''Myrmica laevinodis'' 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. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

that closely resembles '' M. kotokui'', and is at times difficult to distinguish, due to variation in morphology and color in ''M. kotokui''. The unraised rugae on the posterodorsal portion of the mesonotum are usually characteristic, though some ''M. kotokui'' workers have this character. It is best in the field to examine the body coloration of a number of workers from each colony. Also, ''M. rubra'' has fewer strong rugae, and is smoother on the lower half of the mesonotal pleura than ''M. kotokui''; its propodeal spines are shorter, and the rugae on the anterior basal portion of the 1st gastral tergite are relatively weak and fewer in number. Although Japanese specimens differ morphologically from European ''M. rubra'' material, and resemble ''M. kotokui'' in petiolar morphology, the name ''Myrmica rubra'' is applied to them for the present. This species nests in the soil of grassland on seashores and lowlands (Onoyama, 1989). Rare in Japan. ''Myrmica laevinodis'' have been known to feed on honeydew produced by aphids, in return for protecting them from parasites.

References

*https://web.archive.org/web/20060824004642/http://ant.edb.miyakyo-u.ac.jp/E/Taxo/F40104.html Myrmica Insects described in 1846 {{myrmicinae-stub