Formica aserva

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Formica aserva
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Formicini
Genus: Formica
Species: F. aserva
Binomial name
Formica aserva
Forel, 1901

Formica-aserva-MCZ001L.jpg

Formica-aserva-MCZ001D.jpg

Specimen Label

Synonyms

Formica aserva is a brood raiding ant that preys on other Formica species. Within its range this species is encountered with some regularity during the summer due to its raids on other ant nests. These raids typically include an active and noticeable foraging column that can be many meters from the raiding colony to the ant nest that is being attacked. Soon to pupate brood that is brought back to the nest is often allowed to eclose and these workers become working members of the F. aserva colony.

At a Glance • Dulotic  

Photo Gallery

  • With Formica fusca (black workers) host workers.
  • Formica aserva worker infected with the lancet liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum. (A) False-coloured 3D volume rendering in sagittal section. (B) Micro-CT-based virtual sagittal section of an ant gaster harbouring 6 encysted metacercariae. (C) Micro-CT-based virtual sagittal section of an ant gaster harbouring 98 encysted metacercariae. (D) False-coloured 3D volume rendering of an infected ant gaster in sagittal section, showing scar-like marks (arrow) on the crop surface. Abbreviations: br, brain; cr, crop; emc, encysted metacercaria; nmc, non-encysted metacercaria. From Martin-Vega et al., 2018, Fig. 2.

Identification

The ventral surface of the head is without erect hairs, the pronotum has fewer than 6 short (less than 0.01 mm) stiff, blunt bristles, and the apex of the petiole is without erect hairs. The petiole is broad and fan-shaped as seen from the front. The central area of the clypeus is striate. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Canada, Newfoundland west to Yukon. United States: Alaska south to California, east to New Mexico, northeast to New England.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 67.48164° to 32.430353°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: Canada (type locality), United States.

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.
pChart

Habitat

For New Mexico (Mackay and Mackay 2002) - This species occurs in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from prairies, through sagebrush scrub, juniper forests (Juniperus monosperma), aspen forests (Populus tremuloides) and mixed forests up to fir-aspen-spruce forests, subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and ponderosa pine. Nests even occur above the tree line.

Biology

This species is a member of a group of Formica species that were formerly placed in the subgenus Raptiformica. All species are facultative slavemakers, i.e., species which usually or often have slaves but can get along without them. The colony-founding female forces her way into a small colony of another species of Formica, somehow gets rid of its queen and workers and appropriates its nest and brood. The workers emerging from this brood accept the intruding queen as their own. The enslaved species belong to the Formica neogagates, fusca, and pallidefulva species groups. When the workers of the slave-making species have become numerous enough, they start raiding for more slaves.

In New Mexico (Mackay and Mackay 2002): This species nests in ponderosa pine logs and under stones, and may even construct thatched nests. Brood can be found in nests in early July until early August, reproductives were in nests in August, dealate females were found loose in July and August. This species enslaves F. fusca, F. argentea and F. neorufibarbis, and was found in a F. argentea nest together with F. obtusopilosa. One mixed nest included F. argentea, F. aserva, F. obtusopilosa F. lasioides and Myrmica.

Nevada, Wheeler and Wheeler (1986) - We have 26 records from 20 localities, all near the northeastern, eastern, and southern borders of the state; 6,600-11,000 ft., with 68% above 10,000 ft. Twelve records are from the Coniferous Forest Biome and 9 from the ecotone above it. Seven nests were in and/or under decaying wood lying on the ground; usually thatch and soil were piled against or on top of the log. One nest was in needle thatch under and beside a stone. Another was in thatch and soil under a 10-cm stump 38 cm long and leaning against a huge stone. One colony was populous and aggressive. As slaves we found Formica argentea in 1 colony, Formica neorufibarbis in 1 colony, and Formica fusca in 3 colonies.

Novgorodova (2015) - Honeydew collectors of Formica aserva actively attacked adult ladybirds but almost completely ignored the non-predatory muscid flies (Phillips and Willis, 2005).

Savolainen & Deslippe (2001) compared the behavioral repertory of this species to that of Formica subintegra and Polyergus mexicanus.

Flight Period

X X
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Source: antkeeping.info.

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 slave maker of the ants Formica argentea, Formica neorufibarbis and Formica podzolica and is a thought to be a host of the slave-maker Formica rubicunda, but this needs confirmation.

