 1899....
in 1846. It has been divided into two subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, based on the size of the queens. One, M. r. macrogyna, has queens significantly larger than the workers, while the other, M. r. microgyna, has queens of a similar size to the workers. M. r. microgyna has a different distribution to M. r. macrogyna (restricted to north-western Great Britain, for instance), and also differs from M. r. macrogyna in that the colonies also reproduce by "budding
Budding
Budding is a form of asexual reproduction in which a new organism grows on another one. The new organism remains attached as it grows, separating from the parent organism only when it is mature. Since the reproduction is asexual, the newly created organism is a clone and is genetically identical...
", while M. r. macrogyna only reproduces through mating flights.