Swiss mountain ant
| Swiss mountain ant | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Formica paralugubris | ||||||||||
| Seifert , 1996 |
The Swiss mountain ant ( Formica paralugubris ) belongs to the genus of wood ants ( Formica ) in the subfamily of scale ants (Formicinae).
features
The body has the red-black coloration typical of wood ants . The occiput and the mesosoma are hairy protruding, but the protruding hairs on the pronotum are shorter than that of the heavily bristled mountain ant ( Formica lugubris ). The stalk member ( Petiolus ) has longer hair than that of the weakly bristled mountain ant ( Formica aquilonia ). The two black spots on the pronotum and mesonotum appear clear, of different sizes, and out of focus. The workers are 4.5 to 9 millimeters long.
distribution and habitat
The Swiss mountain ant only lives in a small area in the Apennines and in the western Alps . Here it occurs in the montane and subalpine vegetation zone up to an altitude of 2,300 meters. An occurrence in Germany has not yet been proven. This species colonizes coniferous forests and mixed coniferous forests , using less sunny locations than Formica lugubris and penetrating deeper into the forest.
Way of life
This species of ants forms highly polygynous states that comprise many nests and house hundreds to a thousand queens per nest. The largest known super colony has 1200 nests on 70 hectares. The sex animals swarm between mid-May and mid-July. Mating almost always takes place in or on the nest and the young queens are adopted by the mother's nest. Mating at external mating sites is less common. Socially parasitic colony foundations in slave ants have not yet been proven.
Nest building
The anthills are much smaller than those of the bald-backed wood ant ( Formica polyctena ) and can reach a maximum diameter of 160 centimeters. Large amounts of resin crumbs are stored in the nest, which apparently serve to combat microbes and fungi .
Systematics
This species was described relatively late in 1996. According to genetic findings, this species is a sister species to Formica aquilonia .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Bernhard Seifert : The ants of Central and Northern Europe . lutra Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Görlitz / Tauer 2007, ISBN 978-3-936412-03-1