page_title: Formica sanguinea
section_title: Chemical defenses
hierarchical_section_title: Formica sanguinea / Chemical defenses
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: "(ci-dessus) Souvent, le coléoptère dégage une goutte blanche et opaque de son sommet abdominal, qui est absorbée par la fourmi. On suppose qu'il provient du rectum. (ci-dessous) Parfois, une sécrétion blanchâtre et claire apparaît sur les côtés latéraux de l'abdomen où la glande post-pleurale s'ouvre. Cette sécrétion est également léchée par les fourmis." English: "(above) Often the beetle exudes an opaque, white droplet from its abdominal top, which is taken up by the ant. Presumably it originates from the hindgut/rectum. (below) Occasionally a whitish, clear secretion appears at the lateral sides of the abdomen where the post-pleural gland opens. This secretion is also licked by the ants."
context_page_description: Formica sanguinea, or blood-red ant, is a species of slave-maker ant in the genus Formica characterized by the ability to secrete formic acid. It ranges from Central and Northern Europe through Russia to Japan, China, the Korean Peninsula, Africa and also the United States. This species is coloured red and black with workers up to 7 mm long.
  A colony of F. sanguinea can live either as a free colony or as a social parasite of Formica species, most commonly Formica fusca, "Formica japonica", "Formica Hayashi" and Formica rufibarbis.
context_section_description: F. sanguinea uses formic acid as well as substances in the Dufour's gland as chemical defence.
  The substances in the Durfour's gland contain hydrocarbons such as hendecane, as well as acetates, decylacetate, and dodecylacetate.Formica sanguinea uses the formic acid and Durfour's gland substances in conjunction with each other. The hydrocarbons in Durfour’s substance serve as a wetting before the formic acid is released. Without these wetting agents, formic acid is relatively harmless to other ants. These substances dissolve the fat compounds of the epicuticle as well as enter the tracheal system to kill the opponent.
caption: Interactions between Formica sanguinea and Lomechusoides strumosus
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