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66-478: Adformica Lomnicki, 1925 Coptoformica Müller, 1923 Formicina Shuckard, 1840 Neoformica Wheeler, 1913 Raptiformica Forel, 1913 Serviformica Forel, 1913 Formica is a genus of ants of the subfamily Formicinae , including species commonly known as wood ants , mound ants , thatching ants , and field ants . Formica is the type genus of the Formicidae , and of

132-412: A change in the state of the nest itself. During this time, workers, queens, and the brood are transferred from the original nest to the daughter nest in a bilateral direction. The goal is to move to the daughter nest, but the transporting ants may bring an individual back to the original nest. The splitting process may last from a week to over a month. Turnover rate of wood ant nests is very quick. Within

198-549: 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 is arboreal. The genus is abundant in both the Nearctic and Palearctic regions. Due to their relatively large size and diurnal activity, they are among the more commonly seen ants in northern North America. Some species, including F. rufa , which

264-647: A considerable effect on their environments. They maintain large populations of aphids on the secretions of which they feed, and which the ants defend 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 point to

330-574: A continuous food source for the aphids. By doing so, the ants can establish a relatively sustainable honeydew supply for both themselves and their colony. As the name wood ant implies, many Formica species live in wooded areas where no shortage of material exists with which they can thatch their mounds (often called anthills). One shade-tolerant species is F. lugubris . 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

396-407: A genus is determined by taxonomists . The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: Moreover, genera should be composed of phylogenetic units of

462-411: A large number of crushed ants of this species. Adult wood ants primarily feed on honeydew from aphids. Some groups form large networks of connected nests with multiple queen colonies, while others have single-queen colonies. Nests of these ants are large, conspicuous, dome-shaped mounds of grass, twigs, or conifer needles, often built against a rotting stump, usually situated in woodland clearings where

528-651: A later homonym of a validly published name is a nomen illegitimum or nom. illeg. ; for a full list refer to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants and the work cited above by Hawksworth, 2010. In place of the "valid taxon" in zoology, the nearest equivalent in botany is " correct name " or "current name" which can, again, differ or change with alternative taxonomic treatments or new information that results in previously accepted genera being combined or split. Prokaryote and virus codes of nomenclature also exist which serve as

594-516: A living raft to survive the flood. Individual ants tend to take the position in the raft which they held in the past. This return to the same role in the raft is an example of specialization. Formica ants are notable for their socially parasitic behaviors. The three categories are: Some species of this group need to do this to survive, for others it is optional. As of 2018, Formica contains at least 290 extant species and 59 extinct species. Species include: Genus The composition of

660-628: A long time and redescribed as new by a range of subsequent workers, or if a range of genera previously considered separate taxa have subsequently been consolidated into one. For example, the World Register of Marine Species presently lists 8 genus-level synonyms for the sperm whale genus Physeter Linnaeus, 1758, and 13 for the bivalve genus Pecten O.F. Müller, 1776. Within the same kingdom, one generic name can apply to one genus only. However, many names have been assigned (usually unintentionally) to two or more different genera. For example,

726-409: A lot of structural pressure on the above-ground nest that most wood ants have. Wood ants typically have multiple nests so they may relocate in case of drastic changes in the environment. This splitting of nests causes the creation of multiple daughter nests. Several reasons occur as to why wood ants move. Such as a change in availability of food resources, attack by the population of another colony, or

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792-419: A monogamous colony, as a single queen’s reproductive output limits the colony's growth. In a monogamous colony, a new queen will typically leave its nest by flight to find and establish a new nest away from the old one. In a polygynous colony, the new queen will establish its nest nearby, with worker ants helping to connect and create cooperative, large colonies. Polygyny allows for higher genetic diversity within

858-430: A record compilation. The workers' heads and thoraces are colored red and the abdomen brownish-black, usually with dark patches on the head and promensonotum, although some individuals may be more uniform reddish and even have some red on the part of the gaster facing the body. In order to separate them from closely related species, specimens needs to be inspected under magnification, where difference in hairiness are among

924-409: A reference for designating currently accepted genus names as opposed to others which may be either reduced to synonymy, or, in the case of prokaryotes, relegated to a status of "names without standing in prokaryotic nomenclature". An available (zoological) or validly published (botanical) name that has been historically applied to a genus but is not regarded as the accepted (current/valid) name for

990-427: A taxon; however, the names published in suppressed works are made unavailable via the relevant Opinion dealing with the work in question. In botany, similar concepts exist but with different labels. The botanical equivalent of zoology's "available name" is a validly published name . An invalidly published name is a nomen invalidum or nom. inval. ; a rejected name is a nomen rejiciendum or nom. rej. ;

