Formica gagatoides

Formica gagatoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Formicini
Genus:	Formica
Species:	F. gagatoides
Binomial name
Formica gagatoides Ruzsky, 1904 Specimen Labels

Common Name
Takane-kuroyama-ari
Language:	Japanese

Within Japan records are few, but this species is widely distributed at localities 2700 m or more above sea level in central Honshu (North, South and Central Alps, Yatsugatake Mountains (Sonobe, 1979). Nuptial flights probably occur after late August. In Siberia, this species shows a complex phylogenetic relationship with Formica kozlovi (Chesnokova et al., 2023).

Identification

Black, mandibles and appendages brown. Head and alitrunk dull, gaster shining with sparse adpressed pubescent hairs - length less than half interspace width. Propodeum angled in profile. Petiole scale broadly heart-scaped with more or less emarginate dorsal border. Erect hairs on gaster restricted to posterior border of tergites; mid femora normally without outstanding hairs. Length: 4.2-6.0 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution

Exclusively arctic from Norway to Northeast Siberia. First reported from Japan by Sonobe & Dlussky (1977) and Kondoh (1976).

The Reinig Line faunal divide separates East Siberian, Inner Mongolian, Chinese and Tibetan species from those of Central Siberia, West Siberia and the Turanian region (DE LATTIN, 1967). In ants, the Reinig Line is crossed only by a cold resistant species including Camponotus herculeanus, Formica exsecta, Formica gagatoides, Formica lugubris, Formica manchu, Formica picea, Formica pisarskii, Formica uralensis, Lasius flavus, Leptothorax acervorum and Tetramorium sibiricum (DLUSSKY, 1967; FRANCOEUR, 1983; SEIFERT, 2000, 2021a, 2021b).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 70.377854° to 29.10333333°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India.
Palaearctic Region: Belgium, China, Finland, Japan, Montenegro, Norway, Russian Federation (type locality), Sweden, Switzerland.

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.

Biology

This is one of the few Fennoscandian species that does not occur in the Alps or other mountains of Central Europe. In behaviour and general appearance it resembles Formica fusca, which it replaces in the north, but can be immediately distinguished by the shining gaster from F. fusca and from Formica transkaucasica by the duller head and alitrunk. It lives in small colonies of a few hundred workers with one or a few queens. Alatae fly in July and August.

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 host for the ant Formica sanguinea (a slave maker).

Flight Period

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

• Check details at Worldwide Ant Nuptial Flights Data, AntNupTracker and AntKeeping.

 Explore: Show all Flight Month data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Worker. Specimen code casent0906304. Photographer Michele Esposito, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Nomenclature

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

• gagatoides. Formica fusca var. gagatoides Ruzsky, 1904a: 289 (w.q.) RUSSIA. Ruzsky, 1915a: 423 (m.); Stärcke, 1935: 267 (footnote) (m.). Combination in F. (Serviformica): Emery, 1925b: 249. Subspecies of picea Nylander: Emery, 1925b: 249; Stitz, 1939: 368. Raised to species: Holgersen, 1942: 15; Holgersen, 1943a: 9. Junior synonym of picea Nylander: Bernard, 1967: 299. Revived from synonymy and status as species: Kutter, 1977c: 255; Collingwood, 1979: 121; Kupyanskaya, 1990: 188.

References

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• Zhigulskaya, Z. A., Shekhovtsov, S. V., Poluboyarova, T. V., Berman, D. I. 2022. Formica picea and F. candida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Synonyms or two species? Diversity, 14(8), 613 (doi:10.3390/d14080613).
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• ArtDatabanken Bugs (via GBIG)
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