FORMICA. tel 



Acarina : Cillibano comata Leon., Trachyuropoda bostocki Mich., 

 Antennophorus uhlmanni Hall., Laelaps cuneiferMich., and Sphaero- 

 laelaps holothyroides Leon. 



Crustacea : Platyarthrus hoffmanseggi Brdt. 



FORMICA Linne. 



(Formica, ant.) 

 Type : Formica rufa L. (Lamk., 1801). 



The circumpolar genus Formica comprises a number of species 

 of robust and intelligent ants which live an open-air life, hunting 

 insects and other prey, and attending plant-lice on trees and shrubs. 

 They are said not to rear Aphidae in their nests, but I have not 

 infrequently found these insects domiciled with some of our 

 Formicae, as will be seen later, when the different species are 

 dealt with. 



Many of these ants are very courageous and warlike some of 

 these possess the interesting habit of making slave-raids whilst 

 others are shy and cowardly, and are the ones chiefly exploited by 

 the slave-makers. 



The ants of this genus are rapid in their movements, have longer 

 legs and stand higher on them than do the species of the genus 

 Donisthorpea, and they do not follow each other in files over 

 unknown territory. They use the eyes in finding their way, often 

 leaving the trail and proceeding straight in the direction of the nest 

 when a booty has been secured, and according to Wasmann can 

 see resting objects on the ground at a distance of eight to ten 

 centimetres. 



These ants frequently carry their fellows beneath them ; the ant 

 carried packs its antennae and legs close to its body and grasps 

 the mandible of its carrier, doubling itself up with its gaster bent 

 under the head of the other ant. 



They secrete a large amount of formic acid possessing twice as 

 much in proportion to their size as do the larger ants of the genus 

 Camponotus. With this poison they spray an enemy, and some 

 of the species can eject it to a considerable distance. 



The males are about the same size as the females, the latter being 

 generally larger than the largest workers, and sometimes a great 

 many queens occur in a single colony. 



The workers sometimes lay eggs, especially in queenless colonies ; 

 the queens lay eggs earlier in the year than do those of Donisthorpea, 

 the larvae take much less time to develop, and are never present in 

 the nests during the winter. The pupae are usually enclosed in 

 cocoons of a pale buff colour, but are sometimes naked, and both 

 will occur at the same time in the same nest. 



The nesting habits are various, some species build large hillocks 



