Formica rufibarbis
Encyclopedia
Formica rufibarbis is a European formicine
ant
of the Formica fusca group
. In the classification by Auguste Forel, it is treated in the subgenus
Serviformica.
It is locally common throughout continental Europe, and ranges from Portugal
to Western Siberia
.
It is most distinguishable by the large amounts of red coloration on the head and alitrunk, and its profuse outstanding hairs on the pronotum and the upper margin of the petiole scale.
The name Formica rufibarbis was first given to this ant by Lord Avebury in Britain
in his important work Ants, Bees and Wasps in 1881, although the species had been noted (misidentified as F. cunicularia
) by Frederick Smith
in 1851.
In Britain, the species has always been scarce, confined to Surrey
heathland
and the Isles of Scilly
, where it is known as the "St Martin's ant".
In the 1927 edition of British Ants: their life histories and classification, Donisthorpe
gives its distribution as being confined to Reigate
, Ripley
, Chobham
and Weybridge
. It has not been recorded in the former and latter of these localities in recent times, and the remaining populations in the other two are most precarious, with colony numbers thought to be in low double figures.
F. rufibarbis nests completely within the ground, usually in sandy banks, and nest chambers situated about a foot beneath the surface are accessible only from a single entrance. This makes the locating of colonies very difficult, so it is possible that the tiny numbers of recorded colonies constitute an under-representation.
Workers forage singly, and demonstrate remarkable mettle in comparison to the cowardly habits of Formica fusca; Donisthorpe observed:
Workers also possess a remarkable sense of sight, and will proceed to their nest entrance in a dead straight line even if major obstacles are placed to disrupt their path.
Donisthorpe describes this phenomenon thus:
"On July 12, 1913, having observed several rufibarbis workers running about on a path near a sandy bank at Weybridge
, I endeavoured to find their nest, and commenced to pull up handfuls of herbage on the top of the bank, which I let fall on the slope. I then saw a worker approaching with a fly in its jaws and start to mount the bank, and as the scattered herbage was directly in its way, I feared the ant might be diverted from its nest, but when it reached the obstacle it never hesitated for a moment, but running straight over it in a direct line, entered its nest on the top of the bank, which I was thus enabled to find."
Colonies usually contain one to three queens, although the occurrence of gynaecoid workers has also been recorded. Queens found colonies single in the same manner as other ants from the Formica fusca group. Eggs are first laid early in the new year, and colonies reach a maximum size of around 500 workers.
Alate
s emerge in late June to early July.
Like other Servifusca, this species is subject to raids by dulotic species such as Formica sanguinea
and Polyergus rufescens where their ranges coalesce. In Britain this only takes place at Chobham in the case of the former (the latter does not occur in the country).
F. rufibarbis is on the red list in Britain, although it is not considered at risk in continental Europe.
Formicinae
Formicinae is 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...
ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
of the Formica fusca group
Formica fusca
Formica fusca, the common black ant of Europe, is a palaearctic ant with a range extending from Portugal in the west to Japan in the east and from Italy in the south to Fennoscandia in the north. F...
. In the classification by Auguste Forel, it is treated in the subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
Serviformica.
It is locally common throughout continental Europe, and ranges from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
to Western Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
It is most distinguishable by the large amounts of red coloration on the head and alitrunk, and its profuse outstanding hairs on the pronotum and the upper margin of the petiole scale.
The name Formica rufibarbis was first given to this ant by Lord Avebury in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in his important work Ants, Bees and Wasps in 1881, although the species had been noted (misidentified as F. cunicularia
Formica cunicularia
Formica cunicularia is a mining ant of the Formica fusca group. Forelian systematics places it in the subgenus Serviformica. Locally common in southern England, its appearance and habits ally it, to some extent, with Formica rufibarbis, although the former's red markings are far less conspicuous....
) by Frederick Smith
Frederick Smith (entomologist)
Frederick Smith was a British entomologist.Smith worked in the zoology department of the British Museum from 1849, specialising in the Hymenoptera. In 1875 he was promoted to Assistant Keeper of Zoology...
in 1851.
