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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 ]
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.
The family Formicidae belongs to the order Hymenoptera, which also includes sawflies, bees, and wasps. Ants evolved from a lineage within the stinging wasps, and a 2013 study suggests that they are a sister group of the Apoidea. [9] However, since Apoidea is a superfamily, ants must be upgraded to the same rank. [10]
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 .
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] Ants of this genus tend to be between 4 and 8 mm long. [4] Ants belonging to the Formica genus possess a single knob or bump located between their thorax and abdomen. These ants ...
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]
Zoomed up photo of a ghost ant worker, taken from a site in East London. The ghost ant is small, with average lengths ranging between 1.3 to 2.0 millimetres (0.051 to 0.079 in) in workers. [2]
Ants of this genus are considered to be the most primitive within the family Formicidae. [3] The body presents a wasp-like structure but with several ant-like characteristics. These ant-like characteristics, however, are primitive compared to more modern ants, and thus it is intermediate with other primitive ants and aculeate wasps.