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Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.
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Threats
The narrow headed ant has suffered as a result of habitat loss. In England heathland has been lost due to development, agriculture or forestry, or degraded due to unsuitable management, such as overgrazing, or through scrub invasion (3). In Scotland, native pine forests have been lost for similar reasons; a particular problem has been the intensive management of this habitat for game species (3). Other, more competitive species of ant may pose a threat; the southern wood ant (Formica rufa) is thought to over-run nests of the narrow headed ant (4). Fire, quarrying, and motorbike scrambling also pose threats to the fragile habitat, and the ant colonies (5).
Conservation
Work to conserve the narrow headed ant has been funded by English Nature's Species Recovery Programme. The species has been identified as a priority for conservation under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP), and a Species Action Plan has been produced. The aims of this plan include the restoration of this ant to 10 populations in suitable locations before 2005 (3).
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The UK Biodiversity Action Plan for this species is available at UK BAP.
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There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.
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ARKive principal sponsor
