Formica ferruginea

Smith, F., 1858, Catalogue of the hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae., London: British Museum : 53

187. Formica ferruginea . B.M.

Formica ferruginea, Fabr. Ent. Syst. Suppl. 279. 11; Syst. Piez. 399. 14.

Latr. Hist. Nat. Fourm. 94.

Hab, North America.

Extremely like the F. ligniperda , and apparently synonymous with the P. castanea of Latreille. A long series of the latter species exhibits a great variation in the colouring of different individuals: in some the first segment is red, in others it is merely red at the base; a few individuals have the head red; when this occurs, scarcely a trace of red is observable either on the metathorax or base of the abdomen. F. ligniperda has a close representative in most, parts of the world: the F. consobrina of Erichson scarcely differs from the European species, but is found in Tasmania.