1056-455: A total of c. 520,000 published names (including synonyms) as at end 2019, increasing at some 2,500 published generic names per year. "Official" registers of taxon names at all ranks, including genera, exist for a few groups only such as viruses and prokaryotes, while for others there are compendia with no "official" standing such as Index Fungorum for fungi, Index Nominum Algarum and AlgaeBase for algae, Index Nominum Genericorum and

1122-559: Is common in Southern England , make large, visible thatch nests of dry plant stems, leaves, or conifer needles, usually based around a rotting stump. Most Formica species are polygynous (have multiple queens per colony), and some are polydomous (have multiple nests belonging to the same colony). Queens may be singly or multiply mated, and may or may not be related. Formica polyctena has polygynous colonies. Wood ants typically secrete formic acid ; F. rufa can squirt

1188-612: Is discouraged by both the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants , there are some five thousand such names in use in more than one kingdom. For instance, A list of generic homonyms (with their authorities), including both available (validly published) and selected unavailable names, has been compiled by the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG). The type genus forms

1254-481: Is introduced into an area as a form of pest management. Worker ants in F. rufa have been observed to practice parental care or perform cocoon nursing. A worker ant goes through a sensitive phase, where it becomes accustomed to a chemical stimulus emitted by the cocoon. The sensitive phase occurs at an early and specific period. An experiment was conducted by Moli et al. to test how worker ants react to different types of cocoon: homospecific and heterospecific cocoons. If

1320-592: Is native to Eurasia, with a recorded distribution stretching from the middle of Scandinavia to the northern Iberia and Anatolia , and from Great Britain to Lake Baikal , with unconfirmed reportings of it also to the Russian Far East. There are claims that it can be found in North America, but this is not confirmed in specialised literature, and no recent publication where North American wood ants are listed mentions it as present, while records from North America are all listed as dubious or unconfirmed in

1386-519: Is not the case. Wood ants, particularly those in the Formica species, perform organised and planned attacks on other ant colonies or insects. These planned attacks are motivated by territory expansion, resource acquisition, and brood capture. Raids are performed at certain times of the year, when resources may need restocking, and during the day when ants are most active. Organised and cooperative strategies for raiding are more specific tactics used by

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1452-460: Is somewhat arbitrary. Although all species within a genus are supposed to be "similar", there are no objective criteria for grouping species into genera. There is much debate among zoologists about whether enormous, species-rich genera should be maintained, as it is extremely difficult to come up with identification keys or even character sets that distinguish all species. Hence, many taxonomists argue in favor of breaking down large genera. For instance,

1518-475: Is that there can be reduced cooperation between the ants within a colony. However, this reduced level of cooperation is mitigated by the sheer scale of resources available to polygynous colonies. Besides higher genetic diversity, a positive implication is that the colony has faster growth in numbers due to multiple queens producing broods. With higher numbers, there are more ants to collect resources and carry out raids, but this also has drawbacks. Larger colonies put

1584-474: Is the type species , and the generic name is permanently associated with the type specimen of its type species. Should the specimen turn out to be assignable to another genus, the generic name linked to it becomes a junior synonym and the remaining taxa in the former genus need to be reassessed. In zoological usage, taxonomic names, including those of genera, are classified as "available" or "unavailable". Available names are those published in accordance with

1650-422: Is then integrated into their colony as workers. This behaviour enables the colony to bolster its workforce without expending energy on raising its brood. The captured brood matures and functions within the raiding colony, helping with foraging and nest maintenance tasks. Raiding has significant evolutionary and ecological implications. This behaviour can establish dominance hierarchies among colonies and influence

1716-423: The F. 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 species, while the cessation of traditional haycutting seems to have had

1782-589: The Formica polyctena species. However, raiding is still an integral behaviour of the Formica rufa group. Scouts will investigate neighbouring nests to raid, marking their targets using pheromones. Wood ants are also capable of counterattack/defending retaliation. Strong defensive measures include guarding entrances to tunnels and having routine patrols of the areas to watch neighbouring nests. Some wood ant species, such as Formica sanguinea , will raid brood, which

1848-621: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ; the earliest such name for any taxon (for example, a genus) should then be selected as the " valid " (i.e., current or accepted) name for the taxon in question. Consequently, there will be more available names than valid names at any point in time; which names are currently in use depending on the judgement of taxonomists in either combining taxa described under multiple names, or splitting taxa which may bring available names previously treated as synonyms back into use. "Unavailable" names in zoology comprise names that either were not published according to

