Formica cinerea

This species characteristically occurs in drift sand on coastal dunes in North Europe but also locally inland on coarse morainic drift. It is an aggressive species living largely by predation. Nests may be founded by single queens but where the species is populous, colonies are frequently polygynous and polycalic. Alatae occur in July (Collingwood, 1979). Its ecology and distribution in Finland are described by Kilpäinen. Valkeila, Vesajoki and Wuorenrinna (1977).

Identification
Brownish black often with genae and mesopleural articulations brownish red. Whole body closely covered with silvery pubescence. Erect hairs numerous on all dorsal surfaces, also on femora, on occiput and on gula. From above occipital hairs extend round the posterior margin of the head to the eyes. Length: 4.0-6.5 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
Pyrenees to Urals, North Italy to Central Fennoscandia (Collingwood 1979) and the Russian Federation.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iberian Peninsula, Iran, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine.

Biology


A Formica cinerea worker killed by the fungus Pandora formicae (photo by Michal Kukla).

Nomenclature

 *  cinerea. Formica cinerea Mayr, 1853c: 281 (w.q.) AUSTRIA. Mayr, 1855: 344 (m.). Combination in F. (Serviformica): Forel, 1915d: 64. Subspecies of fusca: Forel, 1874: 54; Emery & Forel, 1879: 451; Mayr, 1886d: 427; Forel, 1892i: 307; Emery, 1909b: 199; Bondroit, 1910: 483; Emery, 1914d: 159. Status as species: Mayr, 1861: 48; Emery, 1898c: 126; Ruzsky, 1902d: 12; Forel, 1904b: 385; Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 521; Forel, 1915d: 64; Emery, 1916b: 255; Wheeler, W.M. 1917a: 550; Menozzi, 1918: 88; Bondroit, 1918: 53; Müller, 1923: 141; Emery, 1925b: 246; Karavaiev, 1929b: 214; Karavaiev, 1936: 224; Dlussky, 1967a: 65; Bernard, 1967: 300; Dlussky & Pisarski, 1971: 157; Pisarski, 1975: 42; Kutter, 1977c: 252; Collingwood, 1979: 124; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 264. Senior synonym of brevisetosa: Finzi, 1928a: 68; of subrufoides: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 59. Material of the nomen nudum cinereoglebaria referred here: Dlussky & Pisarski, 1971: 157. Senior synonym of armenica, balcanina, iberica, imitans, italica, novaki: Seifert, 2002b: 251. Current subspecies: nominal plus cinereoimitans.
 * imitans. Formica cinerea var. imitans Ruzsky, 1902b: 472 (w.q.) RUSSIA. [Also described as new by Ruzsky, 1902c: 10 (footnote).] Karavaiev, 1936: 226 (m.). Junior synonym of rufibarbis: Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1926b: 97. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of cinerea: Karavaiev, 1927a: 302; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929b: 39. Raised to species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 59. Senior synonym of ochracea, sabulosa: Dlussky, 1967a: 65. Junior synonym of cinerea: Seifert, 2002b: 251.
 * armenica. Formica cinerea var. armenica Ruzsky, 1905b: 406 (w.q.) ARMENIA. Combination in F. (Serviformica): Emery, 1925b: 246. Subspecies of cinerea: Dlussky, 1967a: 66; Arakelian, 1994: 92. Junior synonym of cinerea: Seifert, 2002b: 251.
 * subrufoides. Formica cinerea var. subrufoides Forel, 1913i: 360 (w.) AUSTRIA. Röszler, 1950: 219 (q.). Raised to species: Bondroit, 1918: 55; Kutter, 1977c: 255. Junior synonym of cinerea: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 59.
 * brevisetosa. Formica (Serviformica) cinerea var. brevisetosa Karavaiev, 1927a: 302 (w.) UKRAINE. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of brevisetosa Ruzsky, above.] Junior synonym of cinerea: Finzi, 1928a: 68. See also comment in Seifert, 2002b: 267.
 * iberica. Formica cinerea var. iberica Finzi, 1928a: 71 (w.) SPAIN. Junior synonym of cinerea: Seifert, 2002b: 251.
 * italica. Formica cinerea var. italica Finzi, 1928a: 70 (w.) ITALY. Junior synonym of cinerea: Seifert, 2002b: 251.
 * sabulosa. Formica (Serviformica) cinerea var. sabulosa Karavaiev, 1931a: 315 (w.) UKRAINE. Junior synonym of imitans: Dlussky, 1967a: 65. See also comment in Seifert, 2002b: 267.
 * ochracea. Formica (Serviformica) cinerea var. ochracea Karavaiev, 1937: 177 (w.) UKRAINE. Junior synonym of imitans: Dlussky, 1967a: 65. See also comment in Seifert, 2002b: 267.
 * novaki. Formica cinerea var. novaki Kratochvíl, in Novak & Sadil, 1941: 106 (w.q.) CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Junior synonym of cinerea: Seifert, 2002b: 251.
 * balcanina. Formica balcanina Petrov & Collingwood, 1993: 349, figs. 1-5 (w.q.m.) YUGOSLAVIA. Junior synonym of cinerea: Seifert, 2002b: 251.