''Lasius'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of formicine

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s. The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

for this genus is the black garden ant, ''

Lasius niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state bordered by Libya to the north-east, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the south-west, Mali to the wes ...

''. Other major members, which live in drier

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species include the temporary social parasites of the ''L. mixtus'' group and the hyper-social parasite ''

Lasius fuliginosus ''Lasius fuliginosus'', also known as the jet ant or jet black ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae. Distribution This species has a wide distribution in Europe and Asia, from Portugal and Ireland in the west, Finland in the nort ...

''. '' Lasius flavus'' is also a commonly seen species, building grassy hillocks in undisturbed pasture. In the Alps, these mounds – always aligned east to catch the first rays of the rising sun – have been traditionally used by goatherds as natural

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...

es. Species in the subgenus ''Acanthomyops'', in particular '' L. interjectus'' and '' L. claviger'', are commonly known as citronella ants due to their citronella-like smell.

Social parasitism

Several species in this genus are noted to be social parasites. Some species such as ''

Lasius latipes ''Lasius latipes'' is a species of ant in the genus '' Lasius''. It is native to the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It ...

'' and ''

Lasius murphyi ''Lasius murphyi'' is a species of ant in the genus ''Lasius''. It is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; orga ...

'' are noted to have their mating flights in mid-late summer and invade other colonies of ''Lasius'', primarily ''

Lasius neoniger ''Lasius neoniger'', also known as the turfgrass ant, Labour day ant, cornfield ant or nuisance ant, is a species of ant in the genus ''Lasius''. Found in North America, the species is common in the eastern United States and Canada, though they ...

''. Other species, such as ''

Lasius claviger ''Lasius claviger'', or the smaller yellow ant, is a species of ant belonging to the genus ''Lasius'', formerly a part of the genus (now subgenus) ''Acanthomyops''. Described in 1862 by Roger, the species is native to the United States Th ...

'', are known to overwinter and invade colonies in the spring.

Moisture ants

Many ''Lasius'' species, known collectively as "moisture ants" in the United States, make their nests in and around moist rotting wood as well as under rocks. They can infest buildings, particularly foundation forms in contact with soil, becoming a minor nuisance. They are not considered a structural threat because they only make their galleries in wood that is already decayed. Some species build "cartonlike" nests in moist locations made of decayed wood fragments cemented together with honeydew and the ant's mandibular gland secretions. Workers are monomorphic, 2 to 3 mm long, yellow to dark brown. They are secretive, and forage mostly at night for honeydew and other sweet substances, and may also prey on small insects. Winged reproductive males and females swarm in late summer and fall, which is when building infestations may be noticed. They are distinguished from

carpenter ant Carpenter ants (''Camponotus'' spp.) are a genus of large ants (workers ) indigenous to many parts of the world. True carpenter ants build nests inside wood, consisting of galleries chewed out with their mandibles or jaws, preferably in dead, ...

s (''Camponotus''), another structure-infesting species, by being much smaller, and having a notch in the dorsal thorax (top of the center body division), where carpenter ants have a rounded thorax. Widespread moisture ant species include ''L. alienus'' and ''L. neoniger'', as well as some ''Acanthomyops'' species.

Species

*''

Lasius alienoflavus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, '' Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species ...

'' Bingham, 1903 *''

Lasius alienus ''Lasius alienus'', or cornfield ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae (family Formicidae). Workers have a length of about 2–4 mm, Queens are larger (7–9 mm). Distribution They live in Europe, from Spain to the Cauca ...

'' (Foerster, 1850) *''

Lasius americanus ''Lasius americanus'', or woodland fuzzy ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae. Description ''Lasius americanus'' workers are often a shade of dusty brown that have lighter semi-translucent legs. Antennae do not have any erect S ...

'' Emery 1893 *†''

Lasius anthracinus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, '' Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species ...

'' (Heer, 1867) *''

Lasius aphidicola ''Lasius umbratus'', colloquially known as the yellow shadow ant and yellow lawn ant, is a Palearctic species of parasitic ant distributed across Eurasia and the Maghreb region of Africa. It was once thought that this species occurred in North A ...

'' (Walsh, 1863) *''

Lasius arizonicus ''Lasius arizonicus'' is a species of ant belonging to the genus '' Lasius'', formerly a part of the genus (now a subgenus) '' Acanthomyops''. Described in 1917 by Wheeler, the species is native to the United States The United States of ...