1914-824: The International Plant Names Index for plants in general, and ferns through angiosperms, respectively, and Nomenclator Zoologicus and the Index to Organism Names for zoological names. Totals for both "all names" and estimates for "accepted names" as held in the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG) are broken down further in the publication by Rees et al., 2020 cited above. The accepted names estimates are as follows, broken down by kingdom: The cited ranges of uncertainty arise because IRMNG lists "uncertain" names (not researched therein) in addition to known "accepted" names;

1980-419: The nomenclature codes , which allow each species a single unique name that, for animals (including protists ), plants (also including algae and fungi ) and prokaryotes ( bacteria and archaea ), is Latin and binomial in form; this contrasts with common or vernacular names , which are non-standardized, can be non-unique, and typically also vary by country and language of usage. Except for viruses ,

2046-404: The platypus belongs to the genus Ornithorhynchus although George Shaw named it Platypus in 1799 (these two names are thus synonyms ) . However, the name Platypus had already been given to a group of ambrosia beetles by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1793. A name that means two different things is a homonym . Since beetles and platypuses are both members of the kingdom Animalia,

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2112-427: 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 around 10 mm. The eastern US species F. dolosa and the western F. ravida (syn. F. haemorrhoidalis ) may be slightly longer. Ants are eusocial organisms –

2178-417: The antimicrobial properties of the resin, wood ants are adequately ensuring and sustaining the health of their colonies. Wood ant nests are vulnerable to rapidly spreading microbial loads due to the dense population and organic debris accumulation within large, complex structures. Terpenes and phenolic acids found in coniferous tree resins provide antimicrobial defense and inhibit the growth of pathogens within

2244-530: The area. Nuptial flights take place during the springtime and are often marked by savage battles between neighbouring colonies as territorial boundaries are re-established. New nests are established by budding from existing nests in the spring, or by the mechanism of temporary social parasitism, the hosts being species of the F. fusca group, notably F. fusca and F. lemani , although incipient F. rufa colonies have also been recorded from nests of F. glebaria , F. cunnicularia . An F. rufa queen ousts

2310-442: The base for higher taxonomic ranks, such as the family name Canidae ("Canids") based on Canis . However, this does not typically ascend more than one or two levels: the order to which dogs and wolves belong is Carnivora ("Carnivores"). The numbers of either accepted, or all published genus names is not known precisely; Rees et al., 2020 estimate that approximately 310,000 accepted names (valid taxa) may exist, out of

2376-433: The colony, making the colony less susceptible to pathogens and infections. These polygynous colonies have a more complex social hierarchy and can be more successful in certain ecological contexts because of the combined reproductive efforts of several queens. Through polygyny, the wood ant colonies exhibit reduced levels of relatedness between workers, which can have negative and positive implications. A negative implication

2442-446: The form "author, year" in zoology, and "standard abbreviated author name" in botany. Thus in the examples above, the genus Canis would be cited in full as " Canis Linnaeus, 1758" (zoological usage), while Hibiscus , also first established by Linnaeus but in 1753, is simply " Hibiscus L." (botanical usage). Each genus should have a designated type , although in practice there is a backlog of older names without one. In zoology, this

2508-737: The generic name (or its abbreviated form) still forms the leading portion of the scientific name, for example, Canis lupus lupus for the Eurasian wolf subspecies, or as a botanical example, Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus . Also, as visible in the above examples, the Latinised portions of the scientific names of genera and their included species (and infraspecies, where applicable) are, by convention, written in italics . The scientific names of virus species are descriptive, not binomial in form, and may or may not incorporate an indication of their containing genus; for example,

2574-506: The homospecific cocoons, the workers tend to both types of cocoons equally. This demonstrates that a chemical stimulus from the cocoons seems to be of paramount importance in prompting adoption behaviour in worker ants. However, the specific chemical / stimulus has not been identified. The foraging behaviour of wood ants changes according to the environment. Wood ants have been shown to tend and harvest aphids and prey on and compete with, other predators for food resources. They tend to prey on

2640-431: The individuals of the species work together to survive, produce the next generation, and accomplish tasks which cannot be accomplished alone. Unlike other ants, the genus Formica does not have separate castes , which are based on an individual's specialization and morphology. For example, F. selysi , a species native to floodplains , has developed a method to deal with flooding. Individual ants come together to form

2706-633: The largest component, with 23,236 ± 5,379 accepted genus names, of which 20,845 ± 4,494 are angiosperms (superclass Angiospermae). By comparison, the 2018 annual edition of the Catalogue of Life (estimated >90% complete, for extant species in the main) contains currently 175,363 "accepted" genus names for 1,744,204 living and 59,284 extinct species, also including genus names only (no species) for some groups. The number of species in genera varies considerably among taxonomic groups. For instance, among (non-avian) reptiles , which have about 1180 genera,

