Harpagoxenus sublaevis

Identification
Pale yellowish brown to brown; head large, rectangular, with weakly concave occiput. Frontal carinae extend backward to enclose whole length of antennal scape. Antennae 11 segmented with intermediate segments strongly transverse and enlarged 4 segmented club. Eyes large, set midway at sides of head. Mesopropodeal furrow deep and distinct; propodeal spines broad and short. Femora and tibiae short and broadly rounded. Head and mesopropodeum longitudinally striate, petiole nodes and gaster smooth and shining. Whole body and appendages covered with long, acute, pale hairs. Length: 3.5-5.5 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
Pyrenees to Caucasus; northern Italy to northern Norway (Collingwood 1979); China (Xu, 2012).

This taxon was described from Finland.

Biology
Collingwood (1979) - This species lives in obligate dulotic association with Leptothorax acervorum, Leptothorax muscorum and more rarely with Temnothorax tuberum. Workers may forage singly outside the nest and are capable of brood tending and can feed themselves but are evidently dependant on the host species for the continuation of the colony. In Denmark and Fennoscandia nests containing host species and inquiline are commonly found in twigs on the ground, tree stumps or under bark but in the mountains of Central Europe they occur more usually under stones. In mixed colonies the host queen may survive and alatae of both species may be developed within the same nest. Fertilised Harpagoxenus queens invade new nests of Leptothorax and appropriate mature larvae and pupae of the host species to use both as food and for rearing as auxiliaries.

Nomenclature

 * hirtula. Myrmica hirtula Nylander, 1849: 45 (w.) FINLAND. Combination in Harpagoxenus: Emery, 1924d: 266. Junior synonym of sublaevis: Mayr, 1861: 56; Dalla Torre, 1893: 64. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of sublaevis: Emery, 1924d: 266; Stitz, 1939: 154. Junior synonym of sublaevis: Radchenko, 2007: 32.
 *  sublaevis. Myrmica sublaevis Nylander, 1849: 33 (w.) FINLAND. Adlerz, 1896: 62 (q.m.); Viehmeyer, 1906: 58 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1955b: 27 (l.). Combination in Tomognathus: Mayr, 1861: 56; in Harpagoxenus: Forel, 1893a: 167. Senior synonym of hirtula: Radchenko, 2007: 32. See also: Stitz, 1939: 151; Kutter, 1977c: 146; Buschinger, 1981: 211. Current subspecies: nominal plus caucasicus.

Additional References

 * [[Media:Adlerz 1896.pdf|Adlerz, G. 1896. Myrmekologiska Studier. 3. Tomognathus sublaevis Mayr. Bihang till Kongl. Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar 21 (4): 1-76. [1896.] PDF]]
 * Collingwood, C. A. 1979. The Formicidae (Hymenoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna Entomol. Scand. 8:1-174.
 * Xu, Z.-H. 2012. A newly recorded genus and species, Harpagoxenus sublaevis, from China with a key to the known species of Harpagoxenus of the world (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Sociobiology 59, 19-25.