Formica picea

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Formica picea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Formicini
Genus: Formica
Species: F. picea
Binomial name
Formica picea
Nylander, 1846

Formica picea casent0173868 profile 1.jpg

Formica picea casent0173868 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Subspecies
Synonyms

Nests have been found in moss hummocks in boreal regions in Russia (Zryanin & Zryanina, 2007).

Identification

Distribution

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: 69.555° to 42.383333°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India, Nepal, Pakistan.
Palaearctic Region: Andorra, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Finland (type locality), Georgia, Greece, Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain, Türkiye, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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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Biology

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 host for the ant Formica sanguinea (a slave maker).
  • This species is a host for the ant Formica aquilonia (a temporary parasite) (Chernenko et al., 2013; de la Mora et al., 2021).
  • This species is a host for the ant Formica caucasicola (a temporary parasite) in Georgia (Seifert, 2021).
  • This species is a host for the ant Formica forsslundi (a temporary parasite) (de la Mora et al., 2021; Seifert, 2018).
  • This species is a host for the ant Formica lugubris (a temporary parasite) (Chernenko et al., 2013; de la Mora et al., 2021).
  • This species is a host for the phorid fly Aenigmatias lubbocki (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the trematode Dicrocoelium dendriticum (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; indirect transmission; transmission outside nest).

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • picea. Formica picea Nylander, 1846a: 917 (w.q.) FINLAND. [Junior primary homonym of picea Leach, 1825: 292, above.] First available replacement name: candida Smith, F. 1878b: 11; designated by Bolton, 1995b: 201. Forel, 1914b: 1 (m.). Junior synonym of gagates: Nylander, 1856b: 65; Smith, F. 1858b: 6; Dalla Torre, 1893: 198. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of fusca: Emery, 1909b: 195. Revived status as species: Bondroit, 1912: 352. Subspecies of fusca: Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929a: 19. Status as species: Emery, 1916b: 254; Emery, 1925b: 249; Karavaiev, 1929b: 213; Karavaiev, 1936: 231; Dlussky, 1965a: 31; Dlussky, 1967a: 61; Dlussky & Pisarski, 1971: 153; Pisarski, 1975: 42; Tarbinsky, 1976: 183; Kutter, 1977c: 250; Kupyanskaya, 1990: 186. Senior synonym of candida: Emery, 1925b: 249; Karavaiev, 1936: 231; Dlussky, 1967a: 61; of glabra White: Donisthorpe, 1918a: 9; Dlussky, 1967a: 61; of transkaucasica: Emery, 1909b: 195; Donisthorpe, 1918a: 9; Karavaiev, 1936: 231; Dlussky, 1965a: 31; Dlussky, 1967a: 61; of inplana, lochmatteri, orientalis: Dlussky, 1965: 31; of piceoinplana: Dlussky, 1967a: 61. Material of the following unavailable names referred here: filchneri by Emery, 1909b: 195; piceoorientalis by Dlussky, 1965a: 31; transcaucasicogagates by Dlussky, 1967a: 61. Returned to valid species with picea as retained name: Seifert, 2004: 31. See also: Radchenko, 2007: 35.
  • glabra. Formica glabra White, W.F. 1884: 253 (w.) GREAT BRITAIN. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of glabra Gmelin, above.] Junior synonym of gagates: Dalla Torre, 1893: 188; of picea Nylander: Donisthorpe, 1918a: 9; Dlussky, 1967a: 61.
  • orientalis. Formica fusca subsp. orientalis Ruzsky, 1915a: 427, fig. 5 (w.) TIBET. Junior synonym of picea Nylander: Dlussky, 1965a: 31.
  • inplana. Formica (Serviformica) picea var. inplana Emery, 1925b: 249 (w.) TIBET. [First available use of Formica fusca subsp. picea var. inplana Ruzsky, 1915a: 426; unavailable name.] Subspecies of fusca: Ruzsky, 1936: 92. Junior synonym of picea Nylander: Dlussky, 1965a: 31.
  • piceoinplana. Formica (Serviformica) picea var. piceoinplana Emery, 1925b: 249 (w.) CHINA. [First available use of Formica fusca subsp. picea var. piceoinplana Ruzsky, 1915a: 426; unavailable name.] Junior synonym of picea Nylander: Dlussky, 1967a: 61.
  • lochmatteri. Formica (Serviformica) picea var. lochmatteri Stärcke, 1935: 265, fig. 4 (w.q.) CHINA/KASHMIR? Junior synonym of picea Nylander: Dlussky, 1965a: 31.

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

Description

Worker

Seifert (2004): Mean size distinctly smaller than Serviformica average: CS 1.22 mm. Head and scape significantly longer than in F. candida: CL / CW1.4 1.123, SL / CS1.4 1.030 (Tab. 1). Frontal triangle as shining as the adjacent surfaces. Cuticular surface of head, mesosoma and gaster as result of reduced pubescence and weak microsculpture shining; a denser pubescence is usually developed only on propodeum and petiole. However, pubescence and microsculpture significantly denser than in F. candida: on dorsal surface of first gaster tergite, average distance of transverse microripples 6.8 µm (RipD) and of pubescence hairs 74 µm (PDG). Clypeus, procoxae, ventral parts of meso- and metacoxae and all ventral and dorsal gaster sclerites with quite numerous and very long erect setae which are longer than in F. candida, GHL / CS 12.1 %. Setae numbers a little larger than in F. candida: Seen in lateral profile, hind vertex with 3 - 16 and central vertex with 2 - 7 setae. Both sides of pronotum usually with 5 - 17 and of mesonotum with 3 - 11 long, erect setae. Propodeum occasionally and petiole scale usually with single short setae. Flexor sides of both hind tibiae with a sum of 2 - 6 semierect to subdecumbent setae. Petiole scale variable, on the average narrower than in F. candida; its dorsal margin in frontal view fully convex or with a straight or concave median part; scale in lateral view not very thick with a tapering apex. Colouration pattern similar to situation in F. candida. For morphometric details of 62 worker specimens see Tab. 1.


Nylander 1846. Page 917

Karyotype

  • n = 26, 2n = 52 (Switzerland) (Hauschteck-Jungen & Jungen, 1976).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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