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Glite Dictionary
Formica fusca

Formica fusca

9.9
A kind of ant found in Europe and parts of Asia that other ants often enslave
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Formica fusca
  • Some species of ants, such as Formica fusca, are known to be enslaved by other ants.

Examples

  • The Formica fusca is commonly found in woodland environments across Europe.

  • Look at that Formica fusca carrying food!

  • Researchers observed that the Formica fusca colonies displayed complex social behavior.

  • The Formica fusca is often found in forested areas.

  • Some species of ants, such as Formica fusca, are known to be enslaved by other ants.

  • Researchers observed that the Formica fusca colonies displayed complex social behavior.

  • The Formica fusca is commonly found in woodland environments across Europe.

Surface Forms

Formica fusca singular
Formica fuscas plural

Morphology

Formica + fusca

This is a Latin binomial: 'Formica' clearly marks the genus (an ant), so a learner who knows the constituents would infer this is a type of ant. However 'fusca' is not a standard English word here (and is a Latin adjective not found in the provided dictionary), and taxonomic names depend on biological/Latin conventions that B1 learners normally lack, so the meaning is only partially inferable.

Etymology

Formica fusca comes from Latin: Formica means 'ant' and fusca means 'dark', so the name literally says 'dark ant'. This is a simple memory hook: the dark European ant is often seen in woodlands and is known for being 'enslaved' by other ants.