In Britain, the species has always been scarce, confined to Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
heathland
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
and the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
, where it is known as the "St Martin's ant".
In the 1927 edition of British Ants: their life histories and classification, Donisthorpe
Horace Donisthorpe
Horace St. John Kelly Donisthorpe was an eccentric British myrmecologist and coleopterist, memorable in part for his enthusiastic championing of the renaming of the genus Lasius after him as Donisthorpea, and for his many claims of discovering new species of beetles and ants.He is often considered...
gives its distribution as being confined to Reigate
Reigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
, Ripley
Ripley, Surrey
Ripley is a village and parish in Surrey, which grew on the main A3 road from London to Portsmouth. The road was renumbered as B2215 when a bypass was built. The village is situated close to the M25 motorway and southeast of Woking, northeast of Guildford and some southwest of central London...
, Chobham
Chobham Common
Chobham Common is a area of lowland heath a globally rare and threatened habitat, in Surrey, England. It was formerly a freehold owned by the Earl of Onslow, and purchased for £1 an acre by Surrey County Council in 1966...
and Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
. It has not been recorded in the former and latter of these localities in recent times, and the remaining populations in the other two are most precarious, with colony numbers thought to be in low double figures.
F. rufibarbis nests completely within the ground, usually in sandy banks, and nest chambers situated about a foot beneath the surface are accessible only from a single entrance. This makes the locating of colonies very difficult, so it is possible that the tiny numbers of recorded colonies constitute an under-representation.
Workers forage singly, and demonstrate remarkable mettle in comparison to the cowardly habits of Formica fusca; Donisthorpe observed:
- "The workers are very audacious and will even endeavour to rob F. rufaFormica rufaFormica rufa, also known as the southern wood ant or horse ant, is a boreal member of the Formica rufa group of ants, commonly found throughout much of Europe in both coniferous and broad-leaf broken woodland and parkland. Workers can measure 8–10 mm in length...
of its prey - holding on and pulling - and the moment the rufa lets go, to get a better grip, or to attack the rufibarbis, the latter swiftly decamps with the prize."
Workers also possess a remarkable sense of sight, and will proceed to their nest entrance in a dead straight line even if major obstacles are placed to disrupt their path.
Donisthorpe describes this phenomenon thus:
"On July 12, 1913, having observed several rufibarbis workers running about on a path near a sandy bank at Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
, I endeavoured to find their nest, and commenced to pull up handfuls of herbage on the top of the bank, which I let fall on the slope. I then saw a worker approaching with a fly in its jaws and start to mount the bank, and as the scattered herbage was directly in its way, I feared the ant might be diverted from its nest, but when it reached the obstacle it never hesitated for a moment, but running straight over it in a direct line, entered its nest on the top of the bank, which I was thus enabled to find."
Colonies usually contain one to three queens, although the occurrence of gynaecoid workers has also been recorded. Queens found colonies single in the same manner as other ants from the Formica fusca group. Eggs are first laid early in the new year, and colonies reach a maximum size of around 500 workers.
Alate
Alate
An alate is a winged reproductive of a social insect . Alate females are typically those destined to become queens , whereas alate males are occasionally referred to as "drones"...
s emerge in late June to early July.
Like other Servifusca, this species is subject to raids by dulotic species such as Formica sanguinea
Formica sanguinea
Formica sanguinea is a species of slavemaker ant. It ranges from Central and Northern Europe through Russia to Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula. This species is colored red and black with workers up to 7 mm long. Its common name comes from their practice of enslaving other species of...
and Polyergus rufescens where their ranges coalesce. In Britain this only takes place at Chobham in the case of the former (the latter does not occur in the country).
F. rufibarbis is on the red list in Britain, although it is not considered at risk in continental Europe.
See also
- Formica rufibarbis species profile on AntBlog
- List of ants of Great Britain
- List of locales in Britain where ant species have become locally extinct
- List of the common names of British ant species
- List of ant genera (alphabetical)