Formica comata

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Formica comata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Formicini
Genus: Formica
Species group: rufa
Species: F. comata
Binomial name
Formica comata
Wheeler, W.M., 1909

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Specimen Label

This is a very aggressive ant species with large colony size in the Formica rufa group. It builds low mounds of earth and grass covered by a thin layer of thatch. Found in the southwest, this ant forages for a variety of insect prey.

Photo Gallery

  • Worker defending the nest. Photo by Gary D. Alpert.
  • Worker foraging. Photo by Gary D. Alpert.
  • Worker on nest mound in late October. Photo by Gary D. Alpert.
  • Nest Mound: Soil and grass covered with thin layer of thatch. Photo by Gary D. Alpert.
  • Habitat: Flagstaff Arboretum, Arizona. Photo by Gary D. Alpert.

Identification

Head, excluding the mandibles as broad as long. Mandibles 8-toothed. Mandibles finely and densely striate. Clypeus carinate, with broadly rounded anterior border. Erect hairs absent on the antennal scapes. Erect hairs present on the flexor surface of the femora and tibiae.

This ant species is closely allied with Formica ciliata.

Mackay and Mackay (2002) - The workers of this species can be recognized by the numerous short, erect hairs on the underside of the head (Fig. 402), and by the abundant, short, bristly hairs on the dorsum of the gaster (Fig. 404). The dorsum of the gaster is covered with a dense layer of fine, appressed, silver hairs.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

United States. Arizona and New Mexico.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 48.2395° to 33.74°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Habitat

Grasslands, Ponderosa pine forest, sagebrush.

Biology

Sexuals were found in nests in July.

There is no published account of the biology of this species. Refer to species in the rufa group for general biology. Nests are active from early summer until late October near Flagstaff, Arizona. Foragers are often found on vegetation and appear to be omnivorous in their diet.

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Cinara apini (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Cinara schwarzii (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Cinara splendens (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).

Castes

Worker

MCZ-ENT00021724 Formica comata hef.jpgMCZ-ENT00021724 Formica comata hal.jpgMCZ-ENT00021724 Formica comata had.jpgMCZ-ENT00021724 Formica comata lbs.jpg
Syntype of Formica comataWorker. . Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Mcz-ent00669296 Formica comata hef.jpgMcz-ent00669296 Formica comata hal.jpgMcz-ent00669296 Formica comata had.jpgMcz-ent00669296 Formica comata lbs.JPG
Worker. . Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Formica comata casent0104684 head 1.jpgFormica comata casent0104684 profile 1.jpgFormica comata casent0104684 dorsal 1.jpgFormica comata casent0104684 label 1.jpg
Syntype of Formica comataWorker. Specimen code casent0104684. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by AMNH, New York, NY, USA.
Formica comata casent0104683 head 1.jpgFormica comata casent0104683 profile 1.jpgFormica comata casent0104683 dorsal 1.jpgFormica comata casent0104683 label 1.jpg
Syntype of Formica comataWorker. Specimen code casent0104683. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by AMNH, New York, NY, USA.

Queen

Formica-comata-MCZ001HQ.jpgFormica-comata-MCZ001LQ.jpgFormica-comata-MCZ001Label.jpg
Queen. .

Male

MCZ-ENT00520050 Formica comata male hef.jpgMCZ-ENT00520050 Formica comata male hal.jpgMCZ-ENT00520050 Formica comata male had.jpgMCZ-ENT00520050 Formica comata male lbs.jpg
. Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • comata. Formica comata Wheeler, W.M. 1909e: 85 (w.q.m.) U.S.A. See also: Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 454.

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Allred D. M. 1982. Ants of Utah. The Great Basin Naturalist 42: 415-511.
  • Allred, D.M. 1982. The ants of Utah. Great Basin Naturalist 42:415-511.
  • Cole A. C., Jr. 1942. The ants of Utah. American Midland Naturalist 28: 358-388.
  • Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
  • Mackay W. P., and E. E. Mackay. 2002. The ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 400 pp.
  • Rees D. M., and A. W. Grundmann. 1940. A preliminary list of the ants of Utah. Bulletin of the University of Utah, 31(5): 1-12.
  • Trager J. Distributions of Nearctic Formica rufa group species. Personal communication 05 February 2014.
  • Wheeler W. M. 1913. A revision of the ants of the genus Formica (Linné) Mayr. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 53: 379-565.