Formica rufibarbis Fabricius, 1793

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Formica rufibarbis Fabricius HNS , 1793

Northwest Iran.

Det. Crawley, Anaraki

CRAWLEY (1920b), Anaraki (1981),

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Status:

Classified as Endangered in Great Britain (3).

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Diagnosis of the Formica (Serviformica) rufibarbis group

Within the Palaearctic members of the subgenus Servifor-mica, the Formica rufibarbis group (typical example F. clara , Figs. 12 and 13) is diagnosable by the following character combination: mesosoma showing 25 to 100% reddish pigmentation; moderate to large body size (nest means of CS 1.075 - 1.731 mm); moderate eye size (nest means of EYE / CS1.4 0.274 - 0.312); posterior margin and underside of head normally without setae (nOCC and nGU may occasionally achieve 1.5 and 3.0 in F. anatolicasp. n. ), mesosoma with zero to numerous setae; petiole scale rather wide (nest means of PEW / CS1.4 0.364 - 0.523), with a convex or bluntly angulate dorsal crest; gaster ter-gites with a dense, usually silvery pubescence (sqPDG1.4 2.7 - 3.9) and with more or less dense transverse micro-ripples (RipD1.4 3.8 - 9.2), thus appearing more matt at low magnifications. Range West Europe to East China. Moderately to strongly thermophilic; avoiding the boreal zone; in the temperate climate zone only in open, sun-exposed habitats; in warmer climate zones some species also occurring in woodland. Primary habitats are open grassland, and most species invade rural or suburban areas. Monodomous colonies with single to few queens. Simple, sometimes extended soil nests, frequently under stones, rarely with a flat mound of mineral soil particles or even some organic material. Predacious and trophobiotic.

Treatment by species

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Threats:

This species is threatened by habitat loss resulting from building development and agricultural intensification of heathland. Scrub invasion, unsuitable heathland management, trampling, excessive disturbance of nests and severe or over-frequent heathland fires also pose risks (3). Furthermore, the slave-making ant Formica saguinea is a problem, as it steals the broods of other ant species, resulting in the death of the slave provider nest (5).

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Formica rufibarbis Fabricius , 1793

Formica rufibarbis Fabricius , 1793; France . Formica fusca var. cinereorufibarbis Forel , 1874; Switzerland : Zürich .

Type material examined: F. rufibarbis : Neotype worker labelled "FRA: 44.073° N , 7.295° E , St. Martin Vesu-bie , Cime de la Palu , 2058 m R. Schultz2002.05.14 - 108 " and " NeotypeFormica rufibarbis Fabricius 1793, des. Seifert & Schultz 2009"; SMNGörlitz . In case of destruction or loss of the neotype specimen, a replacement neotype can be designated from a series of 6 mounted workers and 14 workers in ethanol from the same nest sample, having identical sample number, kept in SMN Görlitz and coll. RS .

Justification of the neotype fixation: Formica rufi-barbis has been described from France (" Habitat in Gallia "). There is no specimen from Fabricius available that could be interpreted as a primary type. During a thorough search in the Fabricius collection in ZMU Copenhagen in 2006, a Formica worker labelled " rufibarbis " was found. It is without head, has a damaged mesosoma, carries no locality label but the registration label " Formica rufibarbis 402.26 Kiel " (a permanent loan from the museum in Kiel). This specimen definitely belongs to Formica trun-corum Fabricius , 1804. It cannot be considered as type of F. rufibarbis because its characters clearly disagree with the original description: It has reddish legs including tarsi instead of " pedes nigri " and a reddish brown gaster instead of " Abdomen atrum ". The missing parts of this F. truncorum specimen would also not have a " Caput nigrum ore late rufo ".

F. fusca var. cinereorufibarbis : Two worker types (the specimen with CL = 1663 was labelled as lectotype by B. Seifert in 1999) and 1 gyne paratype , all labelled " F. cinereo-rufibarbis Forel ", " Z. hôpital " and " Type ", MNH Geneve.

