Pseudolasius

These ants are most often encountered as foragers on the ground and in leaf litter. They are known to attend Hemiptera on the roots of plants. Within Australia they are restricted to northern regions of the Northern Territory and Queensland.



Minor worker of Pseudolasius from Queensland.



Major worker of Pseudolasius from Queensland.

Identification
The eyes are small, in minor workers with 5 or fewer facets (ommatidia) in their maximum diameter, and are at most only slightly larger than the maximum scape diameter. The outer (maxillary) palps are short, have 2 to 4 segments and do not extend along the under side of the head. Workers are polymorphic and vary considerably in overall size, the largest having very large heads compared with the smallest.

Pseudolasius can be separated from other Australian formicine ants by being polymorphic (the workers showing considerable size variation), having small eyes (about the same diameter as the maximum scape diameter), and having only 2, 3 or 4 maxillary palp segments.

Distribution and Habitats
Australian distribution



Regional Species Lists

 * Single Australian species, Pseudolasius australis.