Formica incerta Buren, 2007

Trager, J. C., MacGown, J. A. & Trager, M. D., 2007, Revision of the Nearctic endemic Formica pallidefulva group., Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Homage to E. O. Wilson - 50 years of contributions. (Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80), pp. 610-636 : 621-623

publication ID

21293

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6245954

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/306A26B9-3AE6-4C08-957F-7D535D973168

treatment provided by

Christiana

scientific name

Formica incerta Buren
status

stat. rev.

Formica incerta Buren   HNS stat. rev., stat. nov.

Figures. 4 c, 5 c, 6 c

Formica pallidefulva subsp. schaufussi var. incerta Emery   HNS , 1893 [Unavailable name]

Formica (Neoformica) pallidefulva subsp. schaufussi var. incerta   HNS : Wheeler, 1913 b

Formica (Neoformica) pallidefulva subsp. incerta   HNS : Buren, 1944 [First available use of incerta   HNS ] Syntype workers, District of Columbia, iv- 13 - 1886 ( MCSN) [ Examined. Five workers on three pins labeled paratypes by A. Francoeur]

Formica (Neoformica) pallidefulva   HNS : Creighton, 1950, in part

Formica (Neoformica) schaufussi   HNS : Creighton, 1950, in part

Formica schaufussi   HNS : Robson & Traniello, 1998, in part [Vouchers examined] (JCT)

DIAGNOSIS

Worker A relatively shiny grassland Formica   HNS with a relatively broad head (mean CI = 86.77), sides of head more convex (Fig. 5 c) and scapes relatively short (mean SI = 132.99). Head and gaster rich, dark brown (northeast) to brownish-yellow with darker tip (prairie region). Mesosoma and legs yellowish-brown to light yellowish-brown. Mesosoma often a little lighter than head, and both lighter than gaster. Specimens in the Great Plains portion of the range are nearly concolorous brownish yellow except for the darker gastral apex. Mesosomal macrochaetae of F. incerta   HNS typically conspicuously shortest on propodeum. Erect pilosity on gaster relatively short, straight or only slightly curved, if curved, usually below the mid-point of the length of the macrochaetae. Gaster shiny, but its sheen dulled by faint tessellation and medium density pubescence (Fig. 4 c) composed of pale grayish appressed microchaetae

Queen Color, gastral pubescence and shininess like the workers, with the usual differences in size. Color pattern differing from workers and from that of queens of all other species in that there are three distinct, dark spots on the mesoscutum, one anteromedian and two lateral over the parapsidal sulci   HNS . These may cover most of the mesoscutal area or may be reduced to longitudinal dark elliptical marks. Upper portion of head, pronotum, sides of mesothorax, propodeum and gastral dorsum with faint tessellation. Wings, when present, clear brownish to clear smoky gray.

Male Pubescence and pilosity abundant; mesosomal dorsum dull-punctate; entire body uniform black or dull blackish brown, legs reddish brown; wings clear brownish to clear smoky gray. Averages smaller than the nearly similar F. dolosa   HNS and smaller and of more uniform blackish color than males of F. biophilica   HNS .

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

Metrically, F. incerta   HNS is distinguished from the other species in the group by a relatively broad head and short scapes (CI and SI, Table 1). In the northeast part of its range, more pilose F. incerta   HNS individuals may be confused with F. dolosa   HNS , and F. incerta   HNS specimens with little pilosity may be confused with F. pallidefulva   HNS . The geographic range of F. pallidefulva   HNS completely overlaps that of F. incerta   HNS , and most places where they are found together in the field, F. incerta   HNS appears lighter in color and less shiny than F. pallidefulva   HNS , due to some faint tessellation on the mesosoma and somewhat longer, denser pubescence on the gastral dorsum of F. incerta   HNS . Mesosomal and gastral pilosity is usually much less abundant than in F. dolosa   HNS and averages slightly less abundant than in F. biophilica   HNS . Also, F. incerta   HNS is darker and shinier than sympatric F. dolosa   HNS . See F. biophilica   HNS account for the differences between F. incerta   HNS and that species.

ETYMOLOGY

This name was coined by Emery from the Latin adjective incertus meaning uncertain. This seems appropriate to describe Emery's own and subsequent authors doubts regarding the validity of this species.

RANGE AND HABITAT

This species occurs from New England and the Great Lakes States west to Minnesota, Nebraska and low elevation grasslands of Colorado (and New Mexico?). It extends south in eastern US to the balds, meadows and old fields of the southern Appalachians. F. incerta   HNS is especially abundant in native mesic and dry-mesic grasslands, but also occurs in parks, campuses and lawns, fields and forest clear-cuts. In the Northeast, it occurs in heathland and sand barrens, and in the Midwest it is characteristic and abundant in prairie remnants, botanically diverse old fields and meadows, and native prairie reconstructions.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED

