Identifying characteristics for the family Formicidae include:
Antennae geniculate.
Petiole with one or two distinct nodes.
Generally lacking wings.
Additional information:
About 660 species in North America and 10,000 species in the world.
Ants are social insects and usually have three castes - workers (sterile
females), females (queens), and males.
References:
Page 344 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Page 380 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects,
3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
Page 737 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An
Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College
Publishing. 875 p.
Page 594 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction
to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.
