Leptanilla judaica

The type material was collected from under a stone.

Identification
Kugler (1987) - Leptanilla judaica is similar to Leptanilla escheri (Kutter 1948) in the shape of the clypeal lobe, the mandibular dentition, the form of the petiole and postpetiole, and the form of the maxillary palp as described and figured by Kutter. It differs from L. escheri and all other Leptanilla species by having a depression and a suture between the mesonotum and propodeum. The pilosity of L. escheri is much more conspicuous, denser, and with long semierect hairs (in addition to the appressed hairs) on the antennae, head, petiole, postpetiole and gaster.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Israel.

Nomenclature

 *  judaica. Leptanilla judaica Kugler, J. 1987: 46, figs. 1-4 (w.l.) ISRAEL.

Worker
Length: 1.9-2 mm.

Colour: Pale yellow to orange, shiny. The short pilosity is pale yellowish.

Head: Wider than alitrunk, 1.3 times longer than wide; lateral margins convex, hind margin straight. The middle part of the clypeus is convex, protruding anteriorly as a large elevated lobe, ending in 2 short, .wide lobes with a concave margin between them; antenna 12-segmented, scapus as long as the 4 proximal funicular segments together; funicular segments except the last segment, as wide as long; last segment slightly longer than the 2 penultimate segments together; mandibles long, with 3 teeth: a long and narrow apical tooth, a small median tooth and a large basal tooth. A very small, toothlike tubercule may be present between the apical and median tooth and between the median and basal tooth. Maxillary palp strongly constricted in the middle, apparently 2 segmented, labial palp I-segmented (Fig. 3).

Alitrunk: Pronotum in dorsal view (Fig. 2) almost as wide as long, separated by a deep furrow from the short mesonotum, which is 1/2 as long as the pronotum; between the meso no tum and propodeum, a weak propodeal depression and suture visible; in lateral view (Fig. 1) the dorsal margin of the prothorax convex, the dorsal margin of the rest of the alitrunk is nearly straight; the posterior margin of the mesothorax is differentiated.

Legs: Femora swollen, mid and hind tibiae with 1 large pectinated spur, in some specimens a second, small, simple spur is visible.

Petiole: Petiolar node dorsally convex, 1.2 times longer than wide, ventrally with a forwardly directed, toothlike protuberance; postpetiolar node in dorsal view nearly circular; in lateral view the dorsal margin is strongly convex, the ventral margin forming a large, convex, anteriorly directed bulge.

Gaster: Egg-shaped with a protruding sting.

Pilosity: Short and suberect on the antennae, not very conspicuously appressed on head and body.

Larva
Very similar to the larva of Leptanilla escheri as described by Kutter (1948) and Wheeler and Wheeler (1965). Body elongated and slender up to 2 mm in length, narrow anteriorly, much wider and club-like posteriorly; head small, mandibles feebly sclerotized, with a narrow, pointed apical tooth, and a comb of several narrow teeth of different lengths. Prothorax with a large flaplike ventral projection bearing many transverse ridges. Head bare; body covered with fine short hairs, in addition, there are several long bristle-like hairs on each of the body segments. No spiracles are visible.

Type Material
Holotype worker; Judean Hills, 10 km N. of Ramallah, 30.111.1969, collected beneath a stone, A. Barash. Paratypes (29 workers and 15 larvae) with the same collecting data as the holotype. Holotype and most paratypes (25 workers and 15 larvae) are deposited in the TAU. Two workers are deposited in the and 2 workers in the.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Kugler J. 1987. The Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Israel and a description of a new species from India. Israel Journal of Entomology 20: 45-57.
 * Scupola A., and R. Ballarin. 2009. The genus Leptanilla Emery, 1870 in Sicily (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten 12: 129-132.
 * Vonshak M., and A. Ionescu-Hirsch. 2009. A checklist of the ants of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 39: 33-55.