Leptothorax kutteri

This species is an inquiline. Queens live in the nest of a different ant species, have no workers and are entirely dependent on their hosts for food. The queens produce eggs that are cared for and raised to maturity by the host workers.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Austria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Poland, Russian Federation, Sweden, Switzerland.

Biology
Ødegaard et al. (2015) - In Norway, 1 dealate queen and 3 alate males, in a colony of Leptothorax acervorum established in a rotten pine log. The site was located in a boreal forest dominated by Scots pine Pinus sylvestris Linnaeus, 1753 and Norway spruce Picea abies (Linnaeus, 1753) Karsten, 1881. Relatively large amounts of dead wood in proper state for establishment of L. acervorum was present in the surroundings. The occurrence of this species in Norway is not surprising, as it has a wide distribution in both Sweden and Finland. The species lives in an inquiline relationship with Leptothorax acervorum. One or a few queens are normally found in the host colony and their presence do not seem to affect brood productions by the host appreciably (Douwes et al. 2012).

Nomenclature

 *  kutteri. Leptothorax (Mychothorax) kutteri Buschinger, 1966a: 327, figs. 1, 2, 3 (q.m.) GERMANY. Combination in Doronomyrmex: Buschinger, 1981: 215; in Leptothorax: Heinze, 1998: 195 (combination not stated); Bolton, 2003: 270. See also: Kutter, 1967b: 85; Kutter, 1977c: 130; Buschinger, 1972: 169.