Formica planipilis

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Formica planipilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Formicini
Genus: Formica
Species group: rufa
Species: F. planipilis
Binomial name
Formica planipilis
Creighton, 1940

Formica-planipilis-MCZ001L.jpg

Formica-planipilis-MCZ001D.jpg

Specimen Label

These ants nest in the soil, usually with some thatching of pine needles, but may also be found nesting in rotten logs and stumps in rocky and gravely soils. Brood and reproductives were found in nests from late June to mid August. Workers forage up into the canopy of pine trees. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Identification

The tentorial pit of this species is shallow. The middle and hind tibiae have a double row of bristles on the flexor surface, but each is with few hairs (fewer than 10 hairs in each row). There are a few scattered hairs on the other surfaces of the tibiae. The head of the major is longer than broad; the erect hairs on the mesosoma are short and of about equal length. The hairs on the head are longer and sparser than those on the mesosoma. (Mackay and Mackay 2002) This species is very similar to Formica obscuripes and may be synonymous with it (James Trager, pers. comm.).

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Canada; Alberta, British Columbia. United States: Washington to North Dakota, south through Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 50.72° to 33.6°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

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

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) - Grasslands, open forests, ponderosa pine forests, often found in riparian areas, popular-spruce forests, up to about 3000 meters elevation.

Biology

Nevada, Wheeler and Wheeler (1986) - Our 46 records are widely scattered throughout the state and represent 29 localities; 4,800-10,200 ft. (75% from 6,000-9,000 ft.). Five records were from the Cool Desert, 3 from the Pinyon-Juniper Biome, and 4 from the Coniferous Forest Biome. F. planipilis makes extensive use of thatch. Most of our nests were typical domes averaging 53 cm in diameter and 28 cm in height; a soil base 76 cm in diameter was recorded in two instances. Nest material: grass culms in pieces 5 cm long, juniper sprays, pine needles. Atypical nests: 1 under log lying on ground, 1 in log, 1 with thatch spread along a log 60 cm in diameter and 1.8 m long, I with thatch surrounding a crack in a rock.

Nest site selected in open areas devoid of cover. Nest begun at the base of some small plant (frequently sagebrush). Extensive use made of thatching. The finished nest consisting of a large mound of collected detritus. (Creighton, 1940)

Castes

Worker

MCZ-ENT00019765 Formica rufa subsp planipilis hef.jpgMCZ-ENT00019765 Formica rufa subsp planipilis hal.jpgMCZ-ENT00019765 Formica rufa subsp planipilis hada.jpgMCZ-ENT00019765 Formica rufa subsp planipilis lbs.jpgFormica-planipilis-MCZ001MiH.jpgFormica-planipilis-MCZ001MiL.jpgFormica-planipilis-MCZ001MiD.jpgFormica-planipilis-MCZ001Label.jpg
. Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Formica planipilis casent0103374 head 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0103374 profile 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0103374 dorsal 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0103374 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0103374. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by USNM, Washington, DC, USA.
Formica planipilis casent0103375 head 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0103375 profile 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0103375 dorsal 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0103375 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0103375. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by USNM, Washington, DC, USA.
Formica planipilis casent0105753 head 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0105753 profile 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0105753 dorsal 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0105753 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0105753. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by USNM, Washington, DC, USA.
Formica planipilis casent0103234 head 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0103234 profile 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0103234 dorsal 1.jpgFormica planipilis casent0103234 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0103234. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by USNM, Washington, DC, USA.

Queen

Formica-planipilis-MCZ001QH.jpgFormica-planipilis-MCZ001QL.jpgFormica-planipilis-MCZ001QD.jpgFormica-planipilis-MCZ001Label.jpg
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Nomenclature

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

  • planipilis. Formica rufa subsp. planipilis Creighton, 1940a: 9, fig. 1 (w.) U.S.A. Cole, 1956f: 259 (q.). Subspecies of integroides: Creighton, 1950a: 490. Raised to species: Cole, 1956f: 259.

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Browne J. T., R. E. Gregg. 1969. A study of the ecological distribution of ants in Gregory Canyon, Boulder, Colorado. University of Colorado Studies. Series in Biology 30: 1-48
  • Creighton W. S. 1940. A revision of the North American variants of the ant Formica rufa. American Museum Novitates 1055: 1-10.
  • DuBois M. B. 1981. New records of ants in Kansas, III. State Biological Survey of Kansas. Technical Publications 10: 32-44
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Lavigne R., and T. J. Tepedino. 1976. Checklist of the insects in Wyoming. I. Hymenoptera. Agric. Exp. Sta., Univ. Wyoming Res. J. 106: 24-26.
  • 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.
  • Mackay, W., D. Lowrie, A. Fisher, E. Mackay, F. Barnes and D. Lowrie. 1988. The ants of Los Alamos County, New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). pages 79-131 in J.C. Trager, editor, Advances in Myrmecololgy.
  • Trager J. Distributions of Nearctic Formica rufa group species. Personal communication 05 February 2014.
  • Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1986. The ants of Nevada. Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, vii + 138 pp.
  • Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1978. Mountain ants of Nevada. Great Basin Naturalist 35(4):379-396
  • Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1988. A checklist of the ants of Wyoming. Insecta Mundi 2(3&4):230-239