Lasius

{{short description|Genus of ants}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = Eocene-Present, {{fossilrange|46|0|earliest=48.4}} | 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 = <ref name="AntCat">{{AntCat|429161|''Lasius''|2021|accessdate=31 October 2021}}</ref> | synonyms = * ''Donisthorpea'' Morice & Durrant, 1915 * ''Tylolasius'' Zhang, J., 1989 }}

'''''Lasius''''' is a genus of formicine ants.<ref>{{cite web|title=Genus: ''Lasius''|work=AntWeb|url=http://www.antweb.org/description.do?subfamily=formicinae&name=lasius&rank=genus&project=worldants|accessdate=2012-02-05|archive-date=2013-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202225323/http://www.antweb.org/description.do?subfamily=formicinae&name=lasius&rank=genus&project=worldants|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 ''L. 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.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Lasius latipes - AntWiki |url=https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Lasius_latipes |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=www.antwiki.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Lasius murphyi - AntWiki |url=https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Lasius_murphyi |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=www.antwiki.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lasius subglaber - AntWiki |url=https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Lasius_subglaber |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=www.antwiki.org}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2026}}<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=A Guide to Lasius Social Parasites |url=https://www.statesideants.com/a-guide-to-lasius-social-parasites |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=Stateside Ants |language=en}}</ref> 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''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2026}}<ref name=":2" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greenfieldboyce |first=Nell |date=2025-11-17 |title=Why some ant colonies get tricked into killing their own queens |url=https://www.kpbs.org/news/science-technology/2025/11/17/why-some-ant-colonies-get-tricked-into-killing-their-own-queens |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=KPBS Public Media |language=en}}</ref> Other species, such as ''Lasius claviger'', are known to overwinter and invade colonies in the spring.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lasius claviger - AntWiki |url=https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Lasius_claviger |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=www.antwiki.org |language=en}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2026}}<ref name=":2" />

==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.<ref name="Klotz1">{{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}}</ref><ref name="Klotz2">{{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}}</ref> They can infest buildings, particularly foundation forms in contact with soil, becoming a minor nuisance.<ref name="WSU">{{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 }}</ref><ref name="Klotz1" /> They are not considered a structural threat because they only make their galleries in wood that is already decayed.<ref name="WSU" /> Some species build "cartonlike" nests in moist locations made of decayed wood fragments cemented together with honeydew and the ant's mandibular gland secretions.<ref name="Klotz2" /> Workers are monomorphic, 2 to 3 mm long, yellow to dark brown.<ref name="Klotz1" /> They are secretive, and forage mostly at night for honeydew and other sweet substances, and may also prey on small insects.<ref name="Klotz1" /> Winged reproductive males and females swarm in late summer and fall, which is when building infestations may be noticed.<ref name="Klotz1" /> They are distinguished from carpenter ants (''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.<ref name="WSU" /><ref name="Klotz1" /> Widespread moisture ant species include ''L. alienus'' and ''L. neoniger'', as well as some ''Acanthomyops'' species.<ref name="Klotz2" />

