Latitudinal Range: 67.776025° to 28.977°.ĭistribution based on Regional Taxon Lists Holarctic from Western United States to Japan, North Africa to Finland (Collingwood 1979). In North America it ranges from the Pacific Northwest through most of the Great Basin, the Rocky Mountains, and northern Sierra Nevada. In Eurasia it is found from Scotland and southern Fennoscandia south to Morocco, Algeria, and the offshore Atlantic Islands, east through Lebanon, Afghanistan, and the Himalayan plateau to central China and Formosa, then north to northern Russia, southern Yakutsk, and Kamchatka. This species has the northernmost range of the four members of the niger complex. Key to the Lasius of the Indian Himalayas.Key to Palaearctic Lasius subgenus Lasius s.All appendage surfaces including scapes and tibiae with abundant erect hairs. The three basal teeth are about equal in size (the teeth adjacent to the penultimate tooth may be smaller in size).Įurope: Collingwood (1979) - Greyish brown to dark brownish black, mid-body occasionally somewhat paler. United States: Mackay and Mackay (2002) - These are medium to dark brown ants with large eyes, which have abundant erect and suberect hairs on the scapes (more than 30) and the extensor surface of the anterior tibia (more than 6). The male is best distinguished by the possession of abundant standing pilosity on the appendages combined with the " niger type" mandible described below. emarginatus, but in peripheral Eurasian populations this zone shifts to overlap that of L. Over most of Europe and in western North America niger has a scape index regression zone intermediate between those of Lasius brunneus and L. Wilson (1955) - The worker is best distinguished by its abundant standing appendage pilosity combined with the clypeal outline and mandibular dentition characteristic of the " niger complex" ( Lasius niger, Lasius alienus, Lasius emarginatus, Lasius productus). Mating swarms occur from July to late August and in some years huge numbers may fly over a large district on the same date. Aphids on shrubs and herbs as well as subterranean species are tended. Nests are single queened and moderately populous with several hundred up to 10,000 workers. This species is aggressive and readily attacks other ants. Occasionally earth mounts are formed and foraging tracks are frequently covered by surface tunnels of earth. Nests may occur in walls, pavements, tree stumps in open woodland, pasture and open heath. This is one of the commonest European species and is often especially evident at sites of human disturbance including towns, villages and quarries.
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