Formica foreliana

Very little is known about the biology of .

Identification
At first sight the species closely resembles a small Formica rubicunda, especially in the shape of the thorax and petiole and in pilosity, but it differs in having the anterior border of the clypeus projecting and entire, and in the much longer maxillary palpi, much more slender antennae, and the coloration of the head and thorax. (Wheeler 1913)

Abundant (24 - 43 on first tergum, exclusive of row along posterior edge of tergum) long, flexuous, erect hairs on the gaster. It is bicolored, with the head and mesosoma mostly red, the gaster is black. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

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

Habitat
Areas between 1370 and 1760 meters elevation (Francoeur, 1973).

Nomenclature

 *  foreliana. Formica foreliana Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 451 (w.) U.S.A. Francoeur, 1973: 235 (q.m.). Junior synonym of gnava: Creighton, 1950a: 539. Revived from synonymy: Francoeur, 1973: 235.

Worker
Length 4-6 mm.

Mandibles 8-toothed. Head, excluding the mandibles, a little longer than broad, a little narrower in front than behind, with straight posterior and feebly convex lateral borders. Clypeus strongly carinate throughout its length, with broadly rounded, projecting anterior border. Frontal carinae very slightly diverging behind, nearly parallel. Antennae long and slender, joints 2-4 of the funiculus longer and more slender than joints 8-10. Maxillary palpi very long, decidedly longer than in any of the preceding species of the rufa group. Thorax rather long, the pro- and mesonotum not very convex, the mesoepinotal constriction rather shallow, the epinotum with sub equal base and declivity, both straight in profile and meeting at a pronounced angle. Petiole rather narrow, cuneate in profile, with feebly convex anterior and more flattened posterior surface, blunt lateral and rather sharp, rounded, superior margin which is either entire or very feebly notched in the middle. Legs moderately long and slender.

Body including frontal area opaque, very finely shagreened; maudibles somewhat coarsely striatopunctate.

Hairs golden yellow, long, slender, erect, sparse; present only on the mandibles, clypeus, front, vertex, pronotum, gaster, fore coxae, and in a single row on the flexor surface of the femora, tibiae, and tarsi. On the gaster the hairs, very conspicuous in certain lights, are present in three or four rows on each of the segments. Pubescence grayish, very fine, dense on the gaster, somewhat sparser on the head, thorax, scapes, and legs.

Brownish red; front, upper surface of thorax, petiole, and femora, especially the hind pair, darker or infuscated; gaster black.

Type Material
Described from several specimens taken from two colonies at altitudes of 4,500 and 5,600 ft. in the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona, by Mr. C. R. Biedermann.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Cole A. C., Jr. 1942. The ants of Utah. American Midland Naturalist 28: 358-388.
 * Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
 * Eastlake Chew A. and Chew R. M. 1980. Body size as a determinant of small-scale distributions of ants in evergreen woodland southeastern Arizona. Insectes Sociaux 27: 189-202
 * 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
 * Mackay, W.P. and E. *Mackay, W. P. and E. Mackay. 2002. The ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY.
 * 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.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1913. A revision of the ants of the genus Formica (Linné) Mayr. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 53: 379-565.