Species Statement

The shining guest ant is a commensal species which lives in the nests of wood ants. In Britain the species has been recorded with Formica rufa, F. lugubris and F. aquilonia. The small nests of the shining guest ant, containing up to 100 individuals, are often found in a piece of wood or bracken frond buried within the mound. Although the shining guest ant is less common than its host species, the majority of wood ant nests in a particular locality may be found to harbour this species. There can also be more than one shining guest ant colony per mound. The small dark shiny workers of the shining guest ant are rarely seen but occasionally wander over the surface of the nest mound, particularly on warm, overcast days. They are ignored by the much larger host workers and move freely amongst them. The wingless worker-like males may be seen from July to September running over the mound in search of a mate. The winged gynes are able to disperse to new wood ant mounds to start colonies but may also re-enter their original mound. Little is known about the biology or ecology of the shining guest ant, opinions even differ on what it feeds upon. The fortunes of the shining guest ant are tied to that of its hosts, although it does not appear to favour any one wood ant species over another. Where one wood ant species appears to be encroaching on another, it may have the ability to switch host.

The shining guest ant has been recorded from all of the main regions where wood ants occur in Britain, apart from north and west Wales and Northern Ireland. There are, however, few records in total (around 40 ten km squares) and these are widely distributed from Devon to the Highlands. When intensively searched for, this unobtrusive species is often found in many more wood ant nests than originally expected and it is almost certainly under-recorded. The shining guest ant is found across the Palaearctic, probably wherever wood ants and allied species are established. It does, however, appear to be less prevalent in warmer Mediterranean climates.

In Great Britain this species is classified as Local. It is classified by the IUCN (1996) as globally Vulnerable.

Due to the sparsity of records and insufficient knowledge of the species, it is not possible to state whether the shining guest ant is actually in general decline. However, since its status is so closely linked to that of its hosts, the shining guest ant will be threatened by any factors adversely affecting wood ants. These include:

Loss of suitable scrub and woodland habitat through agricultural clearance, urban or industrial development and unsympathetic afforestation.

Inappropriate woodland management.

Many sites supporting populations of the shining guest ant are already SSSIs, NNRs, or are under sympathetic FC, RSPB, local Wildlife Trust or private ownership.

The following LBAPs are working on Formicoxenus nitidulus:

Originally published in: UK Biodiversity Group Tranche 2 Action Plans - Volume VI: Terrestrial and freshwater species and habitats (October 1999, Tranche 2, Vol VI, p82)

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