Table 2.
Diversity, taxonomy, life history, and evolutionary traits of Formica ants across currently recognized species groups, as well as of closely related formicine ants
| Formica species group or genus | No. of described of species | Estimated no. of new species | Colony-founding behavior | Colony organization | Nest organization | Socially parasitic life history | Phylogenetic information | Geographic distribution |
| F. dakotensis gr. | 2 | Unknown | TSP; budding at low frequency | Monogynous, polygynous | Monodomous, polydomous | TSP, PSP(?) | Monophyletic | Nearctic |
| F. difficilis gr. | 16 | 5 to 10 | TSP; budding at low frequency | Monogynous, polygynous | Monodomous | TSP, PSP | Monophyletic | Nearctic |
| F. exsecta gr. | 17 | Unknown | TSP; budding at high frequency | Monogynous, polygynous | Monodomous, polydomous, supercolonial | TSP | Monophyletic | Nearctic and Palearctic |
| “F. fusca gr.” | 76 | 1 to 15 | Haplo- and pleometrosis; budding rare, if present in a species, at low frequency | Monogynous, polygynous | Monodomous, polydomous, rarely supercolonial | Not socially parasitic | Paraphyletic | Nearctic and Palearctic |
| F. integra gr. | 20 | 2 to 3 | TSP; budding at low frequency | Monogynous, polygynous | Monodomous, polydomous, rarely supercolonial | TSP | Monophyletic | Nearctic |
| “F. neogagates gr.” | 8 | 2 to 3 | Haplometrosis | Monogynous, polygynous | Monodomous | Not socially parasitic | Paraphyletic | Nearctic |
| F. pallidefulva gr. | 5 | Unknown | Haplo- and pleometrosis | Monogynous,polygynous | Monodomous | Not socially parasitic | Monophyletic | Nearctic |
| F. rufa gr. | 13 | None | TSP; budding at high frequency | Monogynous, polygynous | Monodomous, polydomous, supercolonial | TSP | Monophyletic | Palearctic |
| F. sanguinea gr. | 14 | 3 to 5 | TSP | Monogynous, polygynous | Monodomous, rarely polydomous | TSP, facultative and obligate dulosis | Monophyletic | Nearctic and Palearctic |
| F. uralensis gr. | 1 | None | TSP; budding at high frequency | Monogynous, polygynous | Monodomous, polydomous,supercolonial | TSP | Monotypic | Palearctic |
| Iberoformica | 1 | None | Haplometrosis | Monogynous | Monodomous | Not socially parasitic | Monotypic | Palearctic |
| Polyergus | 14 | Unknown | TSP | Monogynous | Monodomous | Obligate TSP, dulosis dulosis | Monophyletic | Nearctic and Palearctic |
The former F. rufa group is divided into three clades, i.e., the dakotensis, integra, and rufa groups. The erstwhile microgyna group is properly referred to as the difficilis group based on name priority. Please refer to SI Appendix, Table S2 for a detailed list of traits for individual species and references to original research. Total number of Formica species does not add to 172 because of one valid, poorly described species (Formica gravelyi) of uncertain group affinity.