Formica altipetens

This ant nests in the soil with entrances surrounded by a small mound, or under stones and logs, sometimes covered with detritus. Nest populations are large, and the ants are very aggressive when the nest is disturbed. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Identification
The metasternal process of the worker (and female) is well developed and surrounded by hairs. The eyes are large, the maximum diameter is about equal to the distance from the anterior border of the eye to the insertion of the mandible. There is usually a pair of erect hairs on the ventral surface of the head, a few hairs on the vertex, and several blunt-tipped hairs on the propodeum, the mesopleuron is usually without erect hairs, as are the cheeks and posterior lateral corners. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Distribution
Canada: Alberta. United States: Montana south to New Mexico, west to California.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: Canada, United States. Neotropical Region: Mexico.

Habitat
In New Mexico (Mackay and Mackay 2002): Forested and open areas, ranging from meadows, pinyon-pine, ponderosa pines, Gamble oak forests to spruce forests.

Biology
For New Mexico (Mackay and Mackay 2002): Reproductives were found in nests in June and August, flights occurred during the first part of July (sexuals are attracted to lights). It is enslaved by (Mackay & Mackay, 2002),,  and  (Trager, 2013; Torres & Tsutsui, 2016; de la Mora et al., 2021).

Nomenclature

 *  altipetens. Formica cinerea var. altipetens Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 399 (diagnosis in key) (w.) U.S.A. [Formica cinerea subsp. cinerea var. altipetens Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 523 (w.q.m.); unavailable name.] Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1953c: 160 (l.). Subspecies of cinerea: Wheeler, W.M. 1917a: 550; Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, E.W. 1944: 259. Raised to species: Creighton, 1950a: 531. See also: Francoeur, 1973: 52.

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.
 * Borchert, H.F. and N.L. Anderson. 1973. The Ants of the Bearpaw Mountains of Montana (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 46(2):200-224
 * Cole A. C., Jr. 1942. The ants of Utah. American Midland Naturalist 28: 358-388.
 * Cole A. C., Jr. 1954. Studies of New Mexico ants. XI. The genus Formica with a description of a new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science 29: 163-167.
 * Cole, A.C. 1936. An annotated list of the ants of Idaho (Hymenoptera; Formicidae). Canadian Entomologist 68(2):34-39
 * Downing H., and J. Clark. 2018. Ant biodiversity in the Northern Black Hills, South Dakota (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 91(2): 119-132.
 * Francoeur. A. 1973. Revision taxonomique des especes nearctiques du group fusca, genre Formica. Memoires de la Societe Entomologique du Quebec 3: 1-316.
 * Glasier J. R. N., J. H. Acorn, S. E. Nielsen, and H. Proctor. 2013. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alberta: A key to species based primarily on the worker caste. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification 22: 1-104.
 * Glasier J. R. N., S. Nielsen, J. H. Acorn, L. H. Borysenko, and T. Radtke. 2016. A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Saskatchewan. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 130(1): 40-48.
 * Gregg, R.T. 1963. The Ants of Colorado.
 * Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
 * La Rivers I. 1968. A first listing of the ants of Nevada. Biological Society of Nevada, Occasional Papers 17: 1-12.
 * Mackay W. P., and E. E. Mackay. 2002. The ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 400 pp.
 * Mackay, W., D. Lowrie, A. Fisher, E. Mackay, F. Barnes and D. Lowrie. 1988. The ants of Los Alamos County, New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). pages 79-131 in J.C. Trager, editor, Advances in Myrmecololgy.
 * Mackay, W.P. and E. Mackay. XXXX. The Ants of New Mexico
 * 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.
 * Rojas Fernandez P. 2010. Capítulo 24. Hormigas (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In: Diversidad Biológica de Veracruz. Volumen Invertebrados. CONABIO-Gobierno del Estado de Veracruz.
 * Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
 * Wheeler G. C., and E. W. Wheeler. 1944. Ants of North Dakota. North Dakota Historical Quarterly 11:231-271.
 * Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1963. Ants of North Dakota
 * Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1988. A checklist of the ants of Montana. Psyche 95:101-114
 * Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1988. A checklist of the ants of Wyoming. Insecta Mundi 2(3&4):230-239