Formica suecica

Identification
Alitrunk and head reddish, ocellar region often indistinctly brownish; gaster brown with basal face reddish. Head broad with rounded sides and occipital corners which round gently into shallow posterior emargination. Scale with rounded dorsolateral angles and flat central emargination. Palpi six segmented, short not extending beyond front eye margin. Scattered hairs on clypeus, frons and dorsum of all gaster tergites. Eyes without hairs. Length: 4.5-6.5 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
This taxon was described from Sweden. It is limited to Fennoscandia and Estonia (Collingwood 1979).

Biology
Collingwood (1979) - This is a truly endemic Fennoscandian species, not recorded east of longitude 30° or south of latitude 56°. Nests are in open sites in tree stumps with scattered leaf litter but not piled up into a dome. This species may be confused with the redder examples of Formica exsecta but is easily distinguished by the broadly rounded head and bare eyes. Males and queens occur in July and the small queens start fresh colonies by adoption by either Formica fusca or less commonly Formica transkaucasica. The habits of F. suecica have been studied by Adlerz (1902) on the offshore island of Ålnö in Central Sweden where many nests were found, by Holgersen (1943) in Norway and by Forsslund (1947).

Nomenclature

 *  suecica. Formica suecica Adlerz, 1902: 263 (w.q.m.) SWEDEN. Subspecies of exsecta: Wheeler, W.M. 1908g: 408; Emery, 1909b: 193. Status as species: Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 492; Emery, 1925b: 258; Stitz, 1939: 314; Dlussky, 1964: 1035; Bernard, 1967: 326; Dlussky, 1967a: 107; Collingwood, 1979: 133; Seifert, 2000a: 557.

Additional References

 * [[Media:Adlerz 1902.pdf|Adlerz, G. 1902. Myrmecologiska Studier. IV. Formica suecica n. sp., Eine neue schwedische Ameise. Öfvers. K. Vetensk.-Akad. Förh. Stockh. 59: 263-265 PDF]]


 * Glaser, F.; Seifert, B. 1999. Erstfund von Formica suecica Adlerz, 1902 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Mitteleuropa. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 72:83-88.