Material examined: 74 samples with 232 workers were subject to a numeric analysis of 18 characters (Figs. 18, 19): Austria (1 sample), Bosnia & Herzegovina (3), Bulgaria (1), Finland (4), France (3), Germany (27), Hungary (1), Kazakhstan (20), Lebanon (1), Russia (1), Sweden (4), Switzerland (6), Turkey (2). For details, see Appendix, as digital supplementary material to this article, at the journal's web pages.

Description of worker (Tab. 2, Fig. 3): Large Servi-formica species (mean CS 1.455 mm), head more elongated (CL / CW1.4 1.141), Scape moderately long SL / CS1.4 1.068; distance of lateral ocelli moderate (OceD / CS1.4 0.169), petiole rather wide (PEW / CS1.4 0.471). Clypeus with sharp median keel and fine longitudinal microcari-nulae. Frontal triangle finely transversely rippled and with 35 - 55 short pubescence hairs. Eyes with microsetae of 11 - 15 μ m maximum length. Total mean of unilateral setae numbers on different body parts predicted for a specimen with CS = 1.4 mm: pronotum 11.1, mesonotum 6.5, propodeum plus dorsolateral metapleuron 0.8, petiole scale dorsal of spiracle 3.2, flexor profile of hind tibia 2.8. Posterior margin of head normally without setae. Ventral coxae and gaster tergites with long setae. Dorsal mesonotum in lateral aspect broadly rounded. Metanotal groove relatively deep. Propodeal dome in profile rounded, its basal profile sometimes flat or slightly concave. Dorsal crest of petiole in frontal view convex, sometimes (especially in larger specimens) with straight or weekly excavate median portion, in smaller ants sometimes bluntly angled. Petiole scale in lateral aspect rather thin, with convex anterior and more straight posterior profile. Gaster with transverse mi-croripples of small average distance (RipD 4.4 μ m) and covered by dense silvery pubescence (sqPDG 3.2). Pubescence on head, mesosoma and petiole dense. Posterior vertex, sometimes dorsal promesonotum, coxae and all appendages normally brown or dark brown, gaster always dark brown. Other body parts reddish.

Comments on taxonomy: Formica rufibarbis is safely separable by discriminant analysis from any other species of the group throughout its whole geographic range. Sometimes, less hairy specimens of F. rufibarbis could be confused with more hairy F. clara . Considering the characters CS, CL / CW1.4, SL / CS1.4, OceD / CS1.4, EYE / CS1.4, PEW / CS1.4, GHL / CS1.4, nPN1.4, nMN1.4, nPRME1.4, nPE1.4, and nHFFL1.4, a two-class DA separates 97.8% of 274 nest samples from Eurasia with p> 0.95 and the LOOCV-DA gives an error indication of 0.4%: D (12) F. clara -2.810 ± 0.861 [-6.33, -0.16] n = 200 D (12) F. rufibarbis -2.818 ± 1.297 [0.16, 6.15] n = 74

The type samples of F. rufibarbis and F. fusca var. cinereorufibarbis are allocated to the F. rufibarbis cluster with p = 1.000 and 0.999 and the type samples of F. clara Forel , 1886, F. lusatica Seifert , 1997 and F. rufibarbis sinae Emery , 1925 to the F. clara cluster with p = 1.000, 1.000 and 0.929, respectively. The case of F. rufibarbis sinae is discussed in the F. clara section and the separation of F. rufibarbis from the similarly setose Asian species F. anatolicasp. n. and F. tarimicasp. n. is shown in the section of the latter species.

