Lasius bombycina

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Lasius bombycina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Lasiini
Genus: Lasius
Section: niger clade
Species group: alienus
Species complex: paralienus
Species: L. bombycina
Binomial name
Lasius bombycina
Seifert & Galkowski, 2016

Lasius bombycina F11.jpg

The main habitats are different kinds of xerothermous grassland, but in Turkey this species was also found in an urban garden and in Achaia, Greece, it was observed only in mountain, shadow forests (Borowiec & Salata, 2021). It frequently builds more hidden soil nests but in the steppes of the Neusiedler See region conspicuous soil mounds overgrown by herbs were observed which seems to be a difference to Lasius paralienus. Over the whole range, alates are observed inside the nests or swarming rather late: 9 September ± 26 d [1 August – 21 October] n=7. Oviposition of foundresses usually does not start before the next spring and workers develop until July. Gynes are on average larger than in Lasius alienus and Lasius psammophilus. In a laboratory nest, a founding gyne reared 26 workers without feeding (Andrasfalvy 1961; named by Andrasfalvy "Lasius alienus", recent determination as L. bombycina by geographic indication, swarming time and verbal description). Above-ground foraging was observed on the soil surface, in the herb layer and on bushes. There is trophobiosis with subterranean and epigaean Aphidae and tending of Lycaenidae caterpilars (Plebeijus sephirus, Plebeijus argus). Lasius bombycina is zoophagous on small invertebrates.

Identification

Seifert and Galkowski (2016) - Palaearctic Lasius s. str. species belonging to the Lasius paralienus species complex. The species in this complex are separable from related species by the combination of low clypeal pubescence distance, low setae numbers on scape and differences in length of maxillary palp segments. Lasius alienus, Lasius psammophilus and Lasius piliferus are the most similar species occurring within the geographic range of the three L. paralienus complex species. L. alienus differs from the other five species by having strongly reduced setae numbers on the metapleuron below the level of the propodeal spiracle. A safe separation of individual workers is possible by a discriminant function considering head width, the length of the terminal maxillary palp segment and clypeal pubescence distance.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

L. bombycina has a meridional to submeridional Balkanian-Anatolian distribution. The most northwestern point of its range is in E Austria (48.0°N, 16.7°E). In Asia Minor it goes east to 44°E at least and shows here a very wide altitudinal range from sea level to 2350 m (at 40.6°N). Sympatric occurrence with Lasius paralienus is known so far only in the NW Balkans and Bulgaria.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 48.621° to 35.05°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Türkiye (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Lasius bombycina antweb1038018 h 1 high.jpgLasius bombycina antweb1038018 h 2 high.jpgLasius bombycina antweb1038018 d 2 high.jpgLasius bombycina antweb1038018 p 2 high.jpgLasius bombycina antweb1038018 p 3 high.jpgLasius bombycina antweb1038018 d 3 high.jpgLasius bombycina antweb1038018 p 4 high.jpgLasius bombycina antweb1038018 p 1 high.jpgLasius bombycina antweb1038018 d 1 high.jpgLasius bombycina antweb1038018 l 1 high.jpg
Holotype of Lasius bombycinaWorker. Specimen code antweb1038018. Photographer Roland Schultz, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by SMNG, Görlitz, Germany.
Lasius bombycina F12.jpg
Seifert & Galkowski (2016), Figure 12. Hind tibia of the holotype of L. bombycine seen in the plane of flexion.. .

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • bombycina. Lasius bombycina Seifert & Galkowski, 2016: , figs. 6, 10-12 (w.q.m.) TURKEY.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Numeric data given in the following description are primary data (without removal of allometric variance) of 50 measured individuals.

Rather large compared to related species, CS 893 ± 68 [744,1076] μm. Basic morphology not different from other members of the Lasius alienus group. Head moderately elongated, with convex sides and straight posterior margin of vertex, CL/CW 1.077 ± 0.017 [1.043,1.112]. Scape rather short: SL/CS 0.970 ± 0.018 [0.932,1.008]. Eye medium-sized and moderately distant from posterior margin of head: EYE/CS 0.238 ± 0.007 [0.223,0.253], PoOc/ CL 0.239 ± 0.008 [0.224,0.257]. Antennal socket situated rather close to posterior clypeal margin: dCLAn/CS 4.34 ± 0.35 [3.75,5.07]%. Masticatory border of mandibles with 8-9 teeth. Maxillary palps with six segments and comparably short: MP6/CS 0.160 ± 0.009 [0.143,0.176]. Pubescence on whole body surfaces very dense and whitish, sqPDCL 3.42 ±0.23 [3.05,3.98]. Mean length of pubescence hairs between frontal carinae 33.9 ± 2.38 [29.9,35.8] μm. Pilosity compared to next related species long. Eyes with rather many microsetae of 23.1 ± 1.98 [18,25] μm length (these unusually long microsetae are perhaps diagnostic but this was not thoroughly checked). Dorsal plane of scape with no or very few standing setae: nSc 0.55 ± 0.63 [0.0,2.5]. Genae with very few erect setae: nGen 1.10 ± 0.80 [0.0,3.0]. Underside of head and hind margin of vertex with rather numerous standing setae: nGu 3.34 ± 1.34 [1.5,8.5], nOcc 12.30 ± 2.66 [4.5,18.0]. Extensor profile of hind tibia with few and metapleuron below level of propodeal stigma with rather many erect to suberect setae: nHT 3.15 ± 1.77 [0.5,8.5], nSt 4.13 ± 1.32 [1.5,7.5]. Setae on pronotum long: PnHL/CS 0.161 ± 0.011 [0.137,0.201]. Whole body concolorous medium to blackish brown; mandibles, scapes and sometimes tibiae lighter reddish or yellowish brown. Mesosoma in lateral view with a rather low and more convex propodeal dome. Petiole scale low, in frontal view with convex sides which strongly converge towards the rather narrow dorsal crest which is slightly emarginate to straight.

Type Material

  • Four paratype workers on a second pin, one male and a gyne paratype on a third pin, all with the same site labeling as the holotype but labeled "Paratype Lasius bombycina Seifert & Galkowski"; Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz.
  • Three paratype workers labelled "Türkei_26, Prov. Kayseri, Ziyarettepesi Gecidi (ca. 130 km E. Kayseri), 1900mH, 09.05.1997, Leg. A.Schulz, K.Vock, M. Sanetra 01"; Naturhistorisches Museum Wien.

Etymology

The species epithet refers to the rich, whitish pubescence giving the cuticular surface a silky appearance.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2017. Ants of the Peloponnese, Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 86: 193-236.
  • Salata S., L. Borowiec, and A.Trichas. 2018. Taxonomic Revision of the Cretan Fauna of the Genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with Notes on the Endemism of Ant Fauna of Crete. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 68(4): 769-808.
  • Salata S., and L Borowiec. 2017. Species of Tetramorium semilaeve complex from Balkans and western Turkey, with description of two new species of (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 62:279–313.
  • Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. A new species of the ant genus Lasius Fabricius, 1804 from Crete (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 789: 139–159.
  • Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.
  • Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2019. Preliminary division of not socially parasitic Greek Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a description of three new species. ZooKeys 877: 81-131.
  • Schar S., G Talavera, X. Espadaler, J. D. Rana, A. A. Andersen, S. P. Cover, and R. Vila. 2018. Do Holarctic ant species exist? Trans-Beringian dispersal and homoplasy in the Formicidae. Journal of Biogeography 00: 1-12.
  • Seifert B., and C. Galkowski. 2016. The Westpalaearctic Lasius paralienus complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) contains three species. Zootaxa 4132(1): 44-58.