Lasius psammophilus

In Russia this species shows a strong preference for sandy soils in dry pine forests and similar habitats. Nests lack mounds (Zryanin & Zryanina, 2007).

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

Distribution
Seifert (2020) - European, temperate-submeridional. From British Isles and France across Central and East Europe. Rapid postglacial immigration into North Central Europe via sand dunes and the outwash plains of big ancient river valleys is highly probable. In Central Europe and S Fennoscandia most abundant in sandy regions of the planar and colline zone but penetrating also mountain areas along river valleys: in the S Schwarzwald ascending to 1000 m and in the Alps to 2030 m (in S Tyrol at 46.5°N). Competing with Lasius paralienus in the High Apennine grasslands. Absent from Iberia and probably also the S Balkans, in N Greece at 40°N between 1600 and 1900 m. Main border of northern distribution in Sweden and Finland at 63.5°N but ranging north to 65.8° along the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. Sympatric occurrence with Lasius obscuratus in Asia Minor and Great Caucasus, here easternmost known site at 52.52°N, 44.94°E. Sympatric occurrence with Lasius piliferus occurs in the Pyrenees.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Association with Other Organisms
This species is a host for the temporary parasites and.

Nomenclature

 *  psammophilus. Lasius (Lasius) psammophilus Seifert, 1992b: 15, figs. 4, 6, 11 (w.q.) GERMANY.

Worker
Seifert (2020) - Absolute size rather small (CS 826 µm). Scape and head length indices and number of mandibular dents medium (SL/CS900 0.960, CL/CW900 1.057, MaDe900 8.3). Clypeal pubescence rather dilute (sqPDCL900 4.56). Pronotal setae of medium length (PnHL/CS900 0.146), significantly longer than gular setae (GuHL/CS900 0.097). Dorsum of scape and extensor profile of hind tibia without or only few semierect setae. It differs from the eastern sister species Lasius obscuratus by the shorter terminal segment of maxillary palps(MP6/CS900 0.145 vs. 0.173) and from the western sister species Lasius piliferus by longer scape (SL/ CS900 0.960 vs. 0.929), larger eye (EYE/CS900 0.238 vs. 0.220) and lower seta numbers. Coloration: head brown, mesosoma a little lighter brown with a yellowish tinge, gaster dark brown; petiole, coxae and femora yellowish brown; mandibles and anterior clypeal border yellowish-reddish, scape yellowish.

See table 3 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 “GER: Kr. Weißwasser 4 km N Steinbach: N 135 30.7.1991, leg. Seifert“; 26 paratype workers from the same locality and date labelling but with nest 082, sample numbers N 005, N 023, N 027, N 029, N 048, N N 206, N 215; depository.

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