Found this larva in a fountain filled with deciduous leaves in the Jura Moutains of Western Switzerland. Since there were also Trichoptera larvae (Stenophylax, or Micropterna, sequax) feeding on these same leaves (Oak), my first thought was that it is an Agriotypus, but these are winged. So it may be some other, unknown, species.
Any help for identification would be highly appreciated.
This is not an aquatic insect. It's an ant. Don't know species. It has fallen into the water and drowned.
Hello Jean-Paul; Arne is correct. The ant is a member of the genus Formica in the rufa group. I don't have keys to the European species and so can't tell you which species it is. Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers
Dear Arne, Dear James,
many thanks for your accurate answer. I saw this ant freely moving under water, even piercing a leave. These Formica rufa taxa, once rare and protected, become now extremeley abundant in the forests of the Jura Mountains at lower altitudes.
All the Best.
Jean-Paul
Jean-Paul; These are the "wood ants". They are the builders of the large thatch nest piles scattered in the woods. They have enormous colonies containing many thousands of workers. If you bother them on the nest, they squirt formic acid at you... very irritating! There are 5-6 species of them in your region.
Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers
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