Leptothorax goesswaldi

This species is an inquiline. Queens live in the nest of a different ant species, have no workers and are entirely dependent on their hosts for food. The queens produce eggs that are cared for and raised to maturity by the host workers.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland.

Biology
Leptothorax goesswaldi is a workerless social parasite of Leptothorax acervorum. The parasite queen cuts off the antennae of the host colony queen(s) (L. acervorum is usually polygynous) and replaces them. Only gynes and males are reared from the parasite brood. L. goesswaldi thus is a queen-intolerant inquiline species.

Ødegaard et al. (2015) - In Norway a single dealate was captured in a pan trap in a small sand pit in Aug 2013. The occurrence of this species in Norway is quite surprising, as this is considered one of the rarest ant species in Europe. Elsewhere, Leptothorax goesswaldi is only known from one place in southern Sweden, a few places in the Alps, and from Kazakhstan.

Nomenclature

 *  goesswaldi. Leptothorax goesswaldi Kutter, 1967b: 82, figs. 3-8, 10 (q.) GERMANY. Kutter, 1977c: 129 (m.). Combination in Doronomyrmex: Buschinger, 1981: 215; in Leptothorax: Heinze, 1998: 195 (combination not stated); Bolton, 2003: 270.