Western Thatching Ant
Formica obscuripes
A western North American ant of dry forests, grasslands, and open shrublands, often living in conspicuous mounds built from grass, needles, and small twigs. Workers forage for dead insects, small arthropods, seeds, and sweet honeydew from sap-feeding insects. When threatened, an individual can bite with its mandibles and spray formic acid from the tip of the abdomen. Its thatched nest mounds can last for many years and noticeably change the soil and plant life around them.
- Type
- Venom / Burrow
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Western Thatching Ant
- ?
- ?