Lasius fuji

Lasius fuji
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Lasiini
Genus:	Lasius
Section:	niger clade
Species group:	fuliginosus
Species:	L. fuji
Binomial name
	Lasius fuji; Radchenko, 2005

This species inhabits low elevations (700-1500 m) in forested areas of eastern and northeastern Mongolia (Aibek & Yamane, 2010). Nests are under the base of living trees and decaying stumps. Presuming it is much like its sister-species Lasius fuliginosus, a species that it was long lumped with, its biology is likely much like this species (Radchenko, 2005).

Identification

Radchenko (2005) –

L. fuji worker	Lasius fuliginosus worker
head usually somewhat longer than wide (CI 0.95-1.01 );	head length equal to or less than its width (CI 1.00-1.03);
scape relatively longer (SI2 0.88-0.95);	scape relatively shorter (SI2 0.82-0.89);
standing hairs on the upper margin of petiolar scale longer, the longest hairs distinctly longer than the half of the maximum diameter of the scape;	standing hairs on the upper margin of petiolar scale shorter, the longest hairs shorter than the half of the maximum diameter of the scape;
decumbent pubescence on the anterior (vertical) surface of first gastral tergite relatively dense, distance between hairs distinctly shorter than the hairs length	decumbent pubescence on the anterior (vertical) surface of first gastral tergite relatively sparse, distance between hairs not shorter (usually longer) than the hairs length
Queen - eyes with somewhat longer hairs, length of the longest ones ≥ 0.040 mm	Queen - eyes with somewhat shorter hairs, length of the longest ones ≤ 0.035 mm

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Radchenko (2005) - Russian Far East (Amursky, Khabarovsky and Primorsky Regions, Isl. Sakhalin, Southern Kurily Islands), north-eastern China, Korean Peninsula, Japan (all four main Islands); it is the most common ‘’Dendrolasius’’ species in this area.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 35.71° to 35.63°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Russian Federation.

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.

Biology

Association with Other Organisms

Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

This species is a mutualist for the aphid Stomaphis yanonis (a trophobiont) (Endo and Itino, 2013; Saddiqui et al., 2019).

Castes

Queen


.

Nomenclature

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

fuji. Lasius (Dendrolasius) fuji Radchenko, 2005a: 91, figs. 52-65 (w.q.) NORTH KOREA.

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

This species is what was considered the eastern form of Lasius fuliginosus.

Description

Worker

Type specimens (the holotype in brackets) [mean in square brackets] HL1 = 1.19-1.43 (1.41) [1.33); HL2 = 1.29-1.51 (1.51) [1.42], HW1 = 1.18-1.43 (1.43) [1.32], HW2 = 0.71-0.95 (0.92) [0.82], SL = 1.08-1.27 (1.27) [1.19), OL = 0.24-0.28 (0.28) [0.26], AL = 1.50- 1.68 (1.68) [1.57] mm; CI = 0.95-1.01 (1.01) [0.99], CLI = 1.06-1.10 (1.07) [1.07], CWI = 1.53-1.57 (1.55) [1.60], SI1 = 0.86-0.92 (0.90) [0.89], SI2 = 0.88-0.93 (0.89) [0.90], OI = 0.18-0.21 (0.20) [0.19].

Petiolar scale (seen in profile) relatively thick, not flattened at the top, approximately inversely U -shaped; when seen in front or from behind, it is only slightly narrowing to the dorsal crest; head with convex sides, gradually and slightly narrowing anteriorly, and with distinctly emarginate occipital margin; scape, mid and hind tibiae not flattened, elliptical in cross-section; ratio of min/max diameters of the scape > 0.7; scape and legs with decumbent pilosity only; promesonotal dorsum and occipital margin with relatively short and abundant standing hairs.

Since all three castes of “oriental fuliginosus” were described and characterised comprehensively several times by different authors (Wilson 1955; Yamauchi 1978; Kupyanskaya 1989, 1990; Espadaler et al. 2001; Imai et al. 2003), I do not provide a formal description.