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2772-429: The lizard genus Anolis has been suggested to be broken down into 8 or so different genera which would bring its ~400 species to smaller, more manageable subsets. Formica rufa Formica rufa , also known as the red wood ant , southern wood ant , or horse ant , is a boreal member of the Formica rufa group of ants , and is the type species for that group, being described already by Linnaeus. It

2838-412: The more commonly observed monogynous social structure of only one reproducing queen within a colony. This behaviour can lead to significant ecological, evolutionary, and colony-level consequences. Polygyny may have evolved to enhance colony survival in unstable environments as it allows wood ants to disperse across larger areas by establishing interconnected nests with several queens. This differs from

2904-403: The most (>300) have only 1 species, ~360 have between 2 and 4 species, 260 have 5–10 species, ~200 have 11–50 species, and only 27 genera have more than 50 species. However, some insect genera such as the bee genera Lasioglossum and Andrena have over 1000 species each. The largest flowering plant genus, Astragalus , contains over 3,000 species. Which species are assigned to a genus

2970-414: The most plentiful members of the community whether they are in the canopies of trees or in the forest foliage. Wood ants seem to favour prey that lives in local canopies near their nest; however, when food resources dwindle, they seek other trees further from the nests and explore more trees instead of exploring the forest floor more thoroughly. This makes foraging for food significantly less efficient, but

3036-428: The name could not be used for both. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published the replacement name Ornithorhynchus in 1800. However, a genus in one kingdom is allowed to bear a scientific name that is in use as a generic name (or the name of a taxon in another rank) in a kingdom that is governed by a different nomenclature code. Names with the same form but applying to different taxa are called "homonyms". Although this

3102-498: The nest and a protective barrier from potential intruders and predators. Wood ant nests are vulnerable to numerous external threats as they are often large, complex, and above ground. By binding the resin to other organic materials, the nest is provided with cohesive building material, making the nest less prone to collapse.   Incorporating resin also provides nests with waterproofing and weather resistance, another way to prevent fungal growth. The stickiness and sometimes toxicity of

3168-417: The nest's existing queen, lays eggs, and the existing workers care for her offspring until the nest is taken over. These ants' primary diet is aphid honeydew, but they also prey on invertebrates such as insects and arachnids; they are voracious scavengers. Foraging trails may extend 100 m. Larger workers have been observed to forage farther away from the nest. F. rufa commonly is used in forestry and often

3234-473: The nests when mixed with the ants' formic acid. Nests that have been fortified by resin have significantly less microbial diversity when compared to nests without resin. By managing their environment, wood ants are proficiently protecting the health of their colonies, with the direct advantages of protecting the queen and developing brood with decreased pathogen exposure. Besides antifungal and microbial defense, resin provides value structural integrity to

3300-541: The provisions of the ICZN Code, e.g., incorrect original or subsequent spellings, names published only in a thesis, and generic names published after 1930 with no type species indicated. According to "Glossary" section of the zoological Code, suppressed names (per published "Opinions" of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature) remain available but cannot be used as the valid name for

3366-548: The resin aid in providing a protective barrier against small arthropods and mites that may attack the nest. Chemically, the resin provides camouflage and deters intruders that may use chemical cues to locate nests. Polygyny in wood ants ( Formica genus) is a colony's social structure that contains multiple reproducing queens. Polygyny may have evolved to enhance colony survival in unstable environments as it allows wood ants to disperse across larger areas by establishing interconnected nests with several queens. This differs from

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3432-588: The rest of the nest does not help the foraging ants. Wood ants have shown aggressive behaviour toward their own species in certain situations. Intraspecific competition usually occurs early in the spring between workers of competing nests. This aggression may be linked to the protection of maintaining territory and trail. By observing skirmishes and trail formation of wood ants, the territory surrounding each nest differs between seasons. Permanent foraging trails are reinforced each season, and if an ant from an alien species crossed it, hostile activity occurs. Most likely,

3498-466: 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. In more suburban landscapes, they tend to nest near structures such as sidewalks, fences, or building foundations. Mound-building, forest-dwelling Formica species groups such as F. rufa often have

3564-470: The same kind as other (analogous) genera. The term "genus" comes from Latin genus , a noun form cognate with gignere ('to bear; to give birth to'). The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus popularized its use in his 1753 Species Plantarum , but the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708) is considered "the founder of the modern concept of genera". The scientific name (or

