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 Leptothorax gredleri. 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 rarely under stones. Mated Harpagoxenus queens invade new nests of Leptothorax and appropriate mature larvae and pupae of the host species for rearing as auxiliaries.


 * )Collingwood (1979) comprises a number of errors. NeitherTemnothorax tuberum nor any other Temnothorax species serve as host species. Workers are unable to forage  outside the nest and they are not capable of brood tending and feeding themselves. They need the host species workers (slaves) for the continuation of the colony. In mixed colonies no host queen can survive, though unmated gynes of the host species frequently develop from raided pupae. They dealate and serve as slaves. Host brood is commonly not devoured. During the raids, host species eggs even are discarded outside the host nest. They are not carried to the slavemaker nest.

Harpagoxenus sublaevis is a species with queen polymorphism. Most functional queens are wingless intermorphs that usually look like large workers; alate gynomorphs are very rare and seem to lack in northern parts of the range. A genetical mechanism has been found to be involved in this queen polymorphism.

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]]
 * Buschinger, A. 1966: Untersuchungen an Harpagoxenus sublaevis NYL. (Hym., Formicidae). I.- Freilandbeobachtungen zu Verbreitung und Lebensweise. Ins. Soc. 13, 5-16.
 * Buschinger, A. 1966: Untersuchungen an Harpagoxenus sublaevis NYL. Hymenoptera, Formicidae). II. Haltung und Brutaufzucht. Ins. Soc. 13, 311-322, 1966.
 * Buschinger, A. 1968: Untersuchungen an Harpagoxenus sublaevis NYL.(Hymenoptera, Formicidae). III. - Kopula, Koloniegründung, Raubzüge. Ins. Soc. 15, 89-104, 1968.
 * Buschinger, A. 1968: “Locksterzeln” begattungsbereiter ergatoider Weibchen von Harpagoxenus sublaevis NYL. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Experientia 24, 297.
 * Buschinger, A. 1971: Weitere Untersuchungen zum Begattungsverhalten sozialparasitischer Ameisen (Harpagoxenus sublaevis NYL. und Doronomyrmex pacis KUTTER (Hym., Formicidae)). Zool. Anz. 187, 184-198.
 * Buschinger, A. 1972: Giftdrüsensekret als Sexualpheromon bei der Ameise Harpagoxenus sublaevis. Die Naturwissenschaften 59, 313-314.
 * Buschinger, A. 1974: Experimente und Beobachtungen zur Gründung und Entwicklung neuer Sozietäten der sklavenhaltenden Ameise Harpagoxenus sublaevis (NYL). Ins. Soc. 21, 381-406.
 * Buschinger, A. 1975: Eine genetische Komponente im Polymorphismus der dulotischen Ameise Harpagoxenus sublaevis. Die Naturwissenschaften 62, 239.
 * Buschinger, A. 1978: Genetisch bedingte Entstehung geflügelter Weibchen bei der sklavenhaltenden Ameise Harpagoxenus sublaevis (NYL.) (Hym., Form). Ins. Soc. 25, 163-172.
 * Buschinger, A. 1983: Sexual behaviour and slave raiding of the dulotic ant, Harpagoxenus sublaevis (NYL.) under field conditions (Hym., Formicidae). Ins. Soc. 30, 235-240.
 * Buschinger, A., Frenz, G., Wunderlich, M. 1975: Untersuchungen zur Geschlechtstierproduktion der dulotischen Ameise Harpagoxenus sublaevis (NYL.) (Hym., Formicidae). Ins. Soc. 22, 169-182.
 * Buschinger, A., Winter, U. 1975: Der Polymorphismus der sklavenhaltenden Ameise Harpagoxenus sublaevis (NYL.). Ins. Soc. 22, 333-362.
 * Buschinger, A., Winter, U. 1977: Rekrutierung von Nestgenossen mittels Tandemlaufen bei Sklavenraubzügen der dulotischen Ameise Harpagoxenus sublaevis (NYL.). Ins. Soc. 24, 183-190.
 * Buschinger, A., Winter, U. 1978: Echte Arbeiterinnen, fertile Arbeiterinnen und sterile Wirtsweibchen in Völkern der dulotischen Ameise Harpagoxenus sublaevis (NYL.) (Hym., Form.). Ins. Soc. 25, 63-78.
 * 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.
 * Schumann, R., Buschinger, A. 1991: Selective acceptance of alien host species pupae by slaves of the dulotic ant, Harpagoxenus sublaevis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae). Ethology 88, 154-162.
 * Winter, U., Buschinger, A. 1986: Genetically mediated queen polymorphism and caste determination in the slave-making ant, Harpagoxenus sublaevis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomol. Gener. 11, 125-137.