Lasius japonicus

This species is most commonly found in grasslands and forests. It has a wide elevational range, from lowlands to mountainous areas in central Japan up to 2000 m above sea level.

Identification
Seifert (2020) -  Lasius japonicus is the eastern sibling species of the western Lasius chinensis. A contact zone of both species seems to be between 116 and 117° E, from about Beijing south to Shangdong, with syntopic occurrence of both species observed in one locality. The sister-species relation to L. chinensis is indicated by highly similar shape characters. The morphological separation from the latter is mainly given by the less profuse pilosity of L. japonicus.

Japanese Ant Image Database - The Japanese form has long been represented as Lasius niger, a species widely distributed in Eurasia. It was formally identified as L. japonicus by Seifert (1992). Worker specimens from incipient colonies have fewer erect hairs on their scapes than others (fewer than 10), so they are difficult to separate from Lasius alienus workers. However, L. japonicus females are separated from those of L. alienus by the presence of erect hairs on the scapes and anterior tibiae.

Distribution
Seifert (2020) - The upper altitudinal limit seems to be at 1700 m on Mount Paekdusan (41.91°N,128.10°E) and 2100 m in Honshu at 36°N.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: China, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation.

Biology
A distribution record from Okinawa Island (Naha City) might represent a population introduced by human commerce. Nests are found in the soil and rotting wood. The nuptial flights occur in July and August (Japanese Ant Image Database). Mizuno et al. (2018) studied interactions between this ant and the myrmecophytic butterly Lampides argyrognomon.

Seifert (2020) - Very eurypotent species, occupying the same ecological niche as Lasius niger. It inhabits both natural and anthropogenic open to semi-shaded habitats, avoids very shady woodland, and constructs nests in many different substrates. According to Yamauchi (1978) the nests do not show conspicuous mounds of mineralic soil material as it is typical for Lasius niger. Nuptial flight takes place in early morning (Yamauchi et al. 1986).

Mizuno et al (2018) - Myrmecophilous lycaenid caterpillars have close relationships with their ant hosts by means of various myrmecophilous organs, most of which are usually lost after pupation. However, some lycaenid species, including Lycaeides argyrognomon, maintain such relationships at the pupal stage and go so far as to pupate in ant nests. This invokes the hypothesis that these myrmecophilous lycaenid pupae might have alternative tactics to retain myrmecophilous interactions without ant attacks. Camponotus japonicus, Formica japonica, and Lasius japonicus exhibited distinctive aggressive behaviors against ant cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) from different colonies of the same species but few attacks against the crude extract of L. argyrognomon pupae. GC-MS analysis revealed that the pupal cuticular lipids contain not only CHCs but also several long-chained aliphatic aldehydes, including 1-octacosanal and 1-triacontanal, which are absent from larval cuticular lipids. With the addition of synthesized 1-octacosanal and 1-triacontanal to ant CHCs from different colonies of the same species, the aggressive behavior decreased in C. japonicus, and the duration of physical contact shortened in C. japonicus and F. japonica. However, the behavior of L. japonicus remained unaffected after the addition of those aldehydes. These results suggest that the pupae-specific cuticular aldehydes of L. argyrognomon suppress ant aggression even after the loss of certain myrmecophilous organs, though the effects varied depending on the attending ant species. Since L. argyrognomon occasionally pupate in the nests of C. japonicus in the field, the lycaenids might be better adapted to associations with C. japonicus than with the other two ant species studied.

Watanabe et al. (2019) conducted an observational study of the aphid species Macrosiphoniella yomogicola (Matsumura) and the ants that tended their colonies. This aphid has been found to be an obligate ant mutualist. Nine aphid colonies were monitored in Sapporo, Japan over a multi-week period in August and September. Lasius japonicus, Tetramorium tsushimae and Pheidole fervida were found attending the aphids, with each ant species exclusively tending the aphid colony where each was observed. The only aphid colonies to survive through the monitoring period were those tended by Lasius japonicus. This suggests, but the he number of observed colonies was not sufficient to conclude, this ant species is a mutualist with these aphids while the other ants are only opportunistically gathering honeydew and possible preying upon the aphids.

Nomenclature

 *  japonicus. Lasius (Lasius) emarginatus var. japonicus Santschi, 1941: 277 (w.q.) JAPAN. Junior synonym of niger: Wilson, 1955a: 60; Yamauchi, 1979: 152. Revived from synonymy and raised to species: Seifert, 1992b: 30.

Worker
Seifert (2020) - Medium-sized (CS 950 µm). Scape and maxillary palp length indices and torulo-clypeal distance large (SL/CS900 1.012, MP6/CS900 0.205, dClAn/CS900 5.50). Postocular distance and eye size medium (PoOc/CL900 0.240, EYE/CS900 0.244). Number of mandibular dents medium (MaDe900 8.11). Pubescence on clypeus moderately dense (sqPDCL900 4.33). All body parts with rather numerous and rather long standing setae (PnHL/CS900 0.150, GuHL/CS900 0.116). Coloration: polymorphous. The light morph with pale yellowish-reddish brown mesosoma, head and gaster with same tinge but darker; mandibles and anterior clypeal border (sometimes whole clypeus) yellowish to bright orange. Dark morph with dark to blackish brown head, mesosoma, gaster, coxae, femora and tibiae; tarsae, scape, mandibles and anterior clypeal border paler yellowish brown.

See table 6 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) - Lectotype worker plus 4 paralectotype workers labelled “Japan. Tokiawa Hokkaido Teranishi“, ”lectotype outer worker desig. by E.O.Wilson“; depository.

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