This is a list of the extant and extinct (†) species in the genus Formica which includes wood ants, mound ants, and field ants. As of 2026, Formica contains 221 valid species, split between 181 extant and 40 extinct. Extant

Formica accreta Francoeur, 1973 Formica adamsi Wheeler, 1909 Formica adelungi Forel, 1904 Formica aerata Francoeur, 1973 Formica altayensis Xia & Zheng, 1997 Formica altipetens Wheeler, 1913 Formica anatolica Seifert & Schultz, 2009 Formica aquilonia Yarrow, 1955 Formica archboldi Smith, 1944 Formica argentea Wheeler, 1912 Formica aserva Forel, 1901 Formica aseta Chang & He, 2002 Formica aterrima Cresson, 1865 Formica balcanina Petrov & Collingwood, 1993 Formica biophilica Trager et al., 2007 Formica bradleyi Wheeler, 1913 Formica breviscapa Chang & He, 2002 Formica browni Francoeur, 1973 Formica bruni Kutter, 1967 Formica brunneonitida Dlussky, 1964 Formica calviceps Cole, 1954 Formica canadensis Santschi, 1914 Formica candida Smith, 1878 Formica caucasicola Seifert & Schultz, 2021 Formica ciliata Mayr, 1886 Formica cinerea Mayr, 1853 Formica cinereofusca Karavaiev, 1929 Formica clara Forel, 1886 Formica clarissima Emery, 1925 Formica coloradensis Creighton, 1940 Formica comata Wheeler, 1909 Formica corsica Seifert, 2002 Formica creightoni Buren, 1968 Formica criniventris Wheeler, 1912 Formica cunicularia Latreille, 1798 Formica curiosa Creighton, 1935 Formica dachaidanensis Chang & He, 2002 Formica dakotensis Emery, 1893 Formica densiventris Viereck, 1903 Formica difficilis Emery, 1893 Formica dirksi Wing, 1949 Formica dolosa Buren, 1944 Formica draven Fisher, 2025 Formica dusmeti Emery, 1909 Formica emeryi Wheeler, 1913 Formica exsecta Nylander, 1846 Formica exsectoides Forel, 1886 Formica fennica Seifert, 2000 Formica ferocula Wheeler, 1913 Formica foreli Bondroit, 1918 Formica foreliana Wheeler, 1913 Formica forsslundi Lohmander, 1949 Formica fossaceps Buren, 1942 Formica francoeuri Bolton, 1995 Formica frontalis Santschi, 1919 Formica fukaii Wheeler, 1914 Formica fusca Linnaeus, 1758 Formica fuscocinerea Forel, 1874 Formica gagates Latreille, 1798 Formica gagatoides Ruzsky, 1904 Formica georgica Seifert, 2002 Formica gerardi Bondroit, 1917 Formica glabridorsis Santschi, 1925 Formica glacialis Wheeler, 1908 Formica gnava Buckley, 1866 Formica gravelyi Mukerjee, 1930 Formica gynocrates Snelling & Buren, 1985 Formica hayashi Terayama & Hashimoto, 1996 Formica helvetica Seifert, 2021 Formica hewitti Wheeler, 1917 Formica impexa Wheeler, 1905 Formica incerta Buren, 1944 Formica indianensis Cole, 1940 Formica integra Nylander, 1856 Formica integroides Wheeler, 1913 Formica japonica Motschoulsky, 1866 Formica kashmirica Stärcke, 1935 Formica knighti Buren, 1944 Formica kozlovi Dlussky, 1965 Formica kupyanskayae Bolton, 1995 Formica laeviceps Creighton, 1940 Formica lasioides Emery, 1893 Formica lemani Bondroit, 1917 Formica lepida Wheeler, 1913 Formica limata Wheeler, 1913 Formica liogaster Chang & He, 2002 Formica liopthalma Chang & He, 2002 Formica litoralis Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1926 Formica longiceps Dlussky, 1964 Formica longipilosa Francoeur, 1973 Formica lugubris Zetterstedt, 1838 Formica manchu Wheeler, 1929 Formica manni Wheeler, 1913 Formica maura Santschi, 1929 Formica mesasiatica Dlussky, 1964 Formica microgyna Wheeler, 1903 Formica microphthalma Francoeur, 1973 Formica miniocca Chang & He, 2002 Formica moki Wheeler, 1906 Formica montana Wheeler, 1910 Formica morsei Wheeler, 1906 Formica mucescens Wheeler, 1913 Formica mutinensis (Canestrini, 1873) Formica mytara Fisher, 2025 Formica neoclara Emery, 1893 Formica neogagates Viereck, 1903 Formica neorufibarbis Emery, 1893 Formica nepticula Wheeler, 1905 Formica nevadensis Wheeler, 1904 Formica obscuripes Forel, 1886 Formica obscuriventris Mayr, 1870 Formica obsidiana Emery, 1923 Formica obtusopilosa Emery, 1893 Formica occulta Francoeur, 1973 Formica opaciventris Emery, 1893 Formica orangea Seifert & Schultz, 2009 Formica oreas Wheeler, 1903 Formica oregonensis Cole, 1938 Formica pachucana Francoeur, 1973 Formica pacifica Francoeur, 1973 Formica pallidefulva Latreille, 1802 Formica pamirica Dlussky, 1965 Formica paralugubris Seifert, 1996 Formica pergandei Emery, 1893 Formica perpilosa Wheeler, 1913 Formica persica Seifert & Schultz, 2009 Formica picea Nylander, 1846 Formica pisarskii Dlussky, 1964 Formica planipilis Creighton, 1940 Formica podzolica Francoeur, 1973 Formica polyctena Foerster, 1850 Formica postoculata Kennedy & Dennis, 1937 Formica pratensis Retzius, 1783 Formica pressilabris Nylander, 1846 Formica prociliata Kennedy & Dennis, 1937 Formica propatula Francoeur, 1973 Formica propinqua Creighton, 1940 Formica puberula Emery, 1893 Formica pulla Francoeur, 1973 Formica pyrenaea Bondroit, 1918 Formica querquetulana Kennedy & Davis, 1937 Formica ravida Creighton, 1940 Formica reflexa Buren, 1942 Formica retecta Francoeur, 1973 Formica rubicunda Emery, 1893 Formica rufa Linnaeus, 1761 (Type species) Formica rufibarbis Fabricius, 1793 Formica rufolucida Collingwood, 1962 Formica sanguinea Latreille, 1798 Formica scitula Wheeler, 1913 Formica selysi Bondroit, 1918 Formica sentschuensis Ruzsky, 1915 Formica sibylla Wheeler, 1913 Formica sinensis Wheeler, 1913 Formica spatulata Buren, 1944 Formica subaenescens Emery, 1893 Formica subcyanea Wheeler, 1913 Formica subelongata Francoeur, 1973 Formica subintegra Wheeler, 1908 Formica subnitens Creighton, 1940 Formica subpilosa Ruzsky, 1902 Formica subpolita Mayr, 1886 Formica subsericea Say, 1836 Formica suecica Adlerz, 1902 Formica talbotae Wilson, 1977 Formica tarimica Seifert & Schultz, 2009 Formica tianshanica Seifert & Schultz, 2009 Formica tibetana Schultz & Seifert, 2025 Formica tombeuri Bondroit, 1917 Formica torrentium Bernard, 1967 Formica transmontanis Francoeur, 1973 Formica truncorum Fabricius, 1804 Formica ulkei Emery, 1893 Formica uralensis Ruzsky, 1895 Formica ussuriensis Seifert, 2021 Formica villiscapa Chang & He, 2002 Formica vinculans Wheeler, 1913 Formica wheeleri Creighton, 1935 Formica xerophila Smith, 1939 Formica yessensis Wheeler, 1913 Formica yoshiokae Wheeler, 1933

