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Ants (family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera) are the most species-rich of all social insects, with more than 12,000 described species and many others awaiting description. [1] Formicidae is divided into 21 subfamilies, of which 17 contain extant taxa, while four are exclusively fossil. [2]
Ants (family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera) are the most species-rich of all social insects, with more than 12,000 described species and many others awaiting description. [1] Formicidae is divided into 21 subfamilies, of which 17 are extant and four subfamilies are extinct, described from fossils.
Ants vary in colour; most ants are yellow to red or brown to black, but a few species are green and some tropical species have a metallic lustre. More than 13,800 species are currently known [ 37 ] (with upper estimates of the potential existence of about 22,000; see the article List of ant genera ), with the greatest diversity in the tropics.
Carpenter ant (Camponotus sp.)The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.. Formicines retain some primitive features, such as the presence of cocoons around pupae, the presence of ocelli in workers, and little tendency toward reduction of palp or antennal segmentation in most species, except subterranean groups.
Formica is a genus of ants of the subfamily Formicinae, including species commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. Formica is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. [3] The type species of genus Formica is the European red wood ant Formica rufa. [1]
Formica polyctena is a species of European red wood ant in the genus Formica and large family Formicidae.The species was first described by Arnold Förster in 1850. The latin species name polyctena is from Greek and literally means 'many cattle', referring to the species' habit of farming aphids for honeydew food. [2]
Formica exsecta (the narrow-headed ant or excised wood ant) is a species of ant found from Western Europe to Asia. A rare formicine ant with a deeply excised head, F. exsecta forms small mounds up to around a foot in height consisting of much finer material than that used by "true" wood ants of the F. rufa group .
The thorax is mainly reddish, while the abdomen and the top of the head are black or dark brown. Generally, this large ant is much darker than other species of wood ants. Their whole bodies are covered with fine hairs. [8] Two large deep black patch are present on the pronotum and mesonotum. [7]