Leptanilla

Taxobox
name = "Leptanilla"


image_caption = "L. swani" queen and worker
image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Hymenoptera
familia = Formicidae
subfamilia = Leptanillinae
tribus = Leptanillini
genus = "Leptanilla"
genus_authority = Emery, 1870
diversity_link = Leptanilla
diversity = c. 40 species
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = see text.

"Leptanilla" is a genus of ant in the subfamily Leptanillinae. Like other genera in this subfamily, the queen is fed by the hemolymph of their own larvae, which have specialized processed for this purpose.Australian Ants Online]

Biology

Some species form colonies consisting of several hundred workers in the soil. They feed on small arthropods, including centipedes and are rarely seen because they live underground and rarely come to the surface. In some species the queen is always wingless, and new colonies form by budding from established colonies. Others have a nomadic life-style, resembling that of army ants.

Description

"Leptanilla" workers have no eyes, and are pale yellow and small.

Distribution

Several species are found in North Africa, "S. doderoi" and "S. revelierei" in Corsica and Sardinia, "S. havilandi" and "S. butteli" in the Malay Peninsula, "S. santschii" in JavaWheeler 1932] . "S. swani" is the only Australian species that has been described.

pecies

* "Leptanilla africana" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla alexandri" Dlussky, 1969
* "Leptanilla astylina" Petersen, 1968
* "Leptanilla australis" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla besucheti" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla bifurcata" Kugler, 1987
* "Leptanilla boltoni" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla buddhista" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla butteli" Forel, 1913 — Malay Peninsula
* "Leptanilla charonea" Lopez, Martinez & Barandica, 1994
* "Leptanilla doderoi" Emery, 1915 — Corsica, Sardinia
* "Leptanilla escheri" (Kutter, 1948)
* "Leptanilla exigua" Santschi, 1908 — North Africa
* "Leptanilla havilandi" Forel, 1901 — Malay Peninsula
* "Leptanilla islamica" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla israelis" Kugler, 1987
* "Leptanilla japonica" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla judaica" Kugler, 1987
* "Leptanilla kubotai" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla minuscula" Santschi, 1907 — North Africa
* "Leptanilla morimotoi" Yasumatsu, 1960
* "Leptanilla nana" Santschi, 1915 — North Africa
* "Leptanilla oceanica" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla ortunoi" Lopez, Martinez & Barandica, 1994
* "Leptanilla palauensis" (Smith, 1953)
* "Leptanilla plutonia" Lopez, Martinez & Barandica, 1994
* "Leptanilla revelierii" Emery, 1870 — Corsica, Sardinia, Morocco
* "Leptanilla santschii" G.C. Wheeler & E.W. Wheeler, 1930 — Java
* "Leptanilla swani" Wheeler, 1932 — Western Australia
* "Leptanilla tanakai" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla tanit" Santschi, 1907
* "Leptanilla tenuis" Santschi, 1907 — North Africa
* "Leptanilla thai" Baroni Urbani, 1977
* "Leptanilla theryi" Forel, 1903 — North Africa
* "Leptanilla vaucheri" Emery, 1899 — North Africa
* "Leptanilla zaballosi" Lopez, Martinez & Barandica, 1994

Footnotes

References

* (1932): An Australian "Leptanilla". "Psyche" 39: 53-58. [http://antbase.org/ants/publications/3421/3421.pdf PDF]
* ITIS: [http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=574004 "Leptanilla" species list]
* Australian Ants Online: [http://www.ento.csiro.au/science/ants/leptanillinae/leptanilla/leptanilla.htm Genus "Leptanilla"]