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.
The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.
Horace St. John Kelly Donisthorpe was an eccentric British myrmecologist and coleopterist, memorable in part for his enthusiastic championing of the renaming of the genus Lasius after him as Donisthorpea, and for his many claims of discovering new species of beetles and ants.
Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant, the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the cone ant. The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the world, distributed in different biogeographic realms, from the Palearctic, Nearctic, Afrotropical region and Malaysia, to the Middle East, Australian, and Neotropical regions.
Myrmica is a genus of ants within the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is widespread throughout the temperate regions of the Holarctic and high mountains in Southeast Asia.
Crematogaster is an ecologically diverse genus of ants found worldwide, which are characterised by a distinctive heart-shaped gaster (abdomen), which gives them one of their common names, the Saint Valentine ant. Members of this genus are also known as cocktail ants because of their habit of raising their abdomens when alarmed. Most species are arboreal (tree-dwelling). These ants are sometimes known as acrobat ants.
Aenictus is a large army ant genus distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics. It contains about 181 species, making it one of the larger ant genera of the world.
Antennophoridae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata.
Antennophorus is a genus of mites in the family Antennophoridae. It was described by Haller in 1877.
Lasius fuliginosus, also known as the jet ant or jet black ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae.
Lasius emarginatus is a species of boreal formicine ants native to western Eurasia. It has gained notoriety as the invasive ManhattAnt in the United States.
Technomyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. With 98 species, it is one of the largest and most diverse ant genera in the Dolichoderinae. The genus distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical zones with most species occurring in the Oriental-Malesian and Afrotropical regions. One species, Technomyrmex albipes is a tramp ant now widespread throughout the tropics due to human activities.
Lasiophanes is a small genus of ant with six described species endemic to Patagonia. The genus is related to Lasius of the Northern Hemisphere and Melophorus of Australia and New Zealand.
Malagidris is a Malagasy genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Described in 2014, the genus contains six species.
Tetraponera rufonigra, is a species of ant belonging to the subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae. It is distributed across Asia, and Africa. Commonly called the Bi-coloured Arboreal ant, they are arboreal and build small nests which are excavated holes usually in dried parts of trees. They are active hunters and hunt small insects. They have a well developed sting and when stung can cause allergic reactions in human beings.