74 samples with 232 workers were subject to a numeric analysis of 18 characters. Austria : Schwarzach: 14.V.1994 [ 47.320° N , 13.139° E ] . Bosnia & Herzegovina : Sutjeska N.P. (No. 004), 28.V.2003 [ 43.356° N , 18.692° E ]; Sutjeska N.P. ( No. 070 ), 6.VI.2003 [ 43.351° N , 18.690° E ]; Sutjeska N.P. ( No. 072 ), 6.VI.2003 [ 43.350° N , 18.690° E ]. Bulgaria : Dobrostan , 10.IX.1982 [ 41.905° N , 24.925° E ]. Finland : Luumäki , 12.VII.1996 [ 60.913° N , 27.380° E ]; Sandvik (2 samples, No. 33, 35), 10.VII.1996 [ 60.280° N , 22.210° E ]; Stormälo , 10.VII.1996 [ 60.250° N , 22.150° E ]. France : Hospitalet , 19.IX.1998 [ 42.588° N , 1.794° E ]; St. Martin Vesubie (No. 089), 13.V. 2002 [ 44.086° N , 7.247° E ]; St. Martin Vesubie (No. 108, type rufibarbis), 14.V.2002 [ 44.072° N , 7.295° E ]. Germany : Badra , 27.V.1987 [ 51.430° N , 10.980° E ]; Burkheim , 1.V.1993 [ 48.100° N , 7.600° E ]; Dänkritz (4 samples, No. -, 016, 043, 204), 20.VII.1988 / 26.V.1992 / 27.V.1992 [ 50.770° N , 12.430° E ]; Glewitz , 2.V.2000 [ 54.239° N , 13.321° E ]; Grünz , 5.VI.2004 [ 53.264° N , 14.124° E ]; Hauptmannsberg , 22.IV.2000 [ 53.307° N , 13.443° E ]; Heilsberg , 25.VIII.1986 [ 50.776° N , 11.265° E ]; Hellerau , 20.VIII.1992 [ 51.100° N , 13.730° E ]; Isteiner Klotz , 4.V.1993 [ 47.670° N , 7.530° E ]; Langenhessen , 28.V.1992 [ 50.770° N , 12.370° E ]; Menzlin , 8.V.1999 [ 53.870° N , 13.631° E ]; Niederhohndorf (2 samples, No. 081, 212), 26.V.1992 [ 50.750° N , 12.470° E ]; Oberbergen , 2.V.1993 [ 48.110° N , 7.660° E ]; Peenemünde , 5.V.2001 [ 54.148° N , 13.753° E ]; Rohrdorf (No. g13), 9.V.1993 [ 47.740° N , 10.060° E ]; Rohrdorf (No. g30), 8.V.1993 [ 47.717° N , 10.083° E ]; Struck (2 samples, No. 021, 023), 5.VI.1999 [ 54.170° N , 13.693° E ]; Tübingen (2 samples, No. 013, 073), 6.V.1993 [ 48.510° N , 9.010° E ]; Untergrombach , 6.V.1990 [ 49.080° N , 8.550° E ]; Vogtsburg , 3.V.1993 [ 48.100° N , 7.700° E ]; Waren/ Feissnecksee , 27.VII.1988 [ 53.490° N , 12.710° E ]. Hungary : Aggtelek , V.1998 [ 48.467° N , 20.517° E ]. Kazakhstan : Manrak (No. 040), 22.VII.2001 [ 47.628° N , 84.063° E ]; Manrak (No. 045), 22.VII.2001 [ 47.636° N , 84.064° E ]; Manrak , (No. 351), 23.VII.2001 [ 47.633° N , 84.067° E ]; Saur (2 samples, No. 274, 341), 24.VII. 2001 [ 47.300° N , 85.617° E ]; Saur (No. 064), 24.VIII.2001 [ 47.306° N , 85.545° E ]; Saur (No. 068), 24.VII.2001 [ 47.294° N , 85.618° E ]; Saur (No. 058), 24.VII.2001 [ 47.299° N , 85.412° E ]; Saur (No. 273), 24.VII.2001 [ 47.300° N , 85.467° E ]; Saur (No. 309), 23.VII.2001 [ 47.310° N , 84.460° E ]; Saur (No. 318), 24.VII.2001 [ 47.300° N , 85.417° E ]; Saur (No. 331), 25.VII.2001 [ 47.350° N , 85.517° E ]; Tarbagatay (2 samples, No. 83, 316), 1.VIII.2001 [ 47.783° N , 81.767° E ]; Tarba-gatay (No. 153), 31.VII.2001 [ 47.360° N , 83.527° E ]; Tarbagatay (No. 167), 2.VIII.2001 [ 47.781° N , 81.764° E ]; Tar-bagatay (No. 169), 2.VIII.2001 [ 47.782° N , 81.760° E ]; Tarbagatay (No. 183), 4.VIII.2001 [ 47.075° N , 82.313° E ]; Tarbagatay (No.328), 3.VIII.2001 [ 47.100° N , 82.317° E ]. Lebanon : Chtoura , 5.VIII.1933 [ 33.817° N , 35.850° E ]. Russia : Snezhinsk , 5.VII.1998 [ 55.933° N , 60.983° E ]. Sweden : Högsrum , 13.VI.1992 [ 56.770° N , 16.670° E ]; Kastlösa (2 samples, No. 44, 94), 12.VI.1992 [ 56.460° N , 16.480° E ]; Stora Alvaret , 11.X.2000 [ 56.532° N , 16.525° E ]. Switzerland : Biére , 18.V.1994 [ 43.540° N , 6.320° E ]; Eglisau , 21.IV.2004 [ 47.580° N , 8.520° E ]; Pfynwald (3 samples, No. g4, 72, 101), 16.V.1994 [ 46.300° N , 7.620° E ]; Zürich ( type cinereorufibarbis), before 1874 [ 47.37° N , 8.55° E , coordinates estimated]. Turkey : Igdir , 21.VI.1993 [ 39.850° N , 44.090° E ]; Tuzluca , 23.VI.1993 [ 40.050° N , 43.730° E ].

