Formica cunicularia

Species very common throughout Europe, even in disturbed habitats; also reported from Morocco (Rigato & Toni, 2011).

Identification
Ashy grey black with at least genae and mesopleural articulations reddish; often most of alitrunk and head may be reddish. Gula and occiput bare. Erect hairs normally absent on pronotum but occasionally one or two short erect hairs may be present on promesonotum, never on upper margin of scale. Length: 4.0-6.5 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
North Africa to South Scandinavia, Portugal to Urals (Collingwood 1979).

This taxon was described from France. It is also found in Albania, China, Kyrgyzstan, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Mongolia, Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.

Biology
This is a common species throughout Western Europe, nesting under stones or in small earth mounds, colonising railway embankments, sun exposed borders of woodland, dry open pasture and sea cliffs. Each nest is separate and normally has only one queen. Its habits are mainly predaceous and scavenging. Alatae occur in July and August (Collingwood 1979).

Nomenclature

 *  cunicularia. Formica cunicularia Latreille, 1798: 40 (w.q.m.) FRANCE. Combination in F. (Serviformica): Forel, 1915d: 64. Junior synonym of rufibarbis: Walckenaer, 1802: 161; Dalla Torre, 1893: 209; Ruzsky, 1905b: 385; Forel, 1915d: 64; Emery, 1916b: 255; Emery, 1925b: 250. Revived from synonymy and status as species: Yarrow, 1954a: 231. Senior synonym of rubescens: Yarrow, 1954a: 231; Dlussky, 1967a: 73; Bernard, 1967: 296; Seifert & Schultz, 2009: 261; of fuscorufibarbis: Dlussky, 1967a: 73; Dlussky & Pisarski, 1971: 166; of glebaria: Bernard, 1967: 296; Boven, 1977: 164; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 59; of glauca (and its junior synonyms caucasica, katuniensis, montivaga, montaniformis, volgensis): Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 267; of fuscoides: Arakelian, 1994: 94; Seifert & Schultz, 2009: 261.
 * fuscorufibarbis. Formica fusca var. fuscorufibarbis Forel, 1874: 54 (w.q.) SWITZERLAND. Combination in F. (Serviformica): Forel, 1915d: 63. Raised to species: Forel, 1906c: 189. Subspecies of glebaria: Bondroit, 1918: 50; of rufibarbis: Dalla Torre, 1893: 210; Stitz, 1939: 357; Novak & Sadil, 1941: 107. Junior synonym of rufibarbis: Bernard, 1967: 297; of cunicularia: Dlussky, 1967a: 73; Dlussky & Pisarski, 1971: 166. See also comment in Seifert, 2002b: 266.
 * rubescens. Formica fusca var. rubescens Forel, 1904f: 423 (w.) SWITZERLAND. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of rubescens Leach, above.] Emery, 1909b: 196 (q.); Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 498 (m.). Subspecies of glebaria: Bondroit, 1918: 50; Boven, 1947: 188. Junior synonym of cunicularia: Yarrow, 1954a: 231; Dlussky, 1967a: 73; Bernard, 1967: 296; Seifert & Schultz, 2009: 261.
 * fuscoides. Formica (Serviformica) cunicularia subsp. fuscoides Dlussky, 1967a: 74 (w.q.m.) ARMENIA. Junior synonym of cunicularia: Arakelian, 1994: 94; Seifert & Schultz, 2009: 261.

Additional References

 * Collingwood, C. A. 1979. The Formicidae (Hymenoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna Entomol. Scand. 8:1-174.


 * Rigato, F.; Toni, I. 2011. Short notes 21. Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Pp. 873-882 in: Nardi, G.; Whitmore, D.; Bardiani, M.; Birtele, D.; Mason, F.; Spada, L.; Cerretti, P. (eds.) 2011. Biodiversity of Marganai and Montimannu (Sardinia). Research in the framework of the ICP Forests network. Conservazione Habitat Invertebrati, 5. Sommacampagna, Verona: Cierre Edizioni, 896 pp.