Formica

A large holarctic genus that are common in many northern temperate areas. For many reasons this genus as a whole has many well studied species. The taxonomy is fractured into many smaller subdivisions (both subgenera and species groups; see Formica species groups), many of which have no official taxonomic designation and are poorly delineated. In some cases older group names have been replaced by newer names, and new arrangements of species, but the older groups remain in use by some myrmecologists and not others.

Identification
Formica species groups

Biology


Subgeneric Phylogentics Romiguier et al. (2018) "resolved the phylogenetic relationships among palearctic Formica subgenera (Formica str. s., Coptoformica, Raptiformica and Serviformica). Interestingly, our phylogenetic tree reveals that the free-living Serviformica species do not form a monophyletic clade, and that parasitic colony founding in wood ants and Raptiformica slave-makers is likely to have a single origin. Our results suggest that parasitic colony founding is likely to be an intermediary step between free-living hosts and slave-maker parasites in the Formica genus. Similar studies in other genera containing slave-making species (e.g. Temnothorax, Harpagoxenus, Myrmoxenus, Protomognathus…) will be necessary to get a better global picture of the evolution of slave-making in ants."

Nomenclature

 *  FORMICA [Formicinae: Formicini]
 * Formica Linnaeus, 1758: 579. Type-species: Formica rufa, by subsequent designation of Curtis, 1839: 752.
 * Formica senior synonym of Formicina: Wheeler, W.M. 1911c: 860; Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 164.
 * Formica senior synonym of Raptiformica, Serviformica: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 699 (footnote).
 * Formica senior synonym of Coptoformica (and its junior synonym Adformica): Smith, M.R. 1951a: 860; Smith, D.R. 1979: 1448.
 * Formica senior synonym of Neoformica: Buren, 1968a: 39.
 * Formica senior synonym of Coptoformica, Formicina, Neoformica, Raptiformica, Serviformica: Agosti, 1994a: 106.
 * ADFORMICA [junior synonym of Formica]
 * Adformica Lomnicki, 1925a: 164 [as subgenus of Formica]. Type-species: Formica exsecta, by subsequent designation of Donisthorpe, 1927b: 316.
 * Adformica junior synonym of Coptoformica: Stitz, 1939: 306 (as Adformica and Coptoformica share the same type-species synonymy is absolute).
 * COPTOFORMICA [junior synonym of Formica]
 * Coptoformica Müller, 1923: 146 [as subgenus of Formica]. Type-species: Formica exsecta, by subsequent designation of Donisthorpe, 1941f: 37.
 * Coptoformica senior synonym of Adformica: Stitz, 1939: 306 (as Adformica and Coptoformica share the same type-species synonymy is absolute).
 * Coptoformica junior synonym of Formica: Smith, M.R. 1951a: 860; Smith, D.R. 1979: 1448; Agosti, 1994a: 107.
 * FORMICINA [junior synonym of Formica]
 * Formicina Shuckard, in Swainson & Shuckard, 1840: 172. Type-species: Formica rufa, by subsequent designation of Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 164.
 * [Type-species not Formica flava, unjustified subsequent designation by Emery, 1916a: 61 (footnote); repeated by Emery, 1916b: 239 and Wheeler, W.M. 1916k: 170.]
 * Formicina junior synonym of Formica: Wheeler, W.M. 1911c: 860; Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 164.
 * Formicina incorrectly as replacement name for Lasius Fabricius: Emery, 1916a: 60; Emery, 1916b: 239; Bondroit, 1918: 19.
 * Formicina incorrectly as subgenus of Lasius: Wheeler, W.M. 1916k: 172.
 * Formicina incorrectly as junior synonym of Lasius: Emery, 1925b: 226; Brown, 1973b: 180.
 * Formicina incorrectly as junior synonym of Acanthomyops: Donisthorpe, 1927b: 209.
 * Formicina junior synonym of Formica: Agosti, 1994a: 106.
 * [Formica and Formicina share the same type-species, synonymy is therefore absolute.]
 * NEOFORMICA [junior synonym of Formica]
 * Neoformica Wheeler, W.M. 1913a: 82 [as subgenus of Formica]. Type-species: Formica pallidefulva, by original designation.
 * [Neoformica also described as new by Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 548.]
 * Neoformica junior synonym of Formica: Buren, 1968a: 39; Agosti, 1994a: 107.
 * RAPTIFORMICA [junior synonym of Formica]
 * Raptiformica Forel, 1913i: 361 [as subgenus of Formica]. Type-species: Formica sanguinea, by original designation.
 * Raptiformica subgenus of Formica: Forel, 1917: 250; Emery, 1925b: 258; Creighton, 1950a: 460.
 * Raptiformica junior synonym of Formica: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 699 (footnote); Smith, D.R. 1979: 1448; Agosti, 1994a: 107.
 * SERVIFORMICA [junior synonym of Formica]
 * Serviformica Forel, 1913i: 361 [as subgenus of Formica]. Type-species: Formica fusca, by original designation.
 * Serviformica subgenus of Formica: Forel, 1913i: 361; Forel, 1917: 250; Emery, 1925b: 245.
 * Serviformica junior synonym of Formica: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 699 (footnote); Francoeur, 1973: 34; Smith, D.R. 1979: 1448; Agosti, 1994a: 106.