Lasius piliferus

Nests of Lasius piliferus have been found under stones.

Identification
Palaearctic Lasius s. str. species belonging to the Lasius obscuratus species complex.

Distribution
Seifert (2020) - An Iberian species known from 8 sites in the Sierra de Gredos, Sierra de Quadarrama and NE Pyrenees at elevations between 1250 and 1950 m.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Andorra, Iberian Peninsula, Portugal, Spain.

Habitat
Seifert (2020) - Main habitats are semidry grasslands (pastures grazed by cattle, horse or sheep or S-facing meadows. However, more mesophilic conditions were not avoided.

Nomenclature

 *  piliferus. Lasius (Lasius) piliferus Seifert, 1992b: 20, fig. 13 (w.) SPAIN.

Worker
Seifert (2020) - Absolute size small (CS 812 µm). Head length index and number of mandibular dents medium (CL/CW900 1.061, MaDe900 8.2). Clypeal pubescence rather dilute (sqPDCL900 4.63). Pronotal setae of medium length (PnHL/CS900 0.150), significantly longer than gular setae (GuHL/CS900 0.114). Dorsum of scape without or only single semierect setae. Extensor profile of hind tibia with very few semierect setae (nHT900 3.2). It differs from the parapatric sister species Lasius psammophilus by the shorter scape (SL/CS900 0.929 vs. 0.960), smaller eye (EYE/CS900 0.220 vs. 0.238) and slightly larger seta counts. Coloration: not differing from situation in L. psammophilus.

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

Type Material
Seifert (2020) - Holotype plus 4 paratype workers labelled ”Sierra de Gredos, 1600 m 13.5.91-8, 3 km S Hoyos de Espina“; 10 paratype of 2 other nest samples from the same location with date and sample label ”13.5.91-27“ and ”13.5.91-S“; depository.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * AntArea. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://antarea.fr/fourmi/
 * Antarea (Personal Communication - Rumsais Blatrix- 27 April 2018)
 * Antarea (at www.antarea.fr on June 11th 2017)
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 * Blatrix R., C. Lebas, C. Galkowski, P. Wegnez, P. Pimenta, and D. Morichon. 2016. Vegetation cover and elevation drive diversity and composition of ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Mediterranean ecosystem. – Myrmecological News 22: 119-127.
 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Casevitz-Weulersse J., and C. Galkowski. 2009. Liste actualisee des Fourmis de France (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bull. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 114: 475-510.
 * Galkowski C. 2008. Quelques fourmis nouvelles ou intéressantes pour la faune de France (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bulletin de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux, 143, N.S. 36, 4 : 423-433.
 * Garcia Garcia F., and A. D. Cuesta-Esgura. 2017. First catalogue of the ants of Burgos province, Spain (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa 60: 245–258.
 * Lebas C., C. Galkowski, P. Wegnez, X. Espadaler, and R. Blatrix. 2015. The exceptional diversity of ants on mount Coronat (Pyrénées-Orientales), and Temnothorax gredosi(Hymenoptera, Formicidae) new to France. R.A.R.E., T. XXIV (1): 24  33
 * Majer, J.D., J.H.C. Delabie and N.L. McKenzie. 1997. Ant litter fauna of forest, forest edges and adjacent grassland in the Atlantic rain forest region of Bahia, Brazil. Insectes Sociaux 44(3):255-266.
 * Salgueiro, J.. "Primeiros registros de Formicídeos (Hymenoptera) para dúas áreas protegidas portuguesas. Adiçao de duas novas especies á mirmecofauna de Portugal." Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa 32 (2003): 109-110.
 * Salgueiro, J.. "Variaçao anual em três comunidades de formicídeos da Serra da Estrela. Adiçao de um género novo e de duas espécies novas para portugal." Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología 26 (3-4) (2002): 121-131.
 * Schar S., G Talavera, X. Espadaler, J. D. Rana, A. A. Andersen, S. P. Cover, and R. Vila. 2018. Do Holarctic ant species exist? Trans-Beringian dispersal and homoplasy in the Formicidae. Journal of Biogeography 00: 1-12.
 * Seifert B. 1992. A taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic members of the ant subgenus Lasius s.str. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Görlitz 66(5): 1-67.
 * Seifert, B., and A. Buschinger. "On the host species of a temporary parasitic ant, Lasius (Austrolasius) carniolicus Mayr, 1861." Insectes Sociaux 44 (1997): 299-301.
 * Seifert, B.. "A taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic members of the ant subgenus Lasius s. str." Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Goerlitz 66(5) (1992): 1-66.