Lasius himalayanus

Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran on the ground in a moderate rainfall area.

Identification
Seifert (2020) - Palaearctic Lasius s. str. species belonging to the Lasius brunneus species complex. Lasius himalayanus is most similar to Lasius brunneus but differs by narrower head (CL/CW900 1.072), longer scape (SL/CS900 0.921) and denser clypeal pubescence (sqPDCL900 4.66). Coloration is on average darker than in L. brunneus or Lasius silvaticus, with head, mesosoma and coxae usually dark brown and gaster blackish brown.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India, Pakistan. Palaearctic Region: China, Iran.

Nomenclature

 *  himalayanus. Lasius himalayanus Bingham, 1903: 340 (w.) INDIA. [First available use of Lasius niger r. brunneus var. himalayanus Forel, 1894c: 404; unavailable name.] Subspecies of brunneus: Forel, 1906b: 85; Emery, 1925b: 229; Menozzi, 1939a: 313. Junior synonym of brunneus: Wilson, 1955a: 47. Revived from synonymy: Seifert, 1992b: 8 [ostensibly as a subspecies of brunneus, but Seifert states, on the same page, that himalayanus may be a valid species and is treated as such here].

Seifert (2020) - Lasius brunneus, Lasius silvaticus and Lasius himalayanus are hypothesized to represent three cryptic species with different geographic distribution.

Worker
Bingham (1903): Dark reddish brown, with an extremely minute silky pubescence giving the insect a shiny glabrous appearance; the mandibles, clypeus, anterior half of the cheeks, antennae and legs yellowish brown; pilosity almost entirely wanting, represented only by a few scattered, very short, erect pale hairs. Head much wider posteriorly than in front, broad and transverse across the occiput; mandibles stout, subtriangular, pruinose; the masticatory margin minutely dentate, the apical tooth not long or curved; clypeus proportionately large, convex and distinctly medially carinate; antennae somewhat short, the scape barely extending beyond the top of the head. Thorax short and stout, the basal portion of the metanotum flat, very short, only about one-quarter the length of the obliquely truncate apical portion, which is broad and fiat. Node of the pedicel low, slightly convex anteriorly; abdomen very large and massive, strongly convex above.

Length: 3 - 3.5 mm

Seifert (1992) - HL/HW (900) 1.074, SL/HL (900) 0.893 HL 1020.3 ± 87.6 (22), HL/HW 1.0513 ± 0.0190 (22), SL/HL 0.8787 ± 0.0211 (24), PDCL 22.08 ± 6.30 (22), nHS 0.0, nHHT 0.14 ± 0.35 (22), nBH 1.39 ± 1.24 (22), nUH 0.25 ± 0.69 (22), UHL/HL 0.0130 ± 0.0298 (22), PNHL/HLO.1060 ± 0.0100 (22).

See table 1 in Seifert 2020 for morphometric measurements, ratios, and functions.

Type Material
Seifert (2020) - 2 syntype workers,, labelled ”L. brunneus v. himalayana Forel, Himalaya LX/9) (Smythies)“, ”Typus“, ”ANTWEB CASENT 0911043“; 8 syntype workers labelled ”L. brunneus v. himalayana Forel, Himalaya 9000‘ (Smythies), XXX/22“, ”Cotypus“.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
 * Liu X. 2012. Taxonomy, diversity and spatial distribution characters of the ant family Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) in southeastern Tibet. PhD Thesis 139 pages
 * Menozzi C. 1939. Formiche dell'Himalaya e del Karakorum raccolte dalla Spedizione italiana comandata da S. A. R. il Duca di Spoleto (1929). Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano. 78: 285-345.
 * Pashaei Rad S., B. Taylor, R. Torabi, E. Aram, G. Abolfathi, R. Afshari, F. Borjali, M. Ghatei, F. Hediary, F. Jazini, V. Heidary Kiah, Z. Mahmoudi, F. Safariyan, and M. Seiri. 2018. Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran. Zoology in the Middle East 64(2): 145-159.
 * Pisarski B. 1964. Fauna Mrowek Afganistanu. Bibliogr. k. 160-166, Nieoprawiony maszynopis pracy, Praca doktorska. Instytut Zoologiczny PAN, 1964, Bibliogr. p. 160-166
 * Pisarski B. 1967. Fourmis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) d'Afghanistan récoltées par M. Dr. K. Lindberg. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 24: 375-425.
 * Rasheed M. T., I. Bodlah, A. G. Fareen, A. A. Wachkoo, X. Huang, and S. A. Akbar. 2019. A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Pakistan. Sociobiology 66(3): 426-439.
 * Seifert B. 1992. A taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic members of the ant subgenus Lasius s.str. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Görlitz 66(5): 1-67.
 * Tang Jue, Li Shen, Huang Enyou, Zhang Benyue. 1985. Notes on ants from Zhoushan Islands Zhejiang (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).  Journal of Zhejiang University (Agric.& Life Sci.) 3.