Distribution and biology: Inhabiting the temperate, Ponto-south-Siberian and Submediterranean zones of the West Palaearctic from the Pyrenees to West Siberia ( 76° E ) and the Southwest Siberian Saur Mountains ( 85° E ). In Fennoscandia going to 61° N , both in Sweden (Colling-wood 1979 ) and Finland, in the Alps and the Caucasus climbing up to 2100 m. In habitat selection intermediate between the moderately thermophilic F. cunicularia and the strongly thermophilic F. clara . Compared to the former more frequent on sandy and open ground with higher soil temperature, lower moisture and less developed herb layer and penetrating deeper into the urban zone. Presence, mean and maximum nest density on 81 potentially suitable, 150- m 2-test-plots on open land in Germany was 44%, 1.0 and 6.0 nests / 100 m 2 respectively. Diet, activity pattern and nest construction similar to F. cunicularia but often with larger nest populations, more aggressive, more readily attacking other ants and more effectively defending against social parasites than F. cunicularia . Cooperative transport of large prey items may occur. Alates occur in Central Europe 14 July ± 15 d [ 16 June , 3 August ], n = 13 (Seifert 2007 ).

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Conservation:

A UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) priority species, the red-barbed ant has a Species Action Plan that coordinates its conservation. This plan aims to maintain all current populations, and restore the species to sites within the former range by 2010 (3). This ant is also part of English Nature's Species Recovery Programme, and research and monitoring work has been conducted on this species under this programme (4). Three nests with queens were taken into captivity in 1999, and were being maintained. One of these nests was introduced into the wild, and further releases have been proposed in order to bolster the Surrey population. Supplementary feeding has also been undertaken and nests of the slave-making ant F. sanguinea have been removed from areas supporting the red-barded ant (4). Both of the Surrey sites are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), and one is a National Nature Reserve (NNR); they therefore receive a degree of protection, and management measures have been targeted at the species (3).

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49. Formica rufibarbis Fabricius HNS , 1793 Figs. 160, 168, 197-200.

