Red Wood Ant

Red Wood Ant Facts

• This impressive Arthropod most frequently goes by the descriptive common name of the Red Wood Ant for obvious reasons. It does have a few other general titles, though. These include the terms southern wood ant, and, for some reason, horse ant.
• Among scientific professionals, however, it typically holds another moniker. That’s it official technical appellation. Thankfully, that’s an extremely simple term for the layperson to pronounce. That’s because it holds the formal epithet of Formica rufa.
• The amazing invertebrate received this short honorific due to the efforts of Carl Linnaeus. The highly esteemed Swedish zoologist accomplished the first recorded acknowledgement of it as a separate and distinct species. He managed that feat in 1761.
• Unfortunately, the intriguing Red Wood Ant appears to possess a diminishing population base. That lamentable situation further seems to hold true throughout its native range. The IUCN therefore presently lists it as Near Threatened on its Red List.
• It faces multiple threats to its continued existence as a species. Like many creatures, most of these stem from human activities. Habitat loss remains its most immediate danger. Nevertheless, the insect also now faces the threat on ongoing climate change.

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Red Wood Ant Physical Description

The remarkable Red Wood Ant represents an intriguing species that quickly beguiles many fortunate enough to encounter it. Visually, though, it maintains the same approximate physical pattern displayed by its innumerable relatives found throughout the world.

Like those countless kindred, it displays a specific variation of the physiological characteristic known as sexual dimorphism. The members of the classes of the invertebrate present differing physical sizes. Each also tends to present slightly varying colors, too.

As remains common, the Queen attains the greatest body length of any members of the species. This caste achieves an average measurement of roughly 0.28 – 0.35 in (7 – 9 mm). She further usually displays a darker shade of brown, with her underside being lighter.

The males grow to a much smaller size than their royal counterpart. These develop body lengths equaling an average of only 0.12 – 0.16 in (3 – 4 mm). In coloring, each typically shows a much darker aspect than the queen. This mainly consists of a black and dark brown.

The significantly more numerous worker caste of the distinctive Red Wood Ant manifests yet another color scheme. This almost always includes a much brighter combination of shades. These usually range from various hues of bright yellow to a brownish-yellow.

Between them, however, the three castes evolved widely varying characteristics in minor ways. Workers have far fewer hairs on their heads than the others. Queens have relatively narrower heads than the others. Males, though, generally combine these characteristics.

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropda
• Class: Insecta
• Order: Hymenoptera
• Family: Formicidae
• Genus: Formica
• Species: F. rufa

Red Wood Ant Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

The remarkable Red Wood Ant evolved as native to an extremely broad swathe of the globe. The full extent of that natural zone of habitation might surprise some people, though. That’s because it developed as endemic to much of both continents of Europe and Asia.

Confirmed reports place it naturally as far north in Europe as parts of Scandinavia. From there, however, its range reaches outward, through Iberia, Anatolia, and Great Britain. Not stopping there, it also lives as far away as Lake Baikal, situated in remote southern Siberia.

The widespread marvel of Nature possesses an impressive versatility regarding its choice of habitat. As a result, it resides in a wide range of ecosystems. Nevertheless, the intrepid creation of evolution does display a moderate preference for several types of environment.

Many populations appear in such areas as regions of open heath and grasslands. Others, however, choose to build their homes in either scrub or open glades. Many even construct their colonies in coniferous plantations, unperturbed by the proximity to human presence.

Despite its relatively tiny stature, the Red Wood Ant is considered a keystone species across its native range. Their nest consist of large, dome-shaped structures on the ground. Each colony persists for many years, with their feeding controlling numerous forest pests.

Each ant primarily consumes honeydew, produced by tiny aphids. Yet they also augment this with quantities of various local invertebrates. These include arachnids and insects. In this manner, the Arthropod directly affects the food chain in its specific habitat.

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