Leptanilla

These rare ants are seldom encountered. Workers are especially rare while males are more commonly collected, especially in light-traps and Malaise traps. They form colonies of several hundred workers in soil, are predacious on small arthropods including centipedes and forage largely or exclusively in soil. Workers actively vibrate their antennae. Some species are known to be nomadic and forage using group-raiding, similar to the army ants. Some species form new colonies by division of established colonies and the queens never possess wings (they are dichthadiform). The larvae possess special glands that excrete haemolymph which is then used as a food source by the adults.



Worker of L. swani from Western Australia.



Male of L. swani from Queensland.

Identification
Workers of Leptanilla are easily recognised by their small size, pale yellow colour, lack of eyes and slender bodies with a 2-segmented petiole. They may be confused with some small myrmicines (ants of the subfamily Myrmicinae). Myrmicines have frontal lobes which are expanded towards the sides of the head and partly or completely cover the bases of the antennae, while Leptanilla lacks frontal lobes and has the antennae completely visible when viewed from the front. They are also similar to smaller Aenictus workers, but differ in being smaller and having 12 segments in the antennae (rather than 10 segmented).

Distribution and Habitats
Australian distribution

Regional Species Lists

 * Single Australian species, Leptanilla swani.