Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Ants (Formicoidea) » Ants (Formicidae) » Formicinae » Lasiini » Citronella Ants (Lasius) » Subgenus Acanthomyops (Lasius Subgenus Acanthomyops) » Smaller Yellow Ant (Lasius claviger)

Species Lasius claviger - Smaller Yellow Ant

Another Lasius, perhaps - Lasius claviger

Lasius claviger? - Lasius claviger - female

Lasius claviger? - Lasius claviger - male

Citronella Ants (Genus Lasius) - Lasius claviger

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)

Superfamily Formicoidea (Ants)

Family Formicidae (Ants)

Subfamily Formicinae

Tribe Lasiini

Genus Lasius (Citronella Ants)

No Taxon (Subgenus Acanthomyops)

Species claviger (Smaller Yellow Ant)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Acanthomyops claviger

Acanthomyops parvula

Formica clavigera

Explanation of Names

Author of species is Julius Roger, 1862.

Identification

Pale, yellow-orange color and strong lemon-verbena smell

Habitat

Most commonly found in moist forests, under small logs or flat rocks

Life Cycle

Mating flights occur on warm, sunny afternoons in October. "They send up many queens because very few survive. To make things 10 times worse for these ants in particular, mating flights are held right before winter and L. claviger is a social parasite of other Lasius species.

L. claviger has to locate a host colony, sneak in, and assassinate the host queen while also taking her place.

Despite all these queens have to go through they can still outnumber their host 10 to 1, and they have almost no trouble surviving the winter on the surface." Comment by MrILoveTheAnts here.

Remarks

Most references are under the name Acanthomyops claviger

This is the most widely distributed and common of the eastern species of "citronella ants"

Internet References

Contributed by John R. Maxwell on 12 September, 2008 - 5:10pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Chuck Entz, Ted Kropiewnicki, Fyn Kynd
Last updated 15 May, 2014 - 1:34pm

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