'' Wheeler, 1917 *''

Lasius atopus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, '' Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species ...

'' Cole, 1958 *''

Lasius austriacus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, '' Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species ...

'' Schlick-Steiner, Steiner, Schödl & Seifert, 2003 *''

Lasius balcanicus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, '' Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species ...

'' Seifert, 1988 *''

Lasius balearicus ''Lasius balearicus'' is an ant species from the genus ''Lasius''. It was described as a new species in 2014 and is the first known ant endemic to the Balearic Islands. It is endemic to the island of Majorca and has only been recorded from seven ...

'' Talavera, Espadaler & Vila, 2014 *''

Lasius bicornis ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, '' Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species ...

'' (Foerster, 1850) *'' Lasius bombycina'' Seifert & Galkowski, 2016 *'' Lasius brevicornis'' Emery 1893 *'' Lasius brevipalpus'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius brunneus'' (Latreille, 1798) *'' Lasius buccatus'' Stärcke, 1942 *'' Lasius bureni'' (Wing, 1968) *'' Lasius californicus'' Wheeler, 1917 *'' Lasius capitatus'' (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927) *'' Lasius carniolicus'' Mayr, 1861 *'' Lasius casevitzi'' Seifert & Galkowski, 2016 *†'' Lasius chambonensis'' Piton & Théobald, 1935 *'' Lasius chinensis'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius cinereus'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius citrinus'' Emery, 1922 *''

'' (Roger, 1862) *''

Lasius colei ''Lasius colei'' is a species of ant belonging to the genus ''Lasius'', formerly a part of the genus (now a subgenus) ''Acanthomyops''. Described in 1968 by Wing, the species is native to the United States. References External links

* ...

'' (Wing, 1968) *'' Lasius coloradensis'' Wheeler, 1917 *''

Lasius coloratus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Santschi, 1937 *'' Lasius creightoni'' (Wing, 1968) *'' Lasius creticus'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius crinitus'' (Smith, 1858) *†'' Lasius crispus'' Wilson, 1955 *'' Lasius crypticus'' Wilson, 1955 *''

Lasius distinguendus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' (Emery, 1916) *'' Lasius draco'' Collingwood, 1982 *'' Lasius elevatus'' Bharti & Gul, 2013 *'' Lasius emarginatus'' (Olivier, 1792) *†''

Lasius epicentrus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Théobald, 1937 *'' Lasius escamole'' Reza, 1925 *'' Lasius excavatus'' Seifert, 2020 *''

Lasius fallax ''Lasius'' is a genus of Formicinae, formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, ''Lasius neoniger, L. neoniger'', and ''Las ...

'' Wilson, 1955 *'' Lasius flavescens'' Forel, 1904 *'' Lasius flavoniger'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius flavus'' (Fabricius, 1782) *'' Lasius fuji'' Radchenko, 2005 *''

'' (Latreille, 1798) *†'' Lasius globularis'' (Heer, 1849) *†''

Lasius glom ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, '' Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species ...

'' LaPolla & Greenwalt, 2015 *'' Lasius grandis'' Forel, 1909 *''

Lasius hayashi ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Yamauchi & Hayashida, 1970 *'' Lasius hikosanus'' Yamauchi, 1979 *'' Lasius himalayanus'' Bingham, 1903 *'' Lasius hirsutus'' Seifert, 1992 *''

Lasius humilis ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Wheeler, 1917 *'' Lasius illyricus'' Zimmermann, 1935 *†'' Lasius inflatus'' (Zhang, 1989) *''

Lasius interjectus ''Lasius interjectus'', commonly known as the larger yellow ant, is a species of ant belonging to the genus ''Lasius'', and was formerly a part of the genus (now a subgenus) ''Acanthomyops ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type sp ...

'' Mayr, 1866 *'' Lasius israelicus'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius japonicus'' Santschi, 1941 *'' Lasius jensi'' Seifert, 1982 *'' Lasius kabaki'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius karpinisi'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius koreanus'' Seifert, 1992 *''

Lasius kritikos ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius lasioides'' (Emery, 1869) *''

'' (Walsh, 1863) *'' Lasius lawarai'' Seifert, 1992 *†'' Lasius longaevus'' (Heer, 1849) *'' Lasius longiceps'' Seifert, 1988 *'' Lasius longicirrus'' Chang & He, 2002 *'' Lasius longipalpus'' Seifert, 2020 *†'' Lasius longipennis'' (Heer, 1849) *''

Lasius magnus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Seifert, 1992 *''

Lasius maltaeus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius mauretanicus'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius meridionalis'' (Bondroit, 1920) *'' Lasius mexicanus'' Wheeler, 1914 *''

Lasius mikir ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Collingwood, 1982 *''

Lasius minutus ''Lasius'' is a genus of Formicinae, formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, ''Lasius neoniger, L. neoniger'', and ''Las ...

