Formica francoeuri Bolton
Figures 269, 272, 274

Formica fusca var. cinerea: Mayr 1886:427 (in part)
Formica pilicornis Emery, 1893:664; o _. Preoccupied by F. pilicornis Roger 1859. Creighton 1950:538; o. Francoeur 1973:74?80; figs. 90?106; o _ _. Snelling and George 1979:xxxxxxxxx.
Formica cinereas subsp. pilicornis: Wheeler 1913b:527; o. Formica francoeuri Bolton 1995:195. New name for F. pilicornis Emery 1893, not F. pilicornis Roger 1859.

RANGE: Coastal California, south of San Francisco Bay area; Baja California.

DESERT RECORDS. Map 18. Kern Co.: Indian Wells, 18 Apr 1962 (C. A. Toschi; UCB). Los Angeles Co.: 4 mi SE Pearblossom, 3700', 8 Apr 1972 (C. Gross; LACM); Big Rock Wash & Palmdale Blvd., 1 Apr 1972 (J. P. & K. E. Donahue; LACM). San Bernardino Co.: Barstow, 2100', 22 Sept 1934 (P. H. Timberlake; LACM); Victorville, 2700', 29 Sept 1965 (RRS; LACM); Apple Valley, 2877', 12 June 1959 (N. McFarland; LACM); Covington Park, Morongo Valley, 1 Aug. 1994 (J. Freilich; LACM). Imperial Co.: Coyote Wash [Francoeur, 1973:79].

DISCUSSION. The short, stiff, erect hairs on the eyes and scapes will immediately identify all castes of this ant, which is an intrusive element in our fauna.
     Formica francoeuri is commonly encountered nesting under large boulders in dry sandy arroyos, especially along the foothills (Mallis, 1941). Our collections are from Salix-Populus associations in similar situations. Nests may be situated at the base of a tree. Cole (1934a) collected this species from low crater mounds in "...the interspaces of Larrea tridentata and Ephedra sp."
      Foragers feed on nectar and honeydew from aphids and other homopterans they tend. They have also been collected at flowers of Malacothamnus fasciculatus and on cottonwood stems and fruit.

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