''Lasius'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

formicine The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development. Formicines retain some primitive features, such as the presence of cocoons around pupae, the presence of ocelli in workers, and little ...

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

s. The

type species In 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 species that contains the biological type specimen ...

for this genus is the black garden ant, ''

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

, 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 The yellow meadow ant (''Lasius flavus''), also known as the yellow hill ant, is a species of ant occurring in Europe (where it is one of the most common ants), Asia, and North Africa. Populations in North America are now considered a different, ...

'' 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 ...

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.

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 large () ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world. They build nests inside wood consisting of galleries chewed out with their mandibles or jaws, preferably in dead, damp wood. However, unlik ...

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 i ...

'' 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 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 ...

'' 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 i ...

'' (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 ...

'' (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 A ...

'' 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 i ...

'' 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 i ...

'' 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 i ...

'' Seifert, 1988 *''

Lasius balearicus ''Lasius balearicus'' is an ant species from the genus ''Lasius''. It was discovered in 1982 by Cedric Alex Collingwood, an entomologist from the Royal Entomological Society and described as a new species in 2014 after a team from the Institut d ...

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

Lasius bicornis ''Lasius bicornis'' is a species of ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period ...

'' (Foerster, 1850) *''

Lasius bombycina ''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 & Galkowski, 2016 *'' Lasius brevicornis'' Emery 1893 *''

Lasius brevipalpus ''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 in ...

'' Seifert, 2020 *''

Lasius brunneus ''Lasius brunneus'' is a species of ant in the genus ''Lasius''. The species is widely distributed in Europe, from Sweden in the north to Anatolia in the south. In England this species is almost always found nesting in oak trees or rotting wood m ...

'' (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 *'' Lasius claviger'' (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 The United States of America ( ...

'' (Wing, 1968) *'' Lasius coloradensis'' Wheeler, 1917 *'' Lasius coloratus'' Santschi, 1937 *''

Lasius creightoni ''Lasius creightoni'' 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 The United States of Amer ...

'' (Wing, 1968) *'' Lasius creticus'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius crinitus'' (Smith, 1858) *†'' Lasius crispus'' Wilson, 1955 *'' Lasius crypticus'' Wilson, 1955 *'' Lasius distinguendus'' (Emery, 1916) *''

Lasius draco ''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 elevatus'' Bharti & Gul, 2013 *''

Lasius emarginatus ''Lasius emarginatus'' is a species of boreal formicine ants. Description ''Lasius emarginatus'' is a small ant, reaching a length of 3–5.5 mm in the workers, 7–10 mm in the females and 7–14.5 mm in males. In workers and f ...

'' (Olivier, 1792) *†'' Lasius epicentrus'' Théobald, 1937 *'' Lasius escamole'' Reza, 1925 *''

Lasius excavatus ''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 in ...

'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius fallax'' Wilson, 1955 *'' Lasius flavescens'' Forel, 1904 *'' Lasius flavoniger'' Seifert, 1992 *''

'' (Fabricius, 1782) *''

Lasius fuji ''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 ...

'' 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 i ...

'' LaPolla & Greenwalt, 2015 *'' Lasius grandis'' Forel, 1909 *'' Lasius hayashi'' Yamauchi & Hayashida, 1970 *'' Lasius hikosanus'' Yamauchi, 1979 *'' Lasius himalayanus'' Bingham, 1903 *'' Lasius hirsutus'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius humilis'' Wheeler, 1917 *'' Lasius illyricus'' Zimmermann, 1935 *†'' Lasius inflatus'' (Zhang, 1989) *'' Lasius interjectus'' Mayr, 1866 *'' Lasius israelicus'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius japonicus'' Santschi, 1941 *''

Lasius jensi ''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, 1982 *''

Lasius kabaki ''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 in ...

'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius karpinisi'' Seifert, 1992 *''

Lasius koreanus ''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 in ...

'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius kritikos'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius lasioides'' (Emery, 1869) *'' Lasius latipes'' (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 in ...

'' 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 in ...

'' 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 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 in ...

'' Emery, 1893 *''

Lasius mixtus ''Lasius mixtus'' is a species of ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. Mor ...

'' (Nylander, 1846) *†'' Lasius mordicus'' Zhang, 1989 *''

Lasius morisitai ''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 in ...

'' Yamauchi, 1979 *'' Lasius murphyi'' Forel, 1901 *''

Lasius myops ''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 ...

'' Forel, 1894 *'' Lasius myrmidon'' Mei, 1998 *'' Lasius nearcticus'' Wheeler, 1906 *''

Lasius neglectus ''Lasius neglectus'' is a polygynous, sometimes invasive, ant of the genus ''Lasius''. The ant was identified in 1990 after establishing a colony in Budapest, Hungary. Superficially, they are similar in appearance to the common black garden ant, ...

'' Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrasfalvy, 1990 *†''

Lasius nemorivagus ''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 ...

'' Wheeler, 1915 *''

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 ...

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

Lasius niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesLasius nigrescens'' Stitz, 1930 *'' Lasius nipponensis'' Forel, 1912 *'' Lasius nitidigaster'' Seifert, 1996 *†''

Lasius oblongus ''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 in ...

'' Assmann, 1870 *''

Lasius obscuratus ''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 in ...

'' Stitz, 1930 *'' Lasius occidentalis'' Wheeler, 1909 *†''

Lasius occultatus ''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 in ...

'' (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 in ...

'' 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 ''Lasius psammophilus'' is a species of ant belonging to the family Formicidae. It is native to Europe. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q13385528 psammophilus ''Psammophilus'' is a genus of agamid Agamidae is a family of over 300 specie ...

'' 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'' Seifert, 1992 *'' Lasius sichuense'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius silvaticus'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius sitiens'' Wilson, 1955 *'' Lasius sonobei'' Yamauchi, 1979 *'' Lasius spathepus'' Wheeler, 1910 *''

Lasius speculiventris ''Lasius speculiventris'' is a species of ant that is commonly found in the northern United States and lives in forests, woodlands, and meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plant ...

'' 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 ''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 in ...

'' Salata & Borowiec, 2018 *'' Lasius tebessae'' Seifert, 1992 *†'' Lasius tertiarius'' Zalessky, 1949 *'' Lasius tibialis'' Santschi, 1936 *†'' Lasius truncatus'' Zhang, 1989 *''

Lasius tunisius ''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 in ...

'' Seifert, 2020 *'' Lasius turcicus'' Santschi, 1921 *''

Lasius umbratus ''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 ...

'' (Nylander, 1846) *'' Lasius uzbeki'' 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 ''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 in ...

'' MacKay & MacKay, 1994

References

External links

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