Formica candida
| Formica candida | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Genus: | Formica |
| Species: | F. candida |
| Binomial name | |
| Formica candida Smith, F., 1878 | |
Formica candida is a species of ant belonging to the family Formicidae.[1]
It is black and shiny, and very closely resembles the species Formica picea, but among the characters that have been shown to differ on average, noticeable ones are that F. picea has a proportionally longer head and longer antennal scapes than F. candida.[1]
Formica candida have a high resistance to cold winter temperatures.[1]
Recent molecular investigation of specimens collected across northern Eurasia have revaled three different genetic clusters within the populations of Formica picea and Formica candida. A small cluster from Kyrgyzstan correspond to Formica candida, the westernmost cluster, along with one sample from Tibet, correspond to Formica picea and a third eastern cluster could represent a third unnamed taxon. The difference between Formica picea and Formica candida was smaller than between either of them and the third unnamed taxon. While Formica candida formed a clearly separate genetic group, F. picea did not, and it remains uncertain whether F. picea and F. candida are distinct species. [2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Seifert, Bernhard (2004). "The "Black Bog Ant" Formica picea Nylander, 1846 – a species different from Formica candida Smith, 1878 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Myrmecologische Nachrichten. 6: 29–38.
- ↑ Zhigulskaya, Z. A.; Shekhovtsov, S. V.; Poluboyarova, T. V.; Berman, D. I. (2022). "Formica picea and F. candida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Synonyms or Two Species?". Diversity. 14 (8): 613. doi:10.3390/d14080613.