(CANADA) ONTARIO: Lambton. (UNITED STATES) CONNECTICUT: Litchfield; DELAWARE: Kent; DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Washington; ILLINOIS: DuPage; Madison; IOWA: Dubuque; Johnson; Winneshiek; KENTUCKY: Laurel; MAINE: Androscoggan; Cumberland; Kennebeck; MARYLAND: Allegany; Baltimore; MASSACHUSETTS: Essex; Worchester; MICHIGAN: Livingston; MINNESOTA: Crow Wing; MISSOURI: Audrain; Boone; Callaway; Franklin; Harrison; Jasper; Madison; St. Louis; NEBRASKA: Hall; NEW JERSEY: Burlington; Essex; Gloucester; Salem; NEW YORK: Rockland; Suffolk; NORTH CAROLINA: Cocke; Haywood; OHIO: Adams; Butler; Champaign; Delaware; Hamilton; Hocking; Jackson; Montgomery; PENNSYLVANIA: Chester; Delaware; VIRGINIA: Farifax; Rapahannock; Washington; WISCONSIN: Crawford; Washburn; Waushara.

NATURAL HISTORY

Nests are in bare soil, or beneath a grass clump, in the latter case often with a small, irregular, conical (5 - 15 cm wide, 10 - 20 cm tall) mound of soil and plant fragments. This is often the first Formica   HNS species to become abundant on restored native grasslands,Conservation Reserve Program grassland plantings on former farmland and cut-over forests. A healthy population of F. incerta   HNS may facilitate colonization by its parasites F. difficilis   HNS and F. pergandei   HNS , if these occur nearby. It is less abundant than F. pallidefulva   HNS in lawns, campuses and parks.

This is often the most abundant Formica   HNS species in mesic tallgrass prairies from central Illinois, Nebraska and south to Oklahoma and northeast Arkansas, and also in balds, meadows and old fields at higher elevations of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Sweepnet samples from all these types of habitats rarely fail to include F. incerta   HNS , and thus insect collections housed at institutions near them may be rife with samples of individuals so captured. In the Great Lakes Region and New England, this species is more associated with sandy soils and pastureland and often nests under rocks. In the northern glaciated prairie region, F. incerta   HNS can be a dominant ant in sand prairies, but is largely displaced from sites with moister, finer-textured soils, which are dominated by aggressive, mound-building Formica   HNS species.

F. incerta   HNS appears to be the only host of Polyergus lucidus lucidus   HNS collections examined from New England states, New Jersey, southern Ontario, Wisconsin and Missouri. F. incerta   HNS is also frequent among the many hosts of F. pergandei   HNS and in western Missouri prairies commonly occurs as a slave of this species, either alone or in mixed populations with F. subsericea   HNS . F. incerta   HNS appears to be the primary host of alloparasitic (dispersing) queens of F. difficilis Emery   HNS , the queen of which bears a superficial resemblance to F. incerta   HNS workers. Indeed, Wheeler (1904) first used the term temporary social parasitism to describe the relationship he elucidated between F. difficilis   HNS (as var. consocians   HNS ) and F. incerta   HNS in Connecticut.

This ant often visits extrafloral nectaries of sunflowers, partridge peas and other prairie plants. It also tends aphids and membracids on a variety of plants. F. incerta   HNS workers defend these sugar sources from non-nest mates of their own species, from other, smaller ant species and from some parasitoids. However, in areas where there are greater numbers of aggressive mound-building prairie Formica   HNS species (e. g. F. montana Wheeler   HNS , F. obscuripes Forel   HNS ), F. incerta   HNS becomes more furtive and opportunistic in its honeydew gathering, as described below for F. pallidefulva   HNS . Foraging strategy and recruitment to food sources has been well studied in F. incerta   HNS (and incidentally, in F. dolosa   HNS ) by Robson & Traniello (1998, and included references to their earlier work). These authors identified their study subject as F. schaufussi   HNS in the articles, but vouchers sent by Robson were examined for this revision. These were mostly F. incerta   HNS , but also included a sample of F. dolosa   HNS .

In grasslands, especially those recently burned, northern flickers (Colaptes auratus   HNS ) prey heavily on Formica   HNS species, including F. incerta   HNS . This is especially so on sunny, late winter days when workers migrate intranidally toward the surface, seeking warmth.

Alates occur in the nests in July and August in New England and the northern prairies, and a few weeks earlier in the unglaciated prairie region and southern Appalachians. It is worth noting that the maturation of alates of F. pallidefulva   HNS may precede that of F. incerta   HNS in by two or three weeks, suggesting a possible temporal mechanism for reproductive isolation. Flights have not been observed, but several mated queens have been captured walking about in mid to late morning in Missouri. In the lab, these recently mated queens are nervous in captivity and often fail to rear their first workers, in contrast to the ready adaptability to captive conditions of F. pallidefulva   HNS queens. Worker pupae are typically enclosed in a light tan cocoon and sexual pupae have darker tan cocoons. This is in contrast to the frequently naked worker pupae of F. pallidefulva   HNS , as was earlier noted by both Wheeler (1904) and Talbot (1948).

MCSN

Italy, Genova, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

Genus

Formica

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