Leptogenys neutralis

Leptogenys neutralis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Leptogenys
Species:	L. neutralis
Binomial name
Leptogenys neutralis Forel, 1907 Specimen Labels

A single colony of this very active, jet black ant was taken by myself under a log at the edge of a small pond near Mud Lake (X.23.'31)(Rottnest Island). It is certainly rare on the island and in the vicinity of Perth, hut very common at Pemberton and Margaret River. I have figured and discussed it at length in my hook "Colony Founding among Ants" 1933, pp. 85-90. (Wheeler 1934)

Identification

Heterick (2009) - Smooth, shining, and essentially black in colour.

Keys including this Species

• Ponerinae of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

Distribution

Heterick (2009) - Reasonably common in laterite soils in the Darling Range (SWBP, WA).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -31.9° to -32.15°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

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.

Nomenclature

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

• neutralis. Leptogenys (Lobopelta) neutralis Forel, 1907h: 271 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Crawley, 1922b: 434 (q.). See also: Wheeler, W.M. 1933i: 86.

Type Material

• Leptogenys (Lobopelta) neutralis Forel, 1907: Holotype, worker (apparently lost), Pickering Brook, Western Australia, Australia.
• Leptogenys (Lobopelta) neutralis Forel, 1907: Paratype, 3 workers (may not be true types), Pickering Brook, Western Australia, Australia, Australian Museum.

References

• Crawley, W. C. 1922a. New ants from Australia. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9(9): 427-448 (page 434, queen described)
• Forel, A. 1907j. Formicidae. In: Michaelsen, W., Hartmeyer, R. (eds.) Die Fauna Südwest-Australiens. Band I, Lieferung 7. Jena: Gustav Fischer, pp. 263-310. (page 271, worker described)
• Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76:1-206.
• Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• Wheeler, W. M. 1933i. Colony founding among ants, with an account of some primitive Australian species. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, viii + 179 pp. (page 86, see also)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1934d. Contributions to the fauna of Rottnest Island, Western Australia. No. IX. The ants. J. R. Soc. West. Aust. 20: 137-163.