Lasius productus

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Lasius productus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Lasiini
Genus: Lasius
Section: niger clade
Species group: niger
Species: L. productus
Binomial name
Lasius productus
Wilson, 1955

Lasius productus casent0903217 p 1 high.jpg

Lasius productus casent0903217 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels


Common Name
Higenaga-ke-ari
Language: Japanese

This species nests in rotting wood and stumps, or dead portions of tree trunks in broad-leaved deciduous forests. The nuptial flights take place in August and September (Japanese Ant Image Database).

Identification

A Japanese species closely related to Lasius emarginatus. All three castes possess extraordinarily long appendages. This character readily separates L. productus from L. emarginatus, and from all other Lasius across the Holarctic.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Seifert (2020) - Occurrence data from the Japanese islands of Tsushima, Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu contains three altitudinal records that range from 50 to 1000 m.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 38.283333° to 31.96666667°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China, Japan (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Stomaphis hirukawai (a trophobiont) (Matsuura and Yashiro, 2006; Saddiqui et al., 2019).

Flight Period

X X
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

 Notes: Japan.

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Castes

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • productus. Lasius (Lasius) productus Wilson, 1955a: 95 (w.q.m.) JAPAN. See also: Yamauchi, 1979: 156; Seifert, 1992b: 46.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Within the HW range 0.86-1.12 mm., the SI is between 112 and 124 (see Fig. 5), and the ML exceeds the EW by about 1.3 X.

Size averaging larger than in other members of the subgenus; PW 0.59-0.73 mm., mean 0.686 mm., based on 15 workers from 6 nest series. Anterior border of median clypeal lobe broadly rounded as in other niger complex members. Dentition very constant, with three perfectly formed basal teeth in every specimen examined. Propodeum elevated relative to thorax as in Lasius emarginatus. Scapes densely covered with predominantly decumbent hairs; standing hairs very scarce or absent. Tibiae with sparser hairs which are mostly appressed. Color varying from concolorous medium brown as in Lasius niger (e.g. paratypes from Hikosan VIII-6-1940 and Sobosan IX-8-1933) to bicolorous with contrasting reddish brown alitrunk and dark brown gaster and head (e.g. paratypes from Hikosan XI-21-1939). The holotype nest series falls about intermediate between these two extremes; the holotype can best be described as having a medium reddish brown alitrunk barely contrasting with the gaster. None of the material examined reaches the extreme bicolorous condition of the typical European emarginatus; moreover, in Lasius productus the head is usually noticeably lighter than the gaster.

Seifert (2020) - Large (CS 1050 µm). Head and scape length indices outstandingly large (CL/CW900 1.139, SL/CS900 1.169). Postocular distance rather small and eye rather large (PoOc/CL900 0.235, EYE/CS900 0.248). Torulo-clypeal distance large (dClAn900 5.65). Terminal segment of maxillary palp outstandingly long (MP6/CS900 0.293). Pubescence on clypeus moderately dense (sqPDCL900 4.35); frontal pubescence of medium length (PLF900 28.8). Scape densely covered with decumbent pubescence hairs. Gular setae rather long, only slightly shorter than pronotal setae (GuHL/CS900 0.117, PnHL/CS900 0.134); setae numbers rather low (nOcc900 9.8, nGen900 3.2, nGu900 3.1, nSc900 10.2, nHT900 6.7, nSt900 1.9). Coloration: varying from concolorous medium brown to bicolored with contrasting reddish brown mesosoma and dark brown head and gaster.

See table 11 in Seifert 2020 for additional morphometrics. The abbreviated names of various quantitative data shown above are defined here: Seifert 2020 Lasius characters.

Queen

ML in three queens examined ranging 0.32-0.34 mm., exceeding all other members of the genus.

Characterized by its higher SI and tendency toward larger size. Following are measurements for three queens identified in the course of the present study. Japan, no further data (H. Sauter leg.; MCZ), HW 1.88 mm., SL 1.58 mm., SI 84, ML 0.32 mm.; Hikosan, Kyushu, IX-18-1939 (K. Yasumatsu leg. and Coll.), HW 1.79 mm., SL 1.55 mm., SI 87, ML 0.32 mm.; Hirooka, Shikoku VIII-29-1935 (H. Okamoto leg. and Coll.), HW 1.82 mm., SL 1.52 mm., SI 84, ML 0.34 mm.

Male

SI of the one specimen measured was 105, greatly exceeding all other members of the genus.

In the single specimen examined (Sobosan, Kyushu, IX-10-1933; Yasumatsu leg. and CoIL), HW 0.98 mm., SL 1.03 mm., SI 105. Subgenital plate very similar to that typifying emarginatus. Scapes densely covered with rather short, predominantly subdecumbent hairs. Tibiae with sparse, appressed to decumbent hairs.

