Formica obscuripes
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| Formica obscuripes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Genus: | Formica |
| Species: | F. obscuripes |
| Binomial name | |
| Formica obscuripes Forel, 1886 | |
A mound
Formica obscuripes (the western thatching ant) is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. It is native to North America. It produces large mounds covered by small pieces of plant material.[1] The number of adult workers per colony may be as high as 40,000.[2] F. obscuripes feeds upon a number of insect species, consumes nectar from homopterous insects they tend, and occasionally eats plant tissue.[1] In the Blue Mountains of Oregon, F. obscuripes has demonstrated the capacity for polydomy. A supercolony in a four-hectare study area near Lehman Hot Springs consisted of 210 active nests with an estimated population in excess of 56 million ants.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Heikkinen, M. W. (1999). "Negative effects of the western thatching ant (Formica obscuripes) on spiders (Araneae) inhabiting big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)". Great Basin Naturalist 59 (4): 380–383.
- ↑ Capinera, J. L. (2008). Encyclopedia of Entomology, Volume 3. Springer. p. 4215. ISBN 978-1-4020-6242-1.
- ↑ McIver, et al.|"A supercolony of the thatch ant Formica obscuripes Forel (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) from the Blue Mountains of Oregon". Northwest Science 71 (1): 18–29. 1997.
External links
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Media related to Formica obscuripes at Wikimedia Commons - Formica obscuripes at the Encyclopedia of Life
- "Discover Life: Formica obscuripes". Retrieved 2010-09-19.
- "BugGuide: Western Thatching Ant - mound - Formica obscuripes". Retrieved 2010-09-19.
- "BugGuide: Western Thatching Ants - Formica obscuripes". Retrieved 2010-09-19.
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