Leptothorax kutteri
| Leptothorax kutteri | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Crematogastrini |
| Genus: | Leptothorax |
| Species: | L. kutteri |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptothorax kutteri Buschinger, 1966
| |
This species is a workerless 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.
| At a Glance | • Workerless Inquiline |
Contents
Identification
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Austria, Estonia, Finland, Germany (type locality), Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Sweden, Switzerland.
Distribution based on AntMaps
Distribution based on AntWeb specimens
Check data from AntWeb
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).
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's New General Catalogue, a catalogue of the world's ants.
- 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.
Description
Karyotype
- n = 23; 24; 25 (France; Germany; Italy; Sweden; Switzerland) (Buschinger & Fischer, 1991; Douwes & Buschinger, 1983; Fischer, 1987) (as Doronomyrmex kutteri).
References
- Allies, A.B., Bourke, A.F.G., Franks, N.R. 2986. Propaganda substances in the cuckoo ant Leptothorax kutteri and the slave-maker Harpagoxenus sublaevis. Journal of Chemical Ecology 12: 1285-1293 (doi:10.1007/BF01012348).
- Blatrix R., Lebas C., Wegnez P., Galkowski C., Buschinger A., 2013. New data on the distribution of Leptothorax pacis and L. kutteri, two very rare parasitic ants, and confirmation of the presence of L. gredleri in France (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Revue de l’Association Roussillonnaise d’Entomologie, 22, 85-91 PDF
- Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 272, Combination revived in Leptothorax)
- Buschinger, A. 1966a [1965]. Leptothorax (Mychothorax) kutteri n. sp., eine sozialparasitische Ameise (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Insectes Soc. 12: 327-334 PDF (page 327, figs. 1, 2, 3 queen, male described)
- Buschinger, A. 1972a. Kreuzung zweier sozialparasitischer Ameisenarten, Doronymyrmex pacis Kutter und Leptothorax kutteri Buschinger (Hym., Formicidae). Zool. Anz. 189: 169-179 (page 169, see also)
- Buschinger, A. 1981. Biological and systematic relationships of social parasitic Leptothoracini from Europe and North America. Pp. 211-222 in: Howse, P. E., Clement, J.-L. (eds.) Biosystematics of social insects. Systematics Association Special Volume No. 19. London: Academic Press, 346 pp. (page 215, Combination in Doronomyrmex)
- Buschinger, A. 2009. Social parasitism among ants: a review (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 12: 219-235.
- Heinze, J. 1998 [1995]. The origin of workerless parasites in Leptothorax (s. str.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche (Camb.) 102: 195-214 (page 195, Returned to Leptothorax)
- Kutter, H. 1967c. Beschreibung neuer Sozialparasiten von Leptothorax acervorum F. (Formicidae). Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 40: 78-91 (page 85, see also)
- Kutter, H. 1977c. Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Insecta Helv. Fauna 6: 1-298 (page 130, see also)
- Ødegaard, F., K.M. Olsen, A. Staverløkk, and J. O. Gjershaug. 2015. Towards a new era for the knowledge of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Norway? Nine species new to the country. Norwegian Journal of Entomology. 62:80-99.
