Formica mucescens

Formica mucescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Formicini
Genus:	Formica
Species group:	rufa
Species:	F. mucescens
Binomial name
Formica mucescens Wheeler, W.M., 1913 Specimen labels

Identification

This species can be recognized as there are few hairs on the tibiae, where they are restricted to two rows on the flexor surface. The gaster is covered with short, bristly hairs, in which the distance between the tips is less than the lengths of the hairs. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Keys including this Species

• Key to Nearctic species in the Formica rufa group

Distribution

United States. Utah and Colorado.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 41.311367° to 34.156971°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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.

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.

Habitat

Found in open prairies up to ponderosa pine forests. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Biology

Nest site selected in areas of moderate to sparse cover. Nest begun under log or stone with many of the passages running into the soil. Moderate use made of thatching, often little of this visible on the outside of the nest. Large domes or heaps of thatching rarely produced (Creighton, 1940).

Castes

Worker

Syntype of Formica musescens. .	Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Worker. Specimen code casent0103492. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by USNM, Washington, DC, USA.

Queen

Queen. .	Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Nomenclature

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

• mucescens. Formica truncicola subsp. mucescens Wheeler, W.M. 1913f: 442 (w.q.m.) U.S.A. Subspecies of rufa: Creighton, 1940a: 3. Raised to species: Creighton, 1950a: 491.

References

• Creighton, W. S. 1940a. A revision of the North American variants of the ant Formica rufa. American Museum Novitates 1055: 1-10.
• Creighton, W. S. 1950a. The ants of North America. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 104: 1-585 (page 491, raised to species)
• Mackay, W. P. and E. Mackay. 2002. The ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY.
• Wheeler, W. M. 1913i. A revision of the ants of the genus Formica (Linné) Mayr. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 53: 379-565 (page 442, worker, queen, male described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Allred D. M. 1982. Ants of Utah. The Great Basin Naturalist 42: 415-511.
• Allred, D.M. 1982. The ants of Utah. Great Basin Naturalist 42:415-511.
• Bestelmeyer B. T., and J. A. Wiens. 2001. Local and regional-scale responses of ant diversity to a semiarid biome transition. Ecography 24: 381-392.
• Gregg, R.T. 1963. The Ants of Colorado.