3630-408: The scientific epithet) of a genus is also called the generic name ; in modern style guides and science, it is always capitalised. It plays a fundamental role in binomial nomenclature , the system of naming organisms , where it is combined with the scientific name of a species : see Botanical name and Specific name (zoology) . The rules for the scientific names of organisms are laid down in

3696-497: The specific name particular to the wolf. A botanical example would be Hibiscus arnottianus , a particular species of the genus Hibiscus native to Hawaii. The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by subspecies names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany . When the generic name is already known from context, it may be shortened to its initial letter, for example, C. lupus in place of Canis lupus . Where species are further subdivided,

3762-412: The standard format for a species name comprises the generic name, indicating the genus to which the species belongs, followed by the specific epithet, which (within that genus) is unique to the species. For example, the gray wolf 's scientific name is Canis lupus , with Canis ( Latin for 'dog') being the generic name shared by the wolf's close relatives and lupus (Latin for 'wolf') being

3828-732: The structure of ant communities. Raiding contributes to the success of dominant species by providing access to resources that might otherwise be difficult to obtain. This behaviour also reflects the ants’ ability to adapt their foraging strategies to varying environmental conditions. Wood ants can also alter the distribution of resources in the ecosystem by dominating key food sources. Wood ants intently collect resins from coniferous trees and incorporate them into their nests for various uses. Resin provides wood ants with structural soundness and predator defense to their nests and antimicrobial , antifungal , and pathogen defense when in conjunction with formic acid from their venom gland. By leveraging

3894-542: The subfamily Formicinae . The type species of genus Formica is the European red wood ant Formica rufa . Ants of this genus tend to be between 4 and 8 mm long. Ants belonging to the Formica genus possess a single knob or bump located between their thorax and abdomen. These ants primarily feed on honeydew, a sugary liquid produced by aphids. Formica ants appear to take on a shepherding role with smaller aphids, relocating them to different parts of plants to ensure

3960-448: The sun's rays can reach them. Large colonies may have 100,000 to 400,000 workers and 100 queens. F. rufa is highly polygynous and often readopts postnuptial queens from its own mother colony, leading to old, multigallery nests that may contain well over 100 egg-producing females. These colonies often may measure several metres in height and diameter. F. rufa is aggressively territorial, and often attacks and removes other ant species from

4026-403: The taxon is termed a synonym ; some authors also include unavailable names in lists of synonyms as well as available names, such as misspellings, names previously published without fulfilling all of the requirements of the relevant nomenclatural code, and rejected or suppressed names. A particular genus name may have zero to many synonyms, the latter case generally if the genus has been known for

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4092-483: The telling characteristics, with Formica rufa being hairier than per example Formica polyctena but less hairy than Formica lugubris . Workers are polymorphic, measuring 4.5–9 mm in length. They have large mandibles, and like many other ant species, they are able to spray formic acid from their abdomens as a defence. Formic acid was first extracted in 1671 by the English naturalist John Ray by distilling

4158-560: The territory changes based on foraging patterns are influenced by seasonal changes. Ants recognize their nestmates through chemical signals. Failure in recognition causes the colony integrity to decay. Heavy metals accumulated through the environment alter the aggression levels. This could be due to a variety of factors such as changes in physiological effect or changes in resource levels. The ants in these territories tend to be less productive and efficient. Increased resource competition would be expected to increase level of aggression, but this

4224-576: The values quoted are the mean of "accepted" names alone (all "uncertain" names treated as unaccepted) and "accepted + uncertain" names (all "uncertain" names treated as accepted), with the associated range of uncertainty indicating these two extremes. Within Animalia, the largest phylum is Arthropoda , with 151,697 ± 33,160 accepted genus names, of which 114,387 ± 27,654 are insects (class Insecta). Within Plantae, Tracheophyta (vascular plants) make up

4290-429: The virus species " Salmonid herpesvirus 1 ", " Salmonid herpesvirus 2 " and " Salmonid herpesvirus 3 " are all within the genus Salmonivirus ; however, the genus to which the species with the formal names " Everglades virus " and " Ross River virus " are assigned is Alphavirus . As with scientific names at other ranks, in all groups other than viruses, names of genera may be cited with their authorities, typically in

4356-480: The worker ant is brought up in the absence of cocoons, it will show neither recognition nor nursing behaviour. Both types of cocoons are opened up by the workers and devoured for nutrients. When accustomed to only the homospecific cocoons, the workers collect both types of cocoons, but only place and protect the homospecific cocoons. The heterospecific cocoons are neglected and abandoned in the nest and eaten. Lastly, if heterospecific cocoons were injected with extract from

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