The Formica rufa group, known as wood ants, red wood ants, or thatch ants, are mound-dwelling formicines occupying a dominant role in many boreal and northern temperate forest ecosystems. The group can be divided into two main sections: the Palearctic and Nearctic species. The Palearctic species are relatively well studied and include a core of six species (Formica rufa, F. polyctena, F. lugubris, F. paralugubris, F. pratensis, and F. aquilonia), a clade (including F. truncorum and F. frontalis), and the more phylogenetically distinct F. uralensis. The Nearctic species are thought to be a sister group to the Palearctic species and include Formica obscuripes, F. obscuriventris, and F. integra. A related group of ants, the Formica microgyna complex, may also belong to the Nearctic F. rufa group, but the phylogenetic relationships among these species are as yet unknown [15]. Beyond this group, other related species such as F. exsecta and F. pressilabrisalso build mounds and are in some...
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Robinson, E.J.H., Stockan, J.A. (2021). Wood Ants (Formica rufa Species Group). In: Starr, C.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28102-1_136
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