Formica rufibarbis Fabricius HNS , 1793: 355.

Worker. Head and alitrunk mainly red with variable amounts of dark on promesonotum and hind part of head. Gaster thickly pubescent, dull. Erect hairs numerous on pronotum and normally present on upper margin of scale, absent on gula and occiput. Length: 4.5-7.0 mm.

Queen. Brightly coloured with red predominating. Scutellum usually black, gaster dull. Upper margin of scale and propodeum with erect hairs. Pronotal hairs numerous, extending round side margins to tegulae. Length: 8.5-10.5 mm.

Male. Blackish brown. Scutellum and gaster pubescent and dull. Petiole crest emarginate with sharp side angles and numerous long hairs. Femora mainly dark. Length: 8.5-9.5 mm.

Distribution. Locally common throughout Denmark and Southern Fennoscandia to latitude 62°. - Very local in South England. - Range: Portugal to Western Siberia, Mountains of Middle East toSouth Fennoscandia.

Biology. This is a widely distributed species occurring throughout Europe, nesting in the ground with a single entrance hole or under stones. It is predatory and aggressive and readily attacks other species of ants and insects. New nests are started by single queens alone. Mature colonies are separate but may contain two or three queens with up to 500 or more workers. Alatae fly in late June and July.

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Formica rufibarbis:

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. F. rufibarbis is subject to a Species Action Plan (SAP) in England, where it is known from only two locations, although it is not considered to be at risk on continental Europe.[citation needed]



Taxonomy[edit]

The name Formica rufibarbis was first given to this ant by Lord Avebury in Britain in his 1881 work Ants, Bees and Wasps although the species had been earlier misidentified as F. cunicularia by Frederick Smith in 1851.[citation needed]

Description[edit]

The Red-barbed Ant is readily identified by its relatively large size and distinctive coloration of a blackish head and thorax, contrasting with a light reddish thorax. Small dark workers do occur and may be mistaken for F. fusca, although there is always a degree of colouration between thorax and abdomen.[1] Workers can also be confused with F. cunicularia which does not have hairs on the thorax.[2]

Life cycle[edit]

Colonies usually contain one to three queens, although the occurrence of gynaecoid workers has also been recorded. Queens found colonies 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. Alates emerge in late June to early July.[citation needed]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

It is locally common throughout continental Europe, and ranges from Portugal to Western Siberia. it nests in short, lowland grass and heather or maritime heath overlying loose or sandy soils[3]

Status in Britain[edit]

In Britain, the species has always been scarce, confined to heaths in Surrey and the Isles of Scilly, where it is sometimes 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 Ripley, Chobham, Reigate and Weybridge. In 2004 there were only four nests in Surrey. It was once found in Cornwall at Whitsand Bay but has not been recorded since 1907. In the Isles of Scilly it is found on the islands of Great Ganilly, Nornour, St Martin's and Teän.[2]

Behaviour[edit]

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 small numbers of recorded colonies constitute an under-representation. Workers forage singly and Donisthorpe observed: "The workers are very audacious and will even endeavour to rob F. rufa 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, 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."[citation needed]

Predation[edit]

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).[citation needed]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Beavis, Ian C (2013). "A Revised List of the Bees, Wasps and Ants of Scilly". Isles of Scilly Bird and Natural History Report 2012: 171–182. 
  2. ^ a b Spalding, Adrian (2009). Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly: Ants (Second ed.). Croceago Press. pp. 296–300. 
  3. ^ Nick Clark and Alan Bean, ed. (2004). Cornwall Biodiversity Volume 3: Actions Plans 2004 - Red Barbed Ant. Truro: Cornwall Biodiversity Initiative. 
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Formica rufibarbis Fab. HNS

Crimee (fl. Alma, l , 5. VI. 1899; ville de Simferopol, 2 , 1898. Bazenov!).

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Distribution:

Throughout SLO

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Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith