Hairy wood ant  (Formica lugubris)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Description

The hairy wood ant can be distinguished from the other wood ants by the possession of a fringe of hairs that reaches down to the eyes (4). It is also more northern in its UK distribution (5). The wood ants are the largest of the British ants, all of which are reddish in colour and have a single segment forming the 'waist' (4). Reproductive females (queens) and males are larger than the workers, and have well-developed thoraxes and wings (which separate from the body after mating). Males have obvious sex organs that protrude from the abdomen(4).

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