To get anywhere with ant identification, you need a basic grasp of ant anatomy, and a good dissecting microscope, as well as an expert on hand to set you straight when you get it wrong.  Luckily for me, I had all three when I attended the FSC Biolinks Ant Identification with microscopes course in May, and a similar course just this week.

The line drawings in this blog were done at the course, using preserved specimens and microscopes.

Ant anatomy: Recap

So the parts of the ant anatomy that really matter when trying to sort out UK ant species are the petioles, how hairy the head and mesothorax is, whether you can see an acidopore or sting, and whether or not there’s a constriction between the segments of the gaster.

Ant anatomy using the Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus

British ants

We’re lucky that telling ants apart in the UK is, in anting terms, comparatively simple.  Although there are 21 ant subfamilies globally, we only have 4 to tackle.  If you think that makes it an easy task though, think again!

Ponerinae

The first subfamily is Ponerinae.  These are possibly the easiest to spot.  All Ponerinaes have a constriction between the first and second segment of their gaster.  It looks like they’ve got a rubber band around them.  They are stinging ants, and have one petiole.

This one happens to be a queen, so has wings.

The raised central area is the petiole.  The gastral constriction is really clear, and was equally obvious in all the Ponerinae specimens I got to examine.

One of the largest ants on earth belong to this subfamily, Dinoponera gigantea.  Indian jumping ants, Harpegnathos saltator are also Ponerines.  In some cases, mated workers lay eggs, replacing the queen.  There can also be male as well as female workers.  these can be told apart by counting the antennal segments of the funiculus.

According to Antmaps, there are two native species in the UK, namely Ponera coarctata and Ponera testacea

Dolichoderinae

Dolichoderinae don’t have any constriction of the gaster.  They have one petiole.  Unlike other ants, they have very few (and mostly no) erect hairs on the head or mesoma.

Specific to this subfamily is the presence of a slit-like acidopore.  This replaces the sting, and is used to spray formic acid for defense, from the anal gland.  this can smell quite unpleasant and strong.

It’s often ants in this subfamily who “farm” aphids for their honeydew.

Sketch of a Dolichoderinae, showing hairless head and thorax, one petiole, and acidopore slit.

A few species in this subfamily invade other ant nests, replacing the queen and enslaving the colony.

The most notorious of invasive ants, the Argentine ant Linepithema humile belongs to this  subfamily.  This species is seriously successful, outcompeting native species.  It is not only found in South America, but in 6 continents across Australasia, Europe, North America, Asia and Africa; and in over 150 countries.  It’s possible the places it hasn’t been recorded are due to lack of ant recorders rather than to the Argentine ant not being present there!  All the ants in these colonies are genetically identical.  And this spread only began 100 years ago.  Thanks to (you guessed it) mankind’s endless traversal of the globe.

The two UK species in this subfamily listed by Antmaps are Tapinoma erraticum and Tapinoma subboreale.

Formicinae

You can tell a Formicinae ant with the following list: most have erect hairs on their heads and mesosoma, they have no gastral constrictions, they have one petiole, and a round (not slit shaped) acidopore, and the acidopore is surrounded by a collar of hairs.

This is a successful and diverse group, with over 3,600 species described.

So are the Wood ants, which I illustrated back in 2021.

Illustration of Formica rufibarbis showing the round acidopore, hairs on head and mesosoma, and single petiole

Honeypot ants, Carpenter ants, and Weaver ants are all members of this subfamily.  Honeypot ants Myrmecocystus store sweet food in the swollen abdomens of their workers.  Although many thought this was honey, it’s actually simple sugary nectar and honeydew from aphids.

Carpenter ants Camponotus build their nests underground or in rotting wood and are one of the most numerous of the ant genus.

Weaver ants Oecophylla live mainly in the tropics, and build nests by using the silk produced by their larvae,  these are held in the jaws of the workers and used almost like glue guns, with the silk knitting complicated nests in the trees.  One nest may hold as many as 500, 000 individual ants.  They’re hunters, and take insect prey.

According to Antmaps, there are 24 native species in the UK, including all our wood ants.

