FOR M IC ID/E, an extensive family of Hymenopterous insects, belonging to the section Aculeata, sub-section Heterogyna, Latreille, com prising the numerous tribes of ants. The family is distinguished by the wingless state of their abortive females,.by the great length of the basal joint of the antentim in the females and the neuters, in which they are elbowed at the extremity of this joint, and by the first or the first and second joints of the abdomen being knotted ; the upper lip of the neuters is large, horny, and perpen dicular, falling between the jaws ; the eyes are rounded, or oval and entire, the form of these organs varying greatly in many of the species. In their structural character the Formicid:u resemble the Tiphia3 and Daryli belonging to the section of the sand-wasps. The neuters aro smaller than the males, and these are smaller than the females ; the abdomen in the first and last of these sexes is composed of six segments, in the male of seven. The feinales and neuters are furnished with a sting in many of the species. Those species which have stings emit an irritating fluid into the wounds which they make, while the stingless species discharge a red transparent fluid on to the skin, causing painful blisters. The various genera of this family, according to Latreille, are :—Formica, Polyergus, Ponera, Myrmica, and Attn. This last genus differs from Myrmica only in having very short palpi ; the head of the workers is generally very thick. The 3r/ Tribe Formicites contain those ants that have no sting, and the abdominal pedicle is of one knot only. It comprises two genera, Polyergus and Formica. The Formica genus is distinguished by having the footstalk of the abdomen composed of a single joint, tho mandibles triangular, and denticulated at the edge. The females are desti tute of a sting. The neuters are about oue-third of an inch long, of a black colour, with tho thorax, abdominal scale, and a large part of the head red. It makes its large conical nest in the open ground in woods, etc., amassing together large quantities of sticks, straws, etc. Dr. Jerdon notices in India F. ammon, angusticollis, carinata, eine rascens, compressa, hastata, indifessa, longipes, nana, phyllophila, relucens, rufo-glauca. sex spinosa, smaragdinn, timida, vegans, velox, stricta, and sylvicola. Tho fondnms of F. indefessa, Sykes, for sweet substances is very great. F. gigas is more than an inch long.
F. compressa, Fabr., well known as the black ant, is found throughout every part of India except the western coast. It lives in very nume rous societies in the ground, the entrance to the nest being often round the trunk of a tree, or close to some building. The warriors are very numerous. Their food is chiefly vegetable secre tions, sugar, etc., and Colonel Sykes has given an
interesting acconnt of the devastations committed by them on preserves, sugar, etc. They bite rather severely, but the pain is quite momentary. At certain times great ntunbers of the winged males and females are seen at the mouth of the nest, and they remain there for several days. When they take wing, they do so in vast numbers, and always at night.
F. smaragdina, Worker, the red ant of India, Dimiya, SING., of a uniform pale rufous. Male of a rufous colour. Female of a pale shining green colour. The red ant is well known in Malabar and the wooded parts of India, but is rare in the Karnatic. It forms a nest of living leaves, which it draws together without detaching from the branch, and unites with a fine white web ; sometimes this nest is above a foot in diameter, but usually smaller. The society consists of a vast number of individuals, and in large nests are many females and males, both with and without their wings at all times of the year. They are very bold and pugnacious, and bite very severely. They live chiefly on vegetable secretions, and are very partial to the flowers and buds of some of the loranthi, which abound on the western coast. They often form a temporary web round the flowers, or sometimes round the fruit, of vatious trees, viz. the Eugenia Malaccensis, Artabotrys odoratissima, etc., apparently only for the purpose of feeding undisturbed. They will, however, also sometimes feed on decaying animal matter. It is said that the web they form is occasionally used for writing on in the N.W. Provinces of India, and that these ants are made use of to destroy a nest of wasps that may have established themselves in a house. They are said to destroy all the wasps, but to become so infuriated, that their own indiscriminate attacks are nearly as bad as those of their foes. In gardens they axe most partial to mango trees, but in the jungles they make no selection.
F. timida, Jerdon, the small red ant, has all the body covered with long scattered hairs ; only found on the Malabar coast, where it is very cornmon, living chiefly on vegetable secretions. It has its nest under ground. It is timid, if approached or touched, dropping to the ground at once and hiding itself. On one occasion pigeon squabs placed in a room on the floor were found killed by these ants, chiefly, however, the warriors.
F. velox, Jerdon, colour blackish, abdomen greenish pubescent. Very common in Malabar, and also, found in the Karnatic. It frequents flowers, especially delighting in those that have great quantities of pollen, such as the Cueur bitacem, Hibisci, etc. It runs very speedily, and is veiy easily alarmed, dropping to the ground on being touched. See Ants ; Insects.