Lasius chinensis

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Lasius chinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Lasiini
Genus: Lasius
Section: niger clade
Species group: niger
Species: L. chinensis
Binomial name
Lasius chinensis
Seifert, 2020

Lasius chinensis Holotype worker ANTWEB1041434 p.jpg

Lasius chinensis Holotype worker ANTWEB1041434 d.jpg

Specimen Labels

Found at river banks, in open forest and in parks. It regularly occurs in concrete-sealed city centers provided there are few trees or some greenery. It is obviously a eurypotent species with a niche comparable to Lasius niger. (Seifert 2020)

Identification

Seifert (2020) - A western parapatric sibling species of Lasius japonicus. The contact zone of both species seems to be between 116 and 117° E, from about Beijing south to Shangdong, with syntopic occurrence of both species observed in one locality. The sister-species relation to L. japonicus is indicated by highly similar shape characters. The morphological separation from the latter is mainly given by the more profuse pilosity.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Seifert (2020) - Only NE China; from E Qinghai (36.6°N, 101.7°E) east to Shangdon (36.4°N, 117.4°N), The most southern and northern known sites are Chengdu (30.64°N, 104.05°E) and Yong Deng (36.7°N, 103.3°E). The altitudinal distribution ranges from 370 in Shaanxi to 3500 m in E Tibet.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China (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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Biology

Castes

Worker

Lasius chinensis Holotype worker ANTWEB1041434 d2.jpgLasius chinensis Holotype worker ANTWEB1041434 p2.jpgLasius chinensis Holotype worker ANTWEB1041434 p3.jpg
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Nomenclature

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

  • chinensis. Lasius chinensis Seifert, 2020: 64, figs. 55-56 (w.) CHINA.

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

Description

Worker

Medium-sized (CS 965 µm). Scape and maxillary palp length indices and torulo-clypeal distance large (SL/CS900 1.017, MP6/CS900 0.199, dClAn/CS900 5.63). Postocular distance and eye size medium (PoOc/CL900 0.237, EYE/ CS900 0.240). Number of mandibular dents medium (MaDe900 8.33). Pubescence on clypeus moderately dense (sqPDCL900 4.14). All body parts with very numerous and long standing setae (nOcc900 21.6, nGu900 17.0, nSc900 26.2, PnHL/CS900 0.159, GuHL/CS900 0.121). Coloration: dark to blackish brown; antennal funiculus, tibio-femoral joint regions, tarsae and metatarsae, and anterior clypeal border paler with a yellowish tinge.

See table 6 in Seifert 2020 for additional morphometrics. The abbreviated names of various quantitative data shown above are defined here: Seifert 2020 Lasius characters.

Type Material

Holotype labelled ”CHI: 36.0489°N, 103.8566°E Lanshou, 1522 m Universitätspark Seifert 2011.08.07-87“; 2 paratype workers from the holotype nest sample on another pin, 3 paratype workers from the same sample in ethanol; depository Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz.

Etymology

The name refers to the terra typica China.

References