Queen

[mean in square brackets] HL1 = 1.36-1.40 [1.38]; HL2 = 1.44-1.50 [1.47], HW1 = 1.40-1.46 [1.42], HW2 = 0.83-0.87 [0.84], SL = 1.26-1.27 [1.265], OL = 0.34-0.36 [0.345], AL = 1.90-2.04 [1.97] mm; CI = 1.03-1.04 [1.033], CLI = 1.06-1.07 [1.066], CWI = 1.68-1.70 [1.69], SI1 = 0.91-0.93 [0.92], SI2 = 0.88-0.90 [0.89], OI = 0.24-0.25 [0.243].

Petiolar scale (seen in profile) relatively thick, not flattened at the top, approximately inversely U-shaped; head with convex sides, gradually and slightly narrowing anteriorly, and with distinctly emarginate occipital margin; scape, mid and hind tibiae not flattened, elliptical in cross-section; ratio of min/max diameters of the scape > 0.7; legs and scape with dense decumbent pubescence only; head, alitrunk and gaster with abundant, but not very long standing hairs, and with well-developed decumbent pubescence.

Type Material

Holotype, worker, North Korea, Prov. Chagang, Myohyang-san Mts., way to Pirobong, No. 275-85, 25.VI.l985, leg. M. Woyciechowski (Institute of Zoology of the Ukranian National Academy of Sciences); paratypes: 15 workers, 6 queens from the same nest as the holotype.

Etymology

The species is named after Fuji-san Mt., one of the greatest symbols of Japan.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Aibek U., and S. Yamane. 2010. Discovery of the subgenera Austrolasius and Dendrolasius of the ant genus Lasius (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Mongolia. Japanese Journal of Systematic Entomology 16: 197-202.
Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
Hosaka T., L. Di, K. Eguchi, and S. Numata. 2019. Ant assemblages on littered food waste and food removal rates in urban–suburban parks of Tokyo. Basic and Applied Ecology 37: 1–9.
Lelej A. S. 2012. Annotated catalogue of the Insects of Russian Far East. Volume 1. Hymenoptera. Dalnauka: Vladivostok. 635 p.
Maruyama M. 2005. The latest scientific names of the Japanese species of the subgenus Dendrolasius (genus Lasius), corresponding to their Japanese names. Ari 27: 25-27.
Maruyama M., F. M. Steiner, C. Stauffer, T. Akino, R. H. Crozier, and B. C. Schlick-Steiner. 2008. A DNA and morphology based phylogenetic framework of the ant genus Lasius with hypotheses for the evolution of social parasitism and fungiculture. BMC Evolutionary Biology 8:Article 237 (doi:10.1186/1471-2148-8-237).
Radchenko A. 2005. A review of the ants of the genus Lasius Fabricius, 1804, subgenus Dendrolasius Ruzsky, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from east Palaearctic. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 55: 83-94.
Radchenko, A. 2005. Monographic revision of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of North Korea. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 55: 127-221.
Radchenko, A. 2005. Monographic revision of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of North Korea. Annales Zoologici 55(2): 127-221.
Shimana Y., and S. Yamane. 2009. Geogrpahical distribution of Technomyrmex brunneus Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the western part of the mainland of Kagoshima, South Kyushu, Japan. Ari 32: 9-19.
Tanaka H. O., T. F. Haraguchi, I. Tayasu, and F. Hyodo. 2019. Stable and radio-isotopic signatures reveal how the feeding habits of ants respond to natural secondary succession in a cool-temperate forest. Insectes Sociaux 66(1): 37-46.
Terayama M., S. Kubota, and K. Eguchi. 2014. Encyclopedia of Japanese ants. Asakura Shoten: Tokyo, 278 pp.
Yamane S., Y. Harada, and K. Eguchi. 2013. Classification and ecology of ants. Natural history of ants in Southern Kyushu. 200 pages