Formica microphthalma

Formica microphthalma
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Formicini
Genus:	Formica
Species:	F. microphthalma
Binomial name
Formica microphthalma Francoeur, 1973 Specimen labels

Identification

Keys including this Species

• Key to Nearctic Formica fusca group males
• Key to Nearctic Formica fusca group queens
• Key to Nearctic Formica fusca group workers

Distribution

California and western Nevada.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 40.72109° to 36.58416667°.

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.

Biology

Nevada, Wheeler and Wheeler (1986) - Our 7 records represent 3 localities near Lake Tahoe. All were in the Coniferous Forest Biome. One nest was under a stone; another was exposed and surmounted by a 23-cm crater around a 25-mm entrance.

This species is a host for the ant Polyergus mexicanus (a slave maker) (Trager, 2013; de la Mora et al., 2021) (properly Polyergus umbratus).

Nomenclature

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

• microphthalma. Formica microphthalma Francoeur, 1973: 201, figs. 344-359 (w.m.) U.S.A.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Francoeur 1973. Figures 344-359.

References

• de la Mora, A., Sankovitz, M., Purcell, J. 2020. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as host and intruder: recent advances and future directions in the study of exploitative strategies. Myrmecological News 30: 53-71 (doi:10.25849/MYRMECOL.NEWS_030:053).
• Francoeur, A. 1973. Révision taxonomique des espèces néarctiques du groupe fusca, genre Formica (Formicidae, Hymenoptera). Mém. Soc. Entomol. Qué. 3: 1-316 (page 201, figs. 344-359 worker, male described)
• Wheeler, G. C. and J. Wheeler. 1986. The ants of Nevada. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Francoeur. A. 1973. Revision taxonomique des especes nearctiques du group fusca, genre Formica. Memoires de la Societe Entomologique du Quebec 3: 1-316.
• Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
• Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1986. The ants of Nevada. Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, vii + 138 pp.
• Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1978. Mountain ants of Nevada. Great Basin Naturalist 35(4):379-396