Lasiophanes

Lasiophanes is a small genus of six described species that are endemic of Patagonia(Argentina and Chile) that is related to Lasius of the Northern Hemisphere and Melophorus of Australia and New Zealand.

Nomenclature

 *  LASIOPHANES [Formicinae: Lasiini]
 * Lasiophanes Emery, 1895i: 16 [as subgenus of Melophorus]. Type-species: Formica nigriventris (junior primary homonym in Formica; Formica atriventris first available replacement name), by subsequent designation of Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 165.
 * Lasiophanes subgenus of Melophorus: Emery, 1922a: 90; Emery, 1925b: 12.
 * Lasiophanes raised to genus: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 695; Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 71; retained as genus: Kusnezov, 1952c: 90; Kusnezov, 1956: 31; Kempf, 1972a: 128; Snelling, R.R. & Hunt, 1976: 104.