What ant is it?

[aboutants]

Hello, can u help me with identification? Size of this worker is about 10mm. The location is in Czech Republic/Prague, on the road near the park forest. Lots of ants, but no anthills nearby.

[Serafine]

That's probably some Formica worker.

[aboutants]

Welcome!

This Formica-worker belongs to the subgenus Formica sensu stricto (true wood ants). Determening the exact species is difficult, because several species within this group look similar and hybridization is also common. Here in Germany these ants are strictly protected; I'm not sure about their protective status in the Czech Republic and couldn't find credible data googling it. In any case - these ants are not well suited for home keeping, but there is another Formica-species which has similar characteristics and is popular among ant keepers - Formica (Raptiformica) sanguinea.

Lots of ants, but no anthills nearby.

These ants can cover great distances - hundreds of meters, so you might see a lot of ants without seeing the actual hill (or hills).

[aboutants]

Thank you so much!! But one "ant man" told me is it Formica rufa group. So?

[Joachim]

Formica s.str. is correct but the rest is not clear. Formica rufa usually has black marking on both the Pronotum and Mesonotum. While your ant only has a marking on one. If anything, I would go with Formica polyctena, which has weaker markings and not always visible on both Pro- and Mesonotum. Since there often times are hybrids between the two, its really not clear though.

[aboutants]

I cant identify it because im fooled by the brown spots on the head that are just under the eyes. All the ants in this colony had the same spots.

[Zitrus]

one "ant man" told me is it Formica rufa group.

This is basically saying the same thing. In germany we use the subgenus Formica sensu stricto to cover all wood ants; in the english language it's the Formica rufa group. Comparing them side by side, the same (european) species are represented, except for Formica truncorum, which seems to be missing in the Formica rufa group.

[aboutants]

Really Big Big THANKS to all !!