Formicoxenus nitidulus

An inquline ant that parasitizes Formica rufa and other mound building species.

Identification
Reddish yellow to brown: whole surface of body smooth and shining with scattered acute pale hairs. Antennal club 3 segmented as long as rest of funiculus: propodeal spines short, set horizontally. Length: 2.8-3.4 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
Spain to Eastern Siberia. North Italy to latitude 70º N (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Biology
Collingwood (1979) - This ant occurs only in the nests of Formica rufa and allied mound building species. It is ignored by its host among which the inquiline species moves freely. Individual nests contain only a few individuals, up to about 100, but often several nests are present within one mound of the host. Nests are located in fragments of wood, hollow twigs, bases of old bracken stems and in the earth floor of the Formica mound. Intermediate forms between queen and worker are common and individuals normally remain concealed within the nests but may wander on the mound surface on warm dull days. It is not known to feed on the Formica brood but in captivity will destroy Leptothorax larvae. Males and winged females may be found during July and August. Mating occurring on the surface of the Formica mound. Wingless intermorphic females are frequent. The female reproductives thus exhibit a queen polymorphism, with mated egg-layers ranging between practically worker morphology (but with 1-3 ocelli) through a series of more or less queen-like specimens to alate/dealate full queens (gynomorphs). Workers and sexuals are able to solicit food from wood ants, either directly, or the guest ant climbs up the legs and thorax to the head of a host ant that is engaged in food exchange with another Formica, then steals a little food from the droplet the two ants have between their mandibles.

Nomenclature

 *  nitidulus. Myrmica nitidula Nylander, 1846b: 1058 (w.) FINLAND. Nylander, 1849: 34 (q.); Mayr, 1855: 419 (m.). Combination in Formicoxenus: Mayr, 1855: 418. Senior synonym of laeviuscula: Mayr, 1855: 418; of picea: Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380. See also: Kutter, 1977c: 144; Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380; Radchenko, 2007: 32.
 * laeviuscula. Myrmica laeviuscula Foerster, 1850a: 54 (q.) GERMANY. Junior synonym of nitidulus: Mayr, 1855: 418.
 * picea. Leptothorax nitidulus var. picea Wasmann, 1906: 120 (w.) LUXEMBOURG. Junior synonym of nitidulus: Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380.