Type Material

HOLOTYPE. A worker from Mt. Imano (Imanoyama), Shikoku (H. Okamoto leg. and ColI.). PW 0.72 mm., HW 1.04 mm., HL 1.17 mm., SL 1.23 mm., SI 119, ML 0.30 mm., EW 0.22 mm. Paranidotypes in the Yasumatsu ColI., Museum of Comparative Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, and Holgersen Coll.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Choi B.M., K. Ogata, and M. Terayama. 1993. Comparative studies of ant faunas of Korea and Japan. 1. Faunal comparison among islands of Southern Korean and northern Kyushu, Japan. Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Japan 48(1): 37-49.
  • Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
  • Harada Y., K. Nishikubo, K. Matsumoto, M. Matsuda, Y. Inazawa, Y. Ozono, S. Koto, N. Kawaguchi, and S. Yamane. 2011. Ant fauna of Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) forests in southwestern Japan. Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Japan 66: 115-127.
  • Harada Y., Yadori H., Takinami R., Nagahama K., Matsumoto Y., Oyama A., Maeda S. and Yamane S.K. 2013. Ants of the southernmost Fagus crenata forest in Japan. Nature of Kagoshima 39: 113-118
  • Hosoishi S. 2006. Ant fauna of Noko Island. pp99-107. In: The floristic and faunistic surveys of the Noko Island.
  • Ikeshita Y., A. Gotoh, K. Yamamoto, N. Taniguchi, and F. Ito. 2007. Ants collected in Mt. Linoyama, Marugame, Kagawa Prefecture (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Kagawa Seibutsu 34: 59-62.
  • Maeto K. and S. Sato. 2004. Impacts of forestry on ant species richness and composition in warm-temperate forests of Japan. Forest Ecology and Management 187: 213–223.
  • Maruyama M., F. M. Steiner, C. Stauffer, T. Akino, R. H. Crozier, and B. C. Schlick-Steiner. 2008. A DNA and morphology based phylogenetic framework of the ant genus Lasius with hypotheses for the evolution of social parasitism and fungiculture. BMC Evolutionary Biology 8:Article 237 (doi:10.1186/1471-2148-8-237).
  • Ran H., and S. Y. Zhou. 2012. Checklist of chinese ants: formicomorph subfamilies (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) II. Journal of Guangxi Normal University: Natural Science Edition 30(4): 81-91.
  • 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.
  • Tanaka H. O., T. F. Haraguchi, I. Tayasu, and F. Hyodo. 2019. Stable and radio-isotopic signatures reveal how the feeding habits of ants respond to natural secondary succession in a cool-temperate forest. Insectes Sociaux 66(1): 37-46.
  • Terayama M. 1977. Checklist of the known ants of Saitama Prefecture. Insects and nature 12(4): 26-27
  • Terayama M. 1983. Kagoshima-ken-hondo no ari. Kanagawa-chucho (Journal of the Kanagawa Entomologists Association): 13-24.
  • Terayama M. 1992. Structure of ant communities in East Asia. A. Regional differences and species richness. Bulletin of the Bio-geographical Society of Japan 47: 1-31.
  • Terayama M., K. Ogata, and B.M. Choi. 1994. Distribution records of ants in 47 prefectures of Japan. Ari (report of the Myrmecologists Society of Japan) 18: 5-17.
  • Terayama M., S. Kubota, and K. Eguchi. 2014. Encyclopedia of Japanese ants. Asakura Shoten: Tokyo, 278 pp.
  • Terayama M., and K. Murata. 1987. Relation between ant communities and vegetations of Toshima island, the Izu Islands. Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Japan 42(9): 57-63.
  • Terayama M., and R. Sonobe. 2002. Ants from the Nasu Imperial Villa, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Flora and fauna of the Tochigi Prefectural Museum research report Nasu Imperial Villa 157-161.
  • Terayama M., and S. Kubota. 2002. Ants of Tokyo, Japan. ARI 26: 1-32.
  • Teruyama. M. 1988. Ant fauna of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. ARI Reports of the Myrmecologists Society (Japan) 16: 4-13
  • Wilson E. O. 1955. A monographic revision of the ant genus Lasius. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 113: 1-201
  • Yamane S., Y. Harada, and K. Eguchi. 2013. Classification and ecology of ants. Natural history of ants in Southern Kyushu. 200 pages
  • Yamauchi K. 1979. Taxonomical and ecological studies on the ant genus Lasius in Japan (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). I. Taxonomy. Sci. Rep. Fac. Educ. Gifu Univ. (Nat. Sci.) 6: 147-181.
  • Yoshimura M. 2007. List of ants collected in Iwate Prefecture During the 49th Myrmecological congress of Japan. Ari 29: 41.