Lasius niger

Identification
Greyish brown to dark brownish black, mid body occasionally somewhat paler. All appendage surfaces including scapes and tibiae with abundant erect hairs. Length: 3.5-5.0 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
Holarctic from Western United States to Japan, North Africa to Finland (Collingwood 1979).

This taxon was described from Europe.

Europe
Collingwood (1979) - This is one of the commonest European species and is often especially evident at sites of human disturbance including towns, villages and quarries. Nests may occur in walls, pavements, tree stumps in open woodland, pasture and open heath. Occasionally earth mounts are formed and foraging tracks are frequently covered by surface tunnels of earth. This species is aggressive and readily attacks other ants. Nests are single queened and moderately populous with several hundred up to 10,000 workers. Aphids on shrubs and herbs as well as subterranean species are tended. Mating swarms occur from July to late August and in some years huge numbers may fly over a large district on the same date.

Nomenclature

 *  niger. Formica nigra Linnaeus, 1758: 580 (w.) EUROPE. Latreille, 1798: 43 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1953c: 148 (l.); Hauschteck, 1962: 219 (k.); Imai & Kubota, 1972: 196 (k.). Combination in Lasius: Fabricius, 1804: 415; in Donisthorpea: Donisthorpe, 1915d: 200; in Formicina (Donisthorpea): Emery, 1916b: 240; in Acanthomyops: Forel, 1916: 460; in Lasius: Menozzi, 1921: 32; Müller, 1923: 124; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929a: 26; Wilson, 1955a: 59. Senior synonym of pallescens: Mayr, 1861: 49; of nigerrima: Emery, 1892b: 162; of alienoniger, emeryi, nitidus, minimus, transylvanica and material of the unavailable name pilicornis referred here: Wilson, 1955a: 59; of alienoniger: Kutter, 1977c: 14. Current subspecies: nominal plus pinetorum. See also: Imai, 1966: 119; Tarbinsky, 1976: 134; Kutter, 1977c: 227; Yamauchi, 1979: 152; Collingwood, 1982: 287; Kupyanskaya, 1990: 219; Seifert, 1992b: 27.
 * nigerrima. Formica nigerrima Christ, 1791: 513 (w.) no locality given. Junior synonym of niger: Emery, 1892b: 162.
 * pallescens. Formica pallescens Schenck, 1852: 55 (q.m.) GERMANY. Junior synonym of niger: Mayr, 1861: 49.
 * alienoniger. Lasius niger var. alienoniger Forel, 1874: 47 (w.q.) SWITZERLAND. Subspecies of niger: Finzi, 1924a: 14; Stärcke, 1944a: 154. Raised to species: Röszler, 1943: 44. Junior synonym of niger: Wilson, 1955a: 59; Kutter, 1977c: 14. Unrecognisable taxon, incertae sedis in Lasius: Seifert, 1992b: 48.
 * emeryi. Lasius niger subsp. emeryi Ruzsky, 1905b: 313 (w.) RUSSIA. Junior synonym of niger: Wilson, 1955a: 59. Unrecognisable taxon, incertae sedis in Lasius: Seifert, 1992b: 48.
 * nitidus. Acanthomyops niger subsp. nitidus Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927e: 188 (w.) KAZAKHSTAN. Junior synonym of niger: Wilson, 1955a: 59. Unrecognisable taxon, incertae sedis in Lasius: Seifert, 1992b: 48.
 * minimus. Acanthomyops niger var. minimus Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1928b: 20 (w.) RUSSIA. Combination in Lasius: Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929a: 26. Junior synonym of niger: Wilson, 1955a: 59. Unrecognisable taxon, incertae sedis in Lasius: Seifert, 1992b: 48.
 * transylvanica. Lasius transylvanica Röszler, 1943: 44 (w.q.m.) ROMANIA. Junior synonym of niger: Wilson, 1955a: 60. Unrecognisable taxon, incertae sedis in Lasius: Seifert, 1992b: 48.

Additional References

 * Morrison, W.R. & Witte, V. 2011. Strong differences in chemical recognition cues between two closely related species of ants from the genus Lasius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 24: 2389–2397 (doi: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02364.x).