Formica montana

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Formica montana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Formicini
Genus: Formica
Species: F. montana
Binomial name
Formica montana
Wheeler, W.M., 1910

Formica montana casent0102154 profile 1.jpg

Formica montana casent0102154 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Synonyms

This ant nests in mounds of soil, occasionally with thatching. Reproductives were found in nests from May to July. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Identification

A light brown, hairy species. The metasternal process is well developed and surrounded with erect hairs. There are numerous erect hairs on the ventral surface of the head, the pronotum, propodeum, petiole and gaster. Many (or most) of the hairs are blunt-tipped. There are few hairs along the side of the head, usually extending anteriorly only to the anterior edge of the eye. The cheek is usually without erect hairs, (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 49.896° to 19.30861111°.

     
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: Canada, United States (type locality).
Neotropical Region: Mexico.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Habitat

In New Mexico (Mackay and Mackay 2002) - Prairies and meadows, up to pinyon-juniper and oak-pine forests.

Biology

This species is a host for the ant Formica dakotensis (a temporary parasite).

This species is a host for the slave-making ants Formica fossaceps, Formica puberula, Formica rubicunda and Polyergus breviceps.

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Aphis asclepiadis (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Aphis oregonensis (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Chaitophorus populicola (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Cinara medispinosa (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Cinara pseudotsugae (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Macrosiphum chrysothamni (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Pleotrichophorus glandulosus (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Pseudoepameibaphis tridentatae (a trophobiont) (Jones, 1927; Saddiqui et al., 2019).
  • This species is a host for the fungus Laboulbenia formicarum (a parasite) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission within nest).
  • This species is a host for the fungus Laboulbenia formicarum (a pathogen) (Espadaler & Santamaria, 2012).

Castes

Worker

MCZ-ENT00023248 Formica subpolita var montana hef.jpgMCZ-ENT00023248 Formica subpolita var montana hal.jpgMCZ-ENT00023248 Formica subpolita var montana had.jpgMCZ-ENT00023248 Formica subpolita var montana lbs.jpg
. Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Formica montana casent0102155 head 1.jpgFormica montana casent0102155 profile 1.jpgFormica montana casent0102155 dorsal 1.jpgFormica montana casent0102155 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0102155. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
Formica montana casent0102154 profile 2.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0102154. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • montana. Formica subpolita var. montana Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 571 (w.) U.S.A. [First available use of Formica fusca subsp. subpolita var. montana Emery, 1893i: 663; unavailable name.] Francoeur, 1973: 70 (q.m.); Hung, 1969: 455 (k.). Raised to species: Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 529. Senior synonym of neocinerea, rutilans: Creighton, 1950a: 534; Francoeur, 1973: 67.
  • neocinerea. Formica cinerea var. neocinerea Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 399 (in key) (w.q.m.) U.S.A. [Formica cinerea var. neocinerea Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 571. Nomen nudum.] Subspecies of cinerea: Buren, 1944a: 301. Junior synonym of montana: Creighton, 1950a: 534.
  • rutilans. Formica cinerea var. rutilans Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 399 (diagnosis in key) (w.) U.S.A. [Formica cinerea subsp. cinerea var. rutilans Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 525; unavailable name.] Junior synonym of montana: Creighton, 1950a: 534.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Francoeur 1973. Figures 74-89.