Extinct

†Formica alsatica Theobald, 1937 †Formica annosa LaPolla & Greenwalt, 2015 †Formica arcana Scudder, 1877 †Formica auxillacensis Piton, 1935 †Formica bauckhorni Meunier, 1915 †Formica biamoensis Dlussky et al., 2015 †Formica buphthalma Novak, 1878 †Formica cantalica Piton, 1935 †Formica ceps Zhang, 1989 †Formica cockerelli Carpenter, 1930 †Formica eoptera Cockerell, 1923 †Formica flavifemoralis Zhang et al., 1994 †Formica flori Mayr, 1868 †Formica grandis Carpenter, 1930 †Formica gustawi Dlussky, 2002 †Formica heteroptera Cockerell, 1920 †Formica horrida Wheeler, 1915 †Formica kutscheri Dlussky, 2008 †Formica latinodosa Theobald, 1937 †Formica linquensis Zhang, 1989 †Formica maculipennis Theobald, 1935 †Formica martynovi Popov, 1933 †Formica obscura Heer, 1849 †Formica ovala Zhang, 1989 †Formica palaeopolonica Dlussky, 2008 †Formica paleosibirica Dlussky et al., 2015 †Formica parexsecta Dlussky & Putyatina, 2014 †Formica phaethusa Wheeler, 1915 †Formica pitoni Theobald, 1935 †Formica radchenkoi Dlussky, 2008 †Formica ribbeckei Radchenko & Perkovsky, 2021 †Formica robusta Carpenter, 1930 †Formica sepulta Theobald, 1937 †Formica serresi Theobald, 1937 †Formica seuberti Heer, 1849 †Formica strangulata Wheeler, 1915 †Formica surinamensis Berendt, 1830 †Formica tripartita Theobald, 1937 †Formica ungeri Heer, 1849 †Formica zherikhini Dlussky, 2008

Unidentifiable A number of species tentatively placed within the genus have subsequently been determined as unidentifiable to the species level due to various reasons like loss of or extensive damage to the type specimen, a description deemed too vague to identify to the species level, or often both simultaneously, although they technically remain valid binomen.