'' Emery, 1893 *'' Lasius mixtus'' (Nylander, 1846) *†'' Lasius mordicus'' Zhang, 1989 *'' Lasius morisitai'' Yamauchi, 1979 *''

'' Forel, 1901 *''

Lasius myops ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Forel, 1894 *''

Lasius myrmidon ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Mei, 1998 *'' Lasius nearcticus'' Wheeler, 1906 *'' Lasius neglectus'' Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrasfalvy, 1990 *†'' Lasius nemorivagus'' Wheeler, 1915 *''

'' Emery, 1893 *'' Lasius nevadensis'' Cole, 1956 *''

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) *'' Lasius nigrescens'' Stitz, 1930 *'' Lasius nipponensis'' Forel, 1912 *''

Lasius nitidigaster ''Lasius'' is a genus of Formicinae, formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, ''Lasius neoniger, L. neoniger'', and ''Las ...

'' Seifert, 1996 *†'' Lasius oblongus'' Assmann, 1870 *'' Lasius obscuratus'' Stitz, 1930 *'' Lasius occidentalis'' Wheeler, 1909 *†'' Lasius occultatus'' (Heer, 1849) *†'' Lasius ophthalmicus'' (Heer, 1849) *''

Lasius orientalis ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Karavaiev, 1912 *'' Lasius pallitarsis'' (Provancher, 1881) *'' Lasius paralienus'' Seifert, 1992 *†'' Lasius peritulus'' (Cockerell, 1927) *'' Lasius persicus'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius piliferus'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius platythorax'' Seifert, 1991 *'' Lasius plumopilosus'' Buren, 1941 *'' Lasius pogonogynus'' Buren, 1950 *'' Lasius precursor'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius productus'' Wilson, 1955 *'' Lasius przewalskii'' Ruzsky, 1915 *'' Lasius psammophilus'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius pubescens'' Buren, 1942 *†'' Lasius pumilus'' Mayr, 1868 *†'' Lasius punctulatus'' Mayr, 1868 *'' Lasius rabaudi'' (Bondroit, 1917) *'' Lasius reginae'' Faber, 1967 *'' Lasius sabularum'' (Bondroit, 1918) *'' Lasius sakagamii'' Yamauchi & Hayashida, 1970 *'' Lasius schaeferi'' Seifert, 1992 *†'' Lasius schiefferdeckeri'' Mayr, 1868 *''

Lasius schulzi ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius sichuense'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius silvaticus'' Seifert, 2020 *''

Lasius sitiens ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Wilson, 1955 *'' Lasius sonobei'' Yamauchi, 1979 *'' Lasius spathepus'' Wheeler, 1910 *'' Lasius speculiventris'' Emery, 1893 *'' Lasius subglaber'' Emery, 1893 *'' Lasius subumbratus'' Viereck, 1903 *''

Lasius talpa ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Wilson, 1955 *'' Lasius tapinomoides'' Salata & Borowiec, 2018 *'' Lasius tebessae'' Seifert, 1992 *†'' Lasius tertiarius'' Zalessky, 1949 *''

Lasius tibialis ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, '' Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species ...

'' Santschi, 1936 *†'' Lasius truncatus'' Zhang, 1989 *'' Lasius tunisius'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius turcicus'' Santschi, 1921 *'' Lasius umbratus'' (Nylander, 1846) *''

Lasius uzbeki ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species i ...

'' Seifert, 1992 *†'' Lasius validus'' Zhang, 1989 *'' Lasius vestitus'' Wheeler, 1910 *†'' Lasius vetulus'' Dlussky, 1981 *'' Lasius viehmeyeri'' Emery, 1922 *'' Lasius vostochni'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius wittmeri'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius xerophilus'' MacKay & MacKay, 1994

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1157048 Ant genera Extant Eocene first appearances