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Glite Dictionary
🪑 A plastic surface 🐜 A type of ant
Formica

Formica

9.5
A group of ants that includes common wood ants and related species
  • noun
  • /fɔrˈmɪkə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Formica
  • The Formica genus is known for its elaborate mound structures built by worker ants.

Examples

  • The Formica colony built an impressive nest in the garden.

  • Scientists have discovered a new species within the Formica genus in the northern forests.

  • Many Formica ants play important roles in ecosystem engineering.

  • Have you seen a Formica before?

  • Many Formica ants are essential for soil aeration and nutrient cycling.

  • In the forest, a colony of Formica is busy foraging for food.

  • The Formica ant species often collaborates to build large nests underground.

Compounds

Formica fusca
  • Specialized
9.9

A kind of ant found in Europe and parts of Asia that other ants often enslave

Formica rufa
  • Specialized
9.9

A reddish-brown ant that builds large dome-shaped anthills in forests

Formica sanguinea
  • Specialized
9.9

An ant that invades other nests and forces captured workers to help its colony

Surface Forms

Formica singular
Formicas plural

Etymology

Formica comes from the Latin word formica, which means 'ant', and you can see the same root in formic (as in formic acid) that is named after ants. So scientists used Formica as the name for the group (genus) of common wood ants and related species today.