Lasius californicus

Lasius californicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Lasiini
Genus:	Lasius
Section:	flavus clade
Species group:	claviger
Species:	L. californicus
Binomial name
Lasius californicus Wheeler, W.M., 1917 Specimen labels

Colonies have been found under stones, but little is known about the biology of Lasius californicus.

At a Glance

• Temporary parasite

Identification

Keys including this Species

• Key to Lasius-Nearctic Acanthomyops males
• Key to Lasius-Nearctic Acanthomyops queens
• Key to Lasius-Nearctic Acanthomyops workers
• Key to North American Lasius Species

Distribution

Southern California

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 40.015° to 19.95545°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (type locality).
Neotropical Region: Mexico.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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.

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.

Habitat

A seeming preference for mid-mountain locations, specimens have been collected in oak-pine-juniper woodland, montane chapparal and oak woodland.

Biology

Reproduction

Alate dates. Extreme dates for alates are June 27 and August 10. Dealate queens were collected on July 18 and August 8. Flights may typically begin in late June and extend into August. (Wing 1968)

This species is likely to be a temporary parasite, but its host is unknown.

Castes

.	Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Worker. Specimen code casent0106045. Photographer Michael Branstetter, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by UCDC, Davis, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

• californicus. Lasius (Acanthomyops) interjectus subsp. californicus Wheeler, W.M. 1917a: 531 (w.q.) U.S.A. Wing, 1968: 85 (m.). Combination in Acanthomyops: Creighton, 1950a: 430; in Lasius: Ward, 2005: 13. Subspecies of claviger: Creighton, 1950a: 430. Raised to species: Buren, 1950: 185. See also: Wing, 1968: 85.

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

Description

Worker

Wing 1968 Acanthomyops figs. 55-63

Wing (1968) - Bears a resemblance to both interjectus and claviger; closely related to colei, but with SI 81-84. Petiolar scale with crest emarginate, usually distinctly so; sides straight and parallel or slightly converging dorsally. Standing body hairs simple to finely barbulate. Gula and clypeus each with 10 or more standing hairs. A few standing hairs on alitrunk flexed. Dorsum of gaster with standing hairs fairly numerous to numerous, irregularly distributed. Pubescence on scapes appressed to decumbent.

Pubescence on head dilute to moderately dense, that on gaster very dilute to moderate; body more or less shining. Color yellow to yellowish brown.

Queen

Wing (1968) - Similar to interjectus, but CI 98-103, with scapes shorter and more clavate. Penultimate segments of funiculus a little broader than long. Petiolar scale broad, its crest broadly emarginate, usually deeply so; its sides straight and converging dorsally, occasionally slightly convex. Basal margin of mandible usually without a denticle. Pubescence dilute to moderate; scapes with pubescence appressed to decumbent. Standing body hairs simple to finely barbulate. Wings only slightly infuscated basally.

Body color ranging from brown, with appendages lighter, to yellow throughout; feebly shining to highly glabrous.

Male

Wing (1968) - Crest of petiolar scale moderately sharp to moderately blunt, feebly emarginate to straight; sides more or less straight and parallel. Length of longer hairs on crest and sides of scale and on clypeus less than 0.15 mm, those at posterior tip of gaster less than 0.25 mm. Standing hairs simple to finely barbulate, sparse; gula with 2 standing hairs located centrally. Pubescence on head moderate, on dorsum of gaster dilute.

Surface of mesocutum and mesoscutellum finely sculptured, covered with dilute pubescence. Body color brown.

Type Material

Type locality: Palmer's Canyon, San Gabriel Mts., near Clarmont, Los Angeles Co., California.

Location of types: The single female collected by F. Grinnell, August 10, 1909 is hereby designated as the lectotype. Of the original series of 11 cotypes, 4 workers remain. All of these specimens are in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

References

• Alatorre-Bracamontes, C.E., Vásquez-Bolaños, M. 2010. Lista comentada de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del norte de México. Dugesiana 17(1): 9-36.
• Bolton, B. 1995b. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 53, catalogue)
• Boudinot, B.E., Borowiec, M.L., Prebus, M.M. 2022. Phylogeny, evolution, and classification of the ant genus Lasius, the tribe Lasiini and the subfamily Formicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology 47, 113-151 (doi:10.1111/syen.12522).
• Buren, W. F. 1950. A new Lasius (Acanthomyops) with a key to North American females. Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 52: 184-190 (page 185, Raised to species)
• Creighton, W. S. 1950a. The ants of North America. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 104: 1-585 (page 430, Combination in Acanthomyops, and subspecies of claviger)
• van Elst, T., Eriksson, T.H., Gadau, J., Johnson, R.A., Rabeling, C., Taylor, J.E., Borowiec, M.L. 2021. Comprehensive phylogeny of Myrmecocystus honey ants highlights cryptic diversity and infers evolution during aridification of the American Southwest. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 155, 107036 (doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2020.107036).
• Ward, P.S. 2005. A synoptic review of the ants of California (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 936: 1-68 (page 13, revived combination in Lasius (Acanthomyops))
• Wheeler, W. M. 1917a. The mountain ants of western North America. Proc. Am. Acad. Arts Sci. 52: 457-569 (page 531, worker, queen described)
• Wing, M. W. 1968a. Taxonomic revision of the Nearctic genus Acanthomyops (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Mem. Cornell Univ. Agric. Exp. Stn. 405: 1-173 (page 85, male described)
• Wing, M. W. 1968a. Taxonomic revision of the Nearctic genus Acanthomyops (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Mem. Cornell Univ. Agric. Exp. Stn. 405: 1-173 (page 85, see also)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
• Del Toro, I. 2010. PERSONAL COMMUNICATION. MUSEUM RECORDS COLLATED BY ISRAEL DEL TORO
• Des Lauriers J., and D. Ikeda. 2017. The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California, USA with an annotated list. In: Reynolds R. E. (Ed.) Desert Studies Symposium. California State University Desert Studies Consortium, 342 pp. Pages 264-277.
• Gregg, R.T. 1963. The Ants of Colorado.
• Johnson, R.A. and P.S. Ward. 2002. Biogeography and endemism of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Baja California, Mexico: a first overview. Journal of Biogeography 29:1009–1026/
• MacGown, J. 2011. Ants of South Carolina (species list).
• Mallis A. 1941. A list of the ants of California with notes on their habits and distribution. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 40: 61-100. 
• Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
• Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1986. The ants of Nevada. Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, vii + 138 pp.
• Wheeler W. M. 1917. The mountain ants of western North America. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 52: 457-569.
• Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1985. A checklist of Texas ants. Prairie Naturalist 17:49-64.
• Wing M. W. 1968. Taxonomic revision of the Nearctic genus Acanthomyops (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Memoirs of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station 405: 1-173.