Karyotype

  • n = 27, 2n = 54 (USA) (Hung, 1969).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Amstutz M. E. 1943. The ants of the Kildeer plain area of Ohio (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). The Ohio Journal of Science 43(4): 165-173.
  • Carroll T. M. 2011. The ants of Indiana (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Master's Thesis Purdue university, 385 pages.
  • Clark Adam. Personal communication on November 25th 2013.
  • Cokendolpher J. C., and O. F. Francke. 1990. The ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of western Texas. Part II. Subfamilies Ecitoninae, Ponerinae, Pseudomyrmecinae, Dolichoderinae, and Formicinae. Special Publications, the Museum. Texas Tech University 30:1-76.
  • Cole, A.C. 1936. An annotated list of the ants of Idaho (Hymenoptera; Formicidae). Canadian Entomologist 68(2):34-39
  • Coovert G. A. 2005. The Ants of Ohio (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ohio Biological Survey, Inc. 15(2): 1-207.
  • Coovert, G.A. 2005. The Ants of Ohio (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Ohio Biological Survey Bulletin New Series Volume 15(2):1-196
  • Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
  • Downing H., and J. Clark. 2018. Ant biodiversity in the Northern Black Hills, South Dakota (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 91(2): 119-132.
  • Dubois, M.B. and W.E. Laberge. 1988. An Annotated list of the ants of Illionois. pages 133-156 in Advances in Myrmecology, J. Trager
  • Francoeur. A. 1973. Revision taxonomique des especes nearctiques du group fusca, genre Formica. Memoires de la Societe Entomologique du Quebec 3: 1-316.
  • Glasier J. R. N., S. Nielsen, J. H. Acorn, L. H. Borysenko, and T. Radtke. 2016. A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Saskatchewan. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 130(1): 40-48.
  • Gregg, R.T. 1963. The Ants of Colorado.
  • Ivanov, K. 2019. The ants of Ohio (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): an updated checklist. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 70: 65–87.
  • Kannowski P. B. 1956. The ants of Ramsey County, North Dakota. American Midland Naturalist 56(1): 168-185.
  • Knowlton G. F. 1970. Ants of Curlew Valley. Proceedings of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters 47(1): 208-212.
  • La Rivers I. 1968. A first listing of the ants of Nevada. Biological Society of Nevada, Occasional Papers 17: 1-12.
  • Longino, J.T. 2010. Personal Communication. Longino Collection Database
  • Mackay W. P., and E. E. Mackay. 2002. The ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 400 pp.
  • Mallis A. 1941. A list of the ants of California with notes on their habits and distribution. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 40: 61-100. 
  • Mann W. M. 1911. Notes on the guests of some Californian ants. Psyche (Cambridge) 18: 27-31.
  • Menke S. B., E. Gaulke, A. Hamel, and N. Vachter. 2015. The effects of restoration age and prescribed burns on grassland ant community structure. Environmental Entomology http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvv110
  • Menke S. B., and N. Vachter. 2014. A comparison of the effectiveness of pitfall traps and winkler litter samples for characterization of terrestrial ant (Formicidae) communities in temperate savannas. The Great Lakes Entomologist 47(3-4): 149-165.
  • Michigan State University, The Albert J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection. Accessed on January 7th 2014 at http://www.arc.ent.msu.edu:8080/collection/index.jsp
  • O'Keefe S. T., J. L. Cook, T. Dudek, D. F. Wunneburger, M. D. Guzman, R. N. Coulson, and S. B. Vinson. 2000. The Distribution of Texas Ants. The Southwestern Entomologist 22: 1-92.
  • Wheeler G. C., and E. W. Wheeler. 1944. Ants of North Dakota. North Dakota Historical Quarterly 11:231-271.
  • Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1987. A Checklist of the Ants of South Dakota. Prairie Nat. 19(3): 199-208.
  • 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.
  • Wheeler W. M. 1917. A list of Indiana ants. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 26: 460-466.
  • Wheeler W. M. 1917. The mountain ants of western North America. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 52: 457-569.
  • Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1988. A checklist of the ants of Montana. Psyche 95:101-114
  • Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1988. A checklist of the ants of Wyoming. Insecta Mundi 2(3&4):230-239
  • Wheeler, G.C., J. Wheeler, T.D. Galloway and G.L. Ayre. 1989. A list of the ants of Manitoba. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Manitoba 45:34-49
  • Wyckhuys K. A. G., R. L. Koch, R. R. Kula, and G. E. Heimpel. 2009. Potential exposure of a classical biological control agent of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines, on non-target aphids in North America. Biol Invasions 11: 857–871.