The records of this species enslaving Formica cinerea, Formica fusca, Formica polyctena and Formica pratensis noted by Ruano et al. (2019) are in error as these species are outside the geographic distribution of F. aserva (Palearctic host, Nearctic parasite) (de la Mora et al., 2021).

Hemiptera

  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Aphis asclepiadis (a trophobiont) (Addicott, 1979a; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Aphis salicariae (a trophobiont) (Addicott, 1979a; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Aphis varians (a trophobiont) (Addicott, 1979a; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).

Trematoda

This species is a host for the trematode Dicrocoelium dendriticum (a parasite) in Canada (Alberta) (van Paridon et al., 2017; Martin-Vega et al., 2018; Criscione et al., 2020).

Diptera

  • This species is a prey for the Microdon fly Microdon albicomatus (a predator) (Quevillon, 2018).
  • This species is a prey for the Microdon fly Microdon cothurnatus (a predator) (Quevillon, 2018).
  • This species is a prey for the Microdon fly Microdon piperi (a predator) (Quevillon, 2018).
  • This species is a prey for the Microdon fly Microdon tristis (a predator) (Quevillon, 2018).

Fungi

  • This species is a host for the fungus Laboulbenia formicarum (a parasite) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission within nest).
  • This species is a host for the fungus Laboulbenia formicarum (a pathogen) (Espadaler & Santamaria, 2012).

Castes

Worker

MCZ-ENT00021711 Formica sanguinea rubicunda var subnuda hef.jpgMCZ-ENT00021711 Formica sanguinea rubicunda var subnuda hal.jpgMCZ-ENT00021711 Formica sanguinea rubicunda var subnuda had.jpgMCZ-ENT00021711 Formica sanguinea rubicunda var subnuda lbs.jpg
Lectotype of Formica subnuda. . Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Mcz-ent00668508 Formica aserva worker hef.jpgMcz-ent00668508 Formica aserva hal.jpgMcz-ent00668508 Formica aserva had.jpgMcz-ent00668508 Formica aserva lbs.jpg
. Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Formica aserva casent0005395 head 1.jpgFormica aserva casent0005395 profile 1.jpgFormica aserva casent0005395 dorsal 1.jpgFormica aserva casent0005395 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0005395. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by UCDC, Davis, CA, USA.

Queen

Mcz-ent00669258 Formica aserva queen hef.jpgMcz-ent00669258 Formica aserva queen hal.jpgMcz-ent00669258 Formica aserva queen had.jpgMcz-ent00669258 Formica aserva queen lbs.JPG
. Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Male

Mcz-ent00669262 Formica aserva male hef.jpgMcz-ent00669262 Formica aserva male hal.jpgMcz-ent00669262 Formica aserva male had.jpgMcz-ent00669262 Formica aserva 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.

  • aserva. Formica sanguinea r. aserva Forel, 1901g: 395 (w.q.) CANADA. Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 405 (m.). Combination in F. (Raptiformica): Emery, 1925b: 260. Synonym of subnuda: Creighton, 1950a: 469; Wilson & Brown, 1955: 118; Buren, 1968a: 33. [All these authors give subnuda as the senior name but the date of availability of subnuda makes it clear that aserva has seniority: Bolton, 1995b: 191; see also under subnuda.]
  • subnuda. Formica sanguinea subsp. subnuda Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 570 (w.) CANADA. [First available use of Formica sanguinea subsp. rubicunda var. subnuda Emery, 1895c: 335; unavailable name.] Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 409 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1953c: 170 (l). Combination in F. (Raptiformica): Emery, 1925b: 260. Subspecies of sanguinea: Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 469; Wheeler, W.M. 1917a: 533. Raised to species: Creighton, 1950a: 469. Synonym of aserva: Creighton, 1950a: 469; Wilson & Brown, 1955: 118; Buren, 1968a: 33. [Creighton, Wilson & Brown, and Buren incorrectly make subnuda the senior name but aserva has priority and is therefore the valid name of this taxon: Bolton, 1995b: 204.]

Description

References

  • Wheeler, W. M. 1913i. A revision of the ants of the genus Formica (Linné) Mayr. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 53: 379-565 (page 405, male described)
  • Wilson, E. O.; Brown, W. L., Jr. 1955. Revisionary notes on the sanguinea and neogagates groups of the ant genus Formica. Psyche (Camb.) 62: 108-129 (page 118, Synonym of subnuda)

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