Hairy wood ant Formica lugubris alongside specimen

Myrmicinae

Myrmicinae ants are almost as easy to spot as Ponerinaes.  Their distinguishing feature is a two-part petiole.  There’s a petiole…and another one known as the Post petiole. These may be hidden under the Proprodial spine, but once you get your eye in it’s an instant indicator.

These ant species can vary from 1mm to 10mm in length, and highly varied.  They’re probably the most numerous of the subfamilies with over 6,700 species identified.

This illustration shows a close up of the Petiole and post petiole of Myrmica ruginodis

I got to draw two of these in the workshop; Myrmica rubra, M. ruginodis.

Nests of Myrmicinae tend to be comparatively small, with only a few hundred of thousand workers.  As always though, there are exceptions to this.  The Acorn ant Temnothorax nylanderi is a tiny species and an entire colony can exist within one acorn.

According to Antmaps, there are 23 native species in the UK, including my favourite, the Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus.

Myrmicinae Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus

Conclusion

Hopefully this dive into the four ant subfamilies in the UK has been interesting.  For more on ants, do check out my blog on illustrating the wood ants of the Cairngorms, and an introduction to ant anatomy.

My obsession with ants is continuing.  I have now learnt how to identify a few down to species level, and have signed up for another ant course (the 4th this year!), this time a three day residential course.  I’m hoping to be able to recognize even more species by the end, and to start feeling confident with ants and keying them out to species level.  None of this would be possible without the knowledge of the tutors I’ve met, and the courses offered by FSC.

I’m far from being an expert, so if you spot a mistake please let me know and Ill do my best to fix it as soon as I can.

The post Ants in the UK: Four subfamilies appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

For more on telling the four British subfamilies of ants apart, please check out my future blog. LINK!!!

Introduction to ants

Ants are social insects in the family Formicidea, relations of the other Hymenoptera (bees and wasps),  Like them, they live in colonies and have castes of female workers, males (produced normally once a year), and a ruling queen.  Worker ants do not have wings, males and queens have four carried in two pairs (although the queens tear theirs off once mated and establishing their nests).  Due to their haplodiploid chromosomes, all the females are very closely related, sharing 75% of genetic material.

All ants have similar body shapes, and a sting (or acidopore) at the tip of their abdomen.  All have jointed antennae.

Typical Wood ant

At any one time, there are 10 quadrillion (that’s a 10 with 15 zeros after it) ants alive on planet earth, and of the 30 thousand or so species, only 16 thousand have thus far been identified.

They’re found everywhere on earth except for the poles, and are vital in ecosystems where they help soil aeration, encourage plant diversity and seed spread, and limit numbers of plant pests.

Like humans, many practice farming, famously tending and protecting aphid “cattle” to ensure their supply of sweet honeydew is safe; or growing and eating moulds produced on chewed up leaves they take into their nests.

Ant anatomy: Overview

I thought ants, like other insects (see my blog) had three body parts; namely a head, thorax, and abdomen.  What I hadn’t realised is that, with ants, this is a little different.

Ant anatomy Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus

The Head remains, and there’s more on this and the facial features of ants below.  Worth noting is that ants have jointed, or genticulate antennae, light sensitive eye-spots (ocelli), mandibles (mouth parts) and compound eyes.

The Thorax is called the Mesoma, or Alitrunk.  it contains the muscles for flight, and serves the same function as the thorax.

The next section is called the Petiole, and is super important in ant identification.  It’s the ant’s “waist”.

Then, doing just what the abdomen does, you have the Gaster.  The tip of the gaster is where you find the sting, or perhaps an acidopore, which can squirt out acidic irritant.

Ant anatomy: The Head

The ant has large compound eyes, and three light sensitive ocelli which sit on top of its head.  Antennae are used to smell, and to groom and interact with other ants.  These have a long first segment called a Scape, and the rest of the antennae is called the Funiculus.  All ant antennae are jointed, or genticulate (meaning “kneed”).  The number of segments this funiculus is composed of is vital when you’re identifying ants to species level.  And is extremely tricky to count!

You need to be aware of whether or not the ant has hairs on its head, and if so where they spread to.  Again, it’s important for species recognition as one subfamily very rarely have any facial hair at all (the Dolichoderinae).

