Formica comata

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 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

Key to Nearctic species in the Formica rufa group

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

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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.

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.

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: 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


Syntype of Formica comata. Worker. .	Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.


Worker. .	Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb


Syntype of Formica comata. Worker. Specimen code casent0104684. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by AMNH, New York, NY, USA.


Syntype of Formica comata. Worker. Specimen code casent0104683. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by AMNH, New York, NY, USA.

Queen


Queen. .

Male


.	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

Mackay, W. P. and E. Mackay. 2002. The ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY.
Siddiqui, J. A., Li, J., Zou, X., Bodlah, I., Huang, X. 2019. Meta-analysis of the global diversity and spatial patterns of aphid-ant mutualistic relationships. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 17: 5471-5524 (doi:10.15666/aeer/1703_54715524).
Wheeler, W. M. 1909e. A decade of North American Formicidae. J. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 17: 77-90 (page 85, worker, queen, male described)
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 454, see also)

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.