==Species== thumb|Black garden ant, ''Lasius niger'' thumb|Cornfield ant, ''Lasius alienus'' thumb|''Lasius flavus'' {{div col|colwidth=20em}} *''Lasius alienoflavus'' Bingham, 1903 *''Lasius alienus'' (Foerster, 1850) *''Lasius americanus'' Emery 1893 *†''Lasius anthracinus'' (Heer, 1867) *''Lasius aphidicola'' (Walsh, 1863) *''Lasius arizonicus'' Wheeler, 1917 *''Lasius atopus'' Cole, 1958 *''Lasius austriacus'' Schlick-Steiner, Steiner, Schödl & Seifert, 2003 *''Lasius balcanicus'' Seifert, 1988 *''Lasius balearicus'' Talavera, Espadaler & Vila, 2014 *''Lasius bicornis'' (Foerster, 1850) *''Lasius bombycina'' Seifert & Galkowski, 2016 *''Lasius brevicornis'' Emery 1893 *''Lasius brevipalpus'' Seifert, 2020 *''Lasius brunneus'' (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'' (Wing, 1968) *''Lasius coloradensis'' Wheeler, 1917 *''Lasius coloratus'' Santschi, 1937 *''Lasius creightoni'' (Wing, 1968) *''Lasius creticus'' Seifert, 2020 *''Lasius crinitus'' (Smith, 1858) *†''Lasius crispus'' Wilson, 1955 *''Lasius crypticus'' Wilson, 1955 *''Lasius distinguendus'' (Emery, 1916) *''Lasius draco'' Collingwood, 1982 *''Lasius elevatus'' Bharti & Gul, 2013 *''Lasius emarginatus'' (Olivier, 1792) *†''Lasius epicentrus'' Théobald, 1937 *''Lasius escamole'' Reza, 1925 *''Lasius excavatus'' Seifert, 2020 *''Lasius fallax'' Wilson, 1955 *''Lasius flavescens'' Forel, 1904 *''Lasius flavoniger'' Seifert, 1992 *''Lasius flavus'' (Fabricius, 1782) *''Lasius fuji'' Radchenko, 2005 *''Lasius fuliginosus'' (Latreille, 1798) *†''Lasius globularis'' (Heer, 1849) *†''Lasius glom'' 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'' Seifert, 1982 *''Lasius kabaki'' Seifert, 2020 *''Lasius karpinisi'' Seifert, 1992 *''Lasius koreanus'' 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'' Seifert, 1992 *''Lasius maltaeus'' Seifert, 2020 *''Lasius mauretanicus'' Seifert, 2020 *''Lasius meridionalis'' (Bondroit, 1920) *''Lasius mexicanus'' Wheeler, 1914 *''Lasius mikir'' Collingwood, 1982 *''Lasius minutus'' Emery, 1893 *''Lasius mixtus'' (Nylander, 1846) *†''Lasius mordicus'' Zhang, 1989 *''Lasius morisitai'' Yamauchi, 1979 *''Lasius murphyi'' Forel, 1901 *''Lasius myops'' Forel, 1894 *''Lasius myrmidon'' Mei, 1998 *''Lasius nearcticus'' Wheeler, 1906 *''Lasius neglectus'' Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrasfalvy, 1990 *†''Lasius nemorivagus'' Wheeler, 1915 *''Lasius neoniger'' Emery, 1893 *''Lasius nevadensis'' Cole, 1956 *''Lasius niger'' (Linnaeus, 1758) *''Lasius nigrescens'' Stitz, 1930 *''Lasius nipponensis'' Forel, 1912 *''Lasius nitidigaster'' Seifert, 1996 *†''Lasius oblongus'' Assmann, 1870 *''Lasius obscuratus'' Stitz, 1930 *''Lasius occidentalis'' Wheeler, 1909 *†''Lasius occultatus'' (Heer, 1849) *†''Lasius ophthalmicus'' (Heer, 1849) *''Lasius orientalis'' 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'' 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'' Emery, 1893 *''Lasius subglaber'' Emery, 1893 *''Lasius subumbratus'' Viereck, 1903 *''Lasius talpa'' Wilson, 1955 *''Lasius tapinomoides'' Salata & Borowiec, 2018 *''Lasius tebessae'' Seifert, 1992 *†''Lasius tertiarius'' Zalessky, 1949 *''Lasius tibialis'' Santschi, 1936 *†''Lasius truncatus'' Zhang, 1989 *''Lasius tunisius'' Seifert, 2020 *''Lasius turcicus'' Santschi, 1921 *''Lasius umbratus'' (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'' MacKay & MacKay, 1994 {{div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{commons category-inline|Lasius|''Lasius''}}

Category:Lasius Category:Ant genera Category:Extant Eocene first appearances