Other important anatomical details mean you need to take a close look at the ant’s face.  I doubt I need to point out that identifying ants to subfamily or species level requires a decent microscope!

Ant head, face on.

Ants have a top lip. above the mandible, knows as the Clypeus. The shape of this lip matters.  Is it curved?  Notched?

There’s an area between the antennae which has other diagnostic characteristics.  The central line can be seen and is known as the Frontal ridge, either side is the Frontal lobe.  The Frontal triangle sits below this.

Ant anatomy: The Mesonoma

The ant thorax has a front part, the Pronotum.  The middle is the Mesonotum, and the back part is the Propodeum.  This part is analogous to the first segment of the abdomen, but is stuck onto the thoracic region.  The Propodeum explains why ants can’t be said to have thorax and abdomens.

Sometimes there’s a prominent spine or pair of spines at the back of this, the Propodeal spines.

Ant Anatomy: The Petiole

The petiole, or the waist, is vital when it comes to identifying ants.  Petioles often (but not always) have prominent points or bumps.  One subfamily always has two petioles, the Myrmicinae.  They’re called the Petiole and post-petiole.

Some species, such as the Shining guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus, also have a ventral spike, pointing down from their undersides.

The illustration below shows a “typical” side view of the petiole, from a member of the Formicinae subfamily.

Thorax and hairs detail of Scottish wood ant Formica aquilonia

Ant Anatomy: The Gaster

Generally, the Gaster consists of 5 segments.  Some subfamilies of ants have a petiole and a post-petiole, so a two-petioled waist (the Myrmicinae).  In this subfamily, there are only 4 gaster segments as the post-petiole has been “taken” from the abdomen.

Some ant species, such as the Saharan ants Cataglyphis bicolor have square petioles.  This allows them to hold their gasters up erect, which lets them move much faster than other ants.

Many ants have smooth gasters, but one subfamily always show a distinct constriction between the first and second segment.  These are the Dolichoderinae.

At the end of the gaster ants mostly have a sting, or an Acidopore.  Males and Queens don’t have stings, as they need this part of their anatomy for reproduction.  Interestingly, queen ants do still have poison sacs, although no sting to deliver poison through.

The Acidopore is found in most members of the subfamily Forminaceae, serving a similar purpose to the sting. It delivers formic acid for protection, and this also works as a disinfectant when grooming.

Southern Red wood ant Formica rufa

Seen from above, you may not be able to count all 5 gaster segments as they can curve below the ant.  It’s important to examine your ant from the side, as well as from above.  (Side views make petiole examination easier, too.)

Conclusion

There’s a lot of new terminology to take on board when you start looking at ants.  But if you take it slowly and methodically, it’s not overwhelming.  And if, as I do, you want to be able to identify ants to subfamily or species level, then this anatomical crash course is vital!

I’m no ant expert, so please do let me know if there are errors in this blog.  And I’d like to thank the FSC and Mike and Gino for opening my eyes to the glories of these amazing insects.

The post Ant anatomy for Beginners appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

The Commission

The Cairngorms National Park approached me, wanting illustrations for a guide to Wood ants.  I’ve only painted a couple of ants before, and never in any enormous detail.  Truth be told, I’ve not even painted that many hymenoptera…up til now!  This would involve detailed and accurate illustrations of six ant species.  It also needed illustrations of the life cycle of the wood ant.  Close-ups of species specific details were also needed.  these would help people tell the species apart by checking out their heads, hairiness, or “lip”.

Yellow meadow ant Lasius flavus.  NOT a wood ant, but the only other ant I’d painted before this job.

The deadline was flexible (thank goodness) and Hayley, the Conservation officer who oversaw the project, was brilliant to work with.

We decided exactly what images were needed, and then she gathered reference for me

How to get reference to illustrate ants?

Getting reference was tricky.  It was winter, so the ants were all inactive and their nests were, in many cases, not obvious.  However, Hayley got me photos of the ant hills.  These vary from species to species, and can be indicators to help tell the ants apart.

She also pointed me to an amazing resource for all things ant, Ant web.  Ant web has very detailed photos for every species on ant you can imagine.  Photos are taken from above, face on, and from the side.  You can imagine how helpful this resource was.  However, you can’t just steal other people’s imagery.  We needed more reference to ensure I didn’t infringe anybody’s copyright.

