Lasius

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Genus of ants

title: "Lasius" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lasius", "ant-genera", "extant-eocene-first-appearances"] description: "Genus of ants" topic_path: "general/lasius" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasius" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of ants ::

| fossil_range = Eocene-Present, | image = Lasius niger casent0178775 profile 1.jpg | image_caption = Lasius niger, type species. | taxon = Lasius | authority = Fabricius, 1804 | diversity_link = #Species | diversity = 149 species | diversity_ref = | synonyms = * Donisthorpea Morice & Durrant, 1915

  • Tylolasius Zhang, J., 1989

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 include the temporary social parasites of the L. mixtus group and the hyper-social parasite Lasius fuliginosus. 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 compasses. 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 and Lasius murphyi are noted to have their mating flights in mid-late summer and invade other colonies of Lasius, primarily Lasius neoniger. The queens of species Lasius orientalis and Lasius umbratus have been observed using chemical signals to invade other Lasius colonies and trick the workers to kill the residing queen, accepting the invading queen as their own. Other species, such as Lasius claviger, 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.{{cite book | last = Klotz | first = John H. | title = Urban Pest Management of Ants in California | publisher = UCANR Publications, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California | date = 2010 | location = | pages = 54–55 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tKdc2FJupDkC&pg=PA54 | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-1601076649}}{{cite book | last = Klotz | first = John H. | title = Urban Ants of North America and Europe: Identification, Biology, and Management | publisher = Cornell University Press | date = 2008 | location = | pages = 39–44 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Q7T4gg6j7xUC&pg=PA39 | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-0801474736}} They can infest buildings, particularly foundation forms in contact with soil, becoming a minor nuisance.{{cite web | last = Antonelli | first = Art | authorlink = | title = Extension Bulletin 1382: Moisture Ants | work = WSU Extension | publisher = Washington State University | date = 2007 | url = http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1382/eb1382.pdf | format = | doi = | accessdate = March 4, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120813024825/http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1382/eb1382.pdf | archive-date = August 13, 2012 | url-status = dead

Species

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Lasius-niger-colony.jpg" caption="Black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Lasius_alienus_01.JPG" caption="Cornfield ant, ''Lasius alienus''"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Lasius_flavus_2.JPG" caption="''Lasius flavus''"] ::

References

References

  1. {{AntCat. 429161. ''Lasius''. 2021
  2. "Genus: ''Lasius''". AntWeb.
  3. "Lasius latipes - AntWiki".
  4. "Lasius murphyi - AntWiki".
  5. "Lasius subglaber - AntWiki".
  6. "A Guide to Lasius Social Parasites".
  7. Greenfieldboyce, Nell. (2025-11-17). "Why some ant colonies get tricked into killing their own queens".
  8. "Lasius claviger - AntWiki".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

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