Formica abdominalis Latreille, 1802 Formica aegyptiaca Fabricius, 1775 Formica amyoti Le Guillou, 1842 Formica aequalis Walker, 1871 Formica affinis Leach, 1825 Formica albipennis Fabricius, 1793 Formica arenicola Buckley, 1866 Formica atra Schilling, 1839 Formica bicolor Leach, 1825 Formica chufejif Forskal, 1775 Formica conica Fabricius, 1798 Formica connecticutensis Buckley, 1866 †Formica demersa Heer, 1849 Formica didyma Fabricius, 1782 Formica dislocata Say, 1836 Formica elevata Fabricius, 1782 Formica elongata Fabricius, 1787 Formica fatale Christ, 1791 Formica foetens Olivier, 1792 †Formica fragilis Heer, 1867 Formica fuscescens Gmelin, 1790 Formica fuscicauda Motschoulsky, 1863 †Formica gibbosa Presl, 1822 Formica glabra Gmelin, 1790 Formica glauca Ruzsky, 1896 †Formica globiventris Heer, 1849 †Formica gravida Heer, 1849 Formica hirta Gravenhorst, 1807 †Formica immersa Heer, 1849 Formica incisa Smith, 1858 Formica inequalis Lowne, 1865 Formica insultans Forskal, 1775 †Formica lavateri Heer, 1849 Formica lincecumii Buckley, 1866 †Formica longicollis Heer, 1849 †Formica lucida Giebel, 1856 Formica lutea Dumeril, 1860 †Formica luteola Presl, 1822 †Formica macrognatha Presl, 1822 †Formica macrophthalma Heer, 1849 Formica maculata Geoffroy, 1785 Formica malabarica Schrank, 1837 Formica maligna Forskal, 1775 Formica maxillosa Fabricius, 1775 Formica melanophthalma Reich, 1793 Formica melanopis Gmelin, 1790 Formica minuta Lowne, 1865 Formica molestans Latreille, 1802 Formica nana Latreille, 1802 †Formica nigra Presl, 1822 Formica nitida Razoumowsky, 1789 Formica nortonii Buckley, 1866 Formica novaeanglae Buckley, 1866 Formica obsoleta Linnaeus, 1758 †Formica obtecta Heer, 1849 †Formica obvoluta Heer, 1849 Formica occidentalis Buckley, 1866 †Formica oculata Heer, 1849 Formica omnivora Linnaeus, 1758 †Formica orbata Heer, 1849 Formica ovata Reich, 1793 Formica pallidelutea Latreille, 1802 Formica pallipes Latreille, 1787 †Formica parvula Presl, 1822 Formica phyllophila Jerdon, 1851 Formica picipes Reich, 1793 Formica politurata Buckley, 1866 †Formica primitiva Heer, 1849 †Formica primordialis Heer, 1849 †Formica procera Heer, 1849 †Formica pulchella Heer, 1850 †Formica quadrata Holl, 1829 Formica quadrinotata Losana, 1834 Formica rediana Leach, 1825 Formica rostrata Fabricius, 1787 Formica rubescens Leach, 1825 Formica ruficeps Motschoulsky, 1863 Formica ruficornis Gmelin, 1790 Formica rupestris Leach, 1825 Formica saccharivora Linnaeus, 1758 Formica saxicola Buckley, 1866 Formica schardj Forskal, 1775 Formica siamicarubra Christ, 1791 Formica subpicea Motschoulsky, 1863 Formica subspinosa Buckley, 1866 Formica tenuissima Buckley, 1866 Formica testacea Gmelin, 1790 Formica testaceipes Leach, 1825 Formica thoracica Olivier, 1792 Formica tomentosa Reich, 1793 Formica triangularis Say, 1836 †Formica trigona Presl, 1822 Formica vagans Fabricius, 1793 Formica venosa Gmelin, 1790 Formica virginiana Buckley, 1866

Unavailable One species, Formica fuliginothorax, is unavailable due to the type description not designating any type specimens. Formica fuliginothorax Blacker, 1992

References