Amazingly, Hayley got me specimens of every species that I needed to draw.  Not only that, but she got me pinned specimens and loose specimens, in tiny test tubes.  She even got me queens of several species.  This was amazing, I had my actual subjects to work from.  the only problem was the largest was a maximum of 9mm long.  And the smallest is about 3mm.

I’m lucky enough to count Mixie, or Antonia Fraser as a friend.  She’s an excellent wildlife photographer who lives nearby.  I hired her to take close up photos of my gorgeous ants.  It was clearly technically extremely challenging, but she took all the photos I needed.  All were useful, many were beautiful.

Mixie’s photo of the Queen Scottish Wood ant Formica aquilonia

Illustrating wood ants

Armed with my ants, written descriptions, very helpful notes from Hayley, and my photos; I began.  As always, you start by doing a rough.  this is an accurate pencil drawing, which the client can check for accuracy before you move onto adding colour.

Narrow headed ant Formica exsecta pencil rough

In this case, as colour is so critical, I also did some colour tests.  These were print outs of the pencil roughs, which I then coloured and sent off to Hayley.  The colour can change in pinned and dead specimens, so I knew this was an important step.

Colour roughs of the ant species, with my written notes

Feedback was excellent and extensive.  Several experts were on board, so there were plenty of alterations needed.  I never mind this at all.  It’s incredibly easy to make changes to a pencil rough, but can be almost impossible to tweak a completed watercolour.

Once all the roughs were approved, I could move onto the final illustrations.

Illustrating  wood ants

I will not lie.  As I put paint to the first of the ants I was very anxious.  Keeping the colours and details accurate was vital.  I worked closely with Mixie’s photos, the feedback, the tiny ants under my dissecting microscope.  But somehow once I’d begun it wasn’t that bad.  I had to concentrate and had to remember the anatomy of the ants.  Their comparative shiny-ness was a consideration.  The trickiest part was the head.  Untangling shadows from lips and mandibles was tough.  But we got there.

Southern Red wood ant Formica rufa with colour tests, paintbox and brush

Once I’d done one, the rest were easier.  I’d start with the head, the most challenging part.  Then the thorax.  Next the abdomen.  Finally, the easy bit: the legs.

I warmed to my work, learning to love these incredible creatures more and more as I painted their portraits.

One of the illustrations needed was a generic “ant”, in side view.  I chose to base this on the Scottish wood ant, Formica aquilonia. She’s turned out to be one of my favourite illustrations from the commission.

Generic ant, with my lovely UK Wood ant reference collection below.

I painted onto Fluid 100 hotpress watercolour paper.  Winsor and Newton watercolour paints make up most of my paint box.  My paintbrush was a Winsor and Newton series 7 brush, sizes 1 and a tiny 000 for the hairs.  And don’t forget, the presence or absence of hairs is extremely important!

My favourite ant

I know you’re not meant to have favourites, but I do.  The Shining guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus is a tiny insect.  She’s only 2 or 3 mm long, but oh, does she pack a punch!  These ants look like they’ve been dipped in resin.  They are startlingly shiny.  They look like jewels, or highly polished wood.  With the two contrasting colours of her abdomen and thorax, I was utterly smitten,

Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus

She was also hard to illustrate.  Getting the shine to be as violent and bright as it is in nature proved almost impossible.  But I was pleased with the finished illustration.

Another favourite was the Blood or Slave-making wood ant Formica sanguinea.  Not only does this species look pretty cool, being quite a bright red, but they also have a wonderfully sinister side.  They enslave other ant species, kill the resident queen, and have their young reared in these cuckoo-style nests.

Slave making or Blood red wood ant Formica sanguinea

Wood ants species details

Initially, we thought the side views should be done in pen and ink.  However, it was decided colour would work better.  The most important aspect of these illustrations was the hairiness.  Hairs had to be in the right place.  They had to be the correct length.  And on areas where they did not grow, I had to ensure the ant was suitably bereft.

Thorax and hairs detail of Southern red wood ant Formica fusca

The trickiest part of this was getting the angle of the ant right.  She had to be entirely side on.  Figuring out exactly what was going on at the end of the thorax and around the gaster was a real challenge.  Hairs on the ant body were added with white or pale yellow gouache.

