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A new polygynousLasius species (Hymenoptera; Formicidae) from central Europe

I. Description et biologie générale

Une nouvelle espèce polygyne deLasius (Hymenoptera; Formicidae) d'Europe centrale

I. Description and general biology

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Summary

A new ant speciesLasius (Lasius) neglectus spec. nov. is described from Budapest, Hungary. The workers are morphologically similar toL. alienus, but queens and males are clearly different and are much smaller. The species is polygynous, without apparent colony barriers, there are probably no nuptial flights, and intra-nidal mating has been observed; in this respectL. neglectus has several features in common with the polygynous Japanese speciesL. sakagamii. Workers forage in huge masses on aphids in tress. It is argued that the rather late discovery ofL. neglectus might be due to its arfificial introduction in Budapest from a yet unknown area. The status as a distinct species is further confirmed by allozyme data (Boomsma et al., 1990, next paper).

Resume

Une nouvelle espèce de fourmiLasius (Lasius) neglectus spec. nov. est écrite de Budapest, Hongrie. La morphologie des ouvrières ressemble à celle deL. alienus, mais les femelles et les mâles sont clairement distincts, avec des tailles plus petites. L'espèce est polygyne, sans frontières de nids évidentes, les vols nuptiaux semblent absents ou en tous cas rares et des accouplements entre partenaires d'un même nid ont été observés.L. neglectus ressemble par ces caractères à l'espèce polygyne japonaiseL. sakagamii. Les ouvrières recherchent en grand nombre les pucerons dans les arbres. Les auteurs postulent que la découverte récente deL. neglectus est peut-être due à son introduction artificielle à Budapest depuis une origine inconnue. Le statut spécifique de cette espèce est aussi confirmé par analye d'allozymes (Boomsma et al., 1990, article suivant).

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Author notes

  1. J. J. Boomsma

    Present address: Institute of Ecology and Genetics, University of Aarhus, Ny Munkegade, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

  2. A. J. Van Loon

    Present address: Institute of Taxonomic Zoology, University of Amsterdam, Mauritskade 61, 1092 AD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population Biology and Evolution, University of Utrecht, Podualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    A. J. Van Loon & J. J. Boomsma

  2. Vegetable Crops Research Institute and Company, Station, P.O. Box 95, H-1775, Budapest, Hungary

    A. Andrasfalvy

Authors
  1. A. J. Van Loon
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  2. J. J. Boomsma
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  3. A. Andrasfalvy
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Van Loon, A.J., Boomsma, J.J. & Andrasfalvy, A. A new polygynousLasius species (Hymenoptera; Formicidae) from central Europe. Ins. Soc 37, 348–362 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02225997

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02225997

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