A synoptic review of the ants of California (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Author Ward, P. S. text Zootaxa 2005 936 1 68 journal article 39107 10.5281/zenodo.171144 7b235ee0-db22-4606-8a01-05936f594932 171144 Genus Formica Linnaeus In California the members of this genus are most prevalent in montane habitats, although a few species occur in drier, low elevation sites. Formica species are ground­nesting ants with generalist foraging habits. Francoeur’s (1973) authoritative revision of the Formica fusca ­group allows the species in that group to be relatively easily identified. Taxonomic difficulties still plague the Formica rufa ­group, which contains most of the remaining species in California. Species identification: keys in Francoeur (1973) , Wheeler and Wheeler ( 1986g ) , Snelling and Buren (1985) and Mackay and Mackay (2002) . Additional references: Agosti (1994b) , Agosti and Bolton (1990b) , Buren (1968a) , Cole (1956d , 1956f , 1956g ), Creighton (1940a , 1950a ), Dlussky (1967) , Francoeur and Snelling (1979) , Gösswald (1989 , 1990 ), Savolainen (1998) , Smith (1979) , Trager et al . (2005) , Wilson and Brown (1955) .