Pen line drawings of the ants’ faces was a challenge too.  In this case, it was the shape of the lip that mattered.  And although I could sometimes see this on the photos from Mixie and Ant web, I needed Hayley to elucidate.

Face of the Blood red ant F. sanguinea showing a distinct notch in the upper lip or clypeus

Each ant ends up having an identification page to itself.  This unites the pen drawing, side view, and ant portrait.  it also is crammed with written detail.

Blood-red ant F. sanguinea from the Wood Ants guide

Wood ants life cycle

The life cycle was really fun.  I learned a lot from it, including that the male genitals of one species were bright yellow.  Snazzy.

Mating and nuptial flight Formica rufa Southern Red wood ant queen and male

Building the illustrations of ants interacting was hard.  It involved figuring out what they looked like as they fed one another, mated, or tended their queen.  Using this, I needed to combine species specific “actors” to fill these roles.  And then to tweak their legs and bodies and antennae to make it look natural.

Social parasitism Queen of Slave maker Formica sanguinea and workers of Dusky ant Formica fusca

One of the most time consuming parts of the life cycle was the ant hills!  Small and textured, capturing that straw and wood chip effect took a lot longer than I’d expected.  And then you needed to add anchoring grass around it.  And a budded, smaller ant nest nearby.

Ant nest with smaller “budded” ant nest

Seeing how well all the illustrations of the life cycle worked together was such a treat.  The designers on this project have certainly worked magic.  They’ve clarified some pretty complicated imagery, and made it feel interesting and accessible.

Wood ant life cycle from the guide.

Cover of the guide

Hayley and I struggled with how to approach the cover of the wood ants guide.  We wanted some landscape, but also a close up of the ants.  What should the ants be doing?  How should we unite the ants with the distant misty view of the Cairngorms national park?  We sent a great many sketches and roughs to and fro before settling on a final approach.  Using the motif of a magnifying glass was key.

Hayley’s initial sketch of the cover concept

My early rough for the cover

The cover

We managed to get the detail we wanted with the magnified wood ants.  They are practising trophallaxis, where social insects feed one another.  We had some detail of the ant nest.  Another ant nest a little further away was included, showing how they look in the landscape.  The iconic Scot’s pine trees got to appear.  And we also got to feature the heathery and distinctive landscape of the Cairngorms.

I struggled with the criss-crossing of antennae and legs.  Once I’d untangled them, it was important to try and make it clear which ant possessed with legs.  I think this comes across ok.

Another challenge was the texture of the ant hill.  Having practised this on the life cycle, it was a little swifter.  But I spent a many hours painting sticks and straw, and wishing fervently that I could move onto the ants.  Another challenge was representing the metal and the edge of the magnifier.  Painting circles free-hand is something I’ve never excelled at, so it was a challenge.  but I think we got away with it.  I enjoyed doing the metal.  Sometimes illustrating a subject you rarely draw is fun, as it proved in this case.

Yet again, the designers have done a lovely job with the cover.  They flipped the background, whilst keeping the ants in the same position.  It alters and improves the composition of the illustration.  I feel the cover draws people in, and although it’s a pretty technical subject, it makes the guide feel accessible to all.  This is clever work on the part of the designers.

Cover of the Guide to the Wood Ants of the UK and related species

Conclusion

This was a really technically challenging project.  I was over the moon that I was able to do it, and that the client and I are both pleased with the end result.  Working to the edge of one’s ability is stimulating; you have to learn and you feel alive.  I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, and am really proud to be associated with such an excellent project.

Double page spread from the guide: Southern Red Wood ant Formica rufa and Blood-red ant Formica snaguinea

To download a free PDF of the Wood ants guide, please visit: https://lnkd.in/d_qUdgU

The guide’s production was made possible with funding from Clif Bar & Company through their ‘National Parks Protectors’ initiative.

Hairy wood ant Formica lugubris illustration, alongside specimen

Below is a short piece of film showing me illustrating the Narrow headed wood ant, F. exsecta.

The post Wood Ants: Illustrating a guide to the wood ants of the Cairngorms appeared first on Lizzie Harper.