Paleogeographic background of hairy wood ants’ Formica lugubris Zett. complex formation in the Pustyn Nature Reserve

The hairy wood ant (Formica lugubris Zett.) belongs to the red wood ants’ group which forms a large anthill complex within the Pustyn nature reserve, presumably a relict settlement. This article is devoted to paleogeographic prerequisites for the formation of this complex. The spatial association of the complex with late Pleistocene forest refugia was assessed using geoinformation technologies, which served as primary methodology for the current research.