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Leptanillinae

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Encyclopedia of Social Insects

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Taxonomy and Distribution

Leptanillinae is a small ant subfamily of 68 known species in 8 genera [2]. The genera Noonilla, Phaulomyrma, Scyphodon, and Yavnella are only known from males. On the other hand, in many species belonging to the largest and best studied genus, Leptanilla, males are unknown; in only one species (L. japonica), two males were collected, each from a nest in association with the queen and workers [6, 7]. Among the genera in which the female castes are known, Anomalomyrma, Opamyrma, and Protanilla have only been collected from the Oriental Region, while Leptanilla is distributed from the warm temperate zone to the tropics of the Old World [2]. The worker castes known from these four genera are all eyeless, while the queen is either eyeless, has compound eyes, or has both compound eyes and ocelli.

In the most recent molecular phylogenetic analysis [9], Leptanillinae and Martialis are the sister groups to all other ants combined.

Ecology of Leptanilla

Leptanillinae...

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References

  1. Billen, J., Bauweleers, E., Hashim, R., & Ito, F. (2013). Survey of the exocrine system in Protanilla wallacei (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Arthropod Structure & Development, 42, 173–183.

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  2. Bolton, B. (2018). AntWeb: Ants of Bolton World Catalog. https://www.antweb.org/project.do?name=worldants

  3. Hölldobler, B., Palmer, J. M., Masuko, K., & Brown, W. L., Jr. (1989). New exocrine glands in the legionary ants of the genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Leptanillinae). Zoomorphology, 108, 255–261.

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  6. Masuko, K. (1990). Behavior and ecology of the enigmatic ant Leptanilla japonica Baroni Urbani (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae). Insectes Sociaux, 37, 31–57.

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  7. Ogata, K., Terayama, M., & Masuko, K. (1995). The ant genus Leptanilla: Discovery of the worker-associated male of L. japonica, and a description of a new species from Taiwan (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae). Systematic Entomology, 20, 27–34.

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  8. Schneirla, T. C. (1971). Army ants: A study in social organization. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman & Company. 349 pp.

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  9. Ward, P. S., & Fisher, B. L. (2016). Tales of dracula ants: The evolutionary history of the ant subfamily Amblyoponinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology, 41, 683–693.

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  10. Wheeler, G. C., & Wheeler, J. (1988). The larva of Leptanilla japonica with notes on the genus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae). Psyche, 95, 185–189.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Laboratory, Senshu University, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

    Keiichi Masuko

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  1. Keiichi Masuko
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Correspondence to Keiichi Masuko .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of the West Indies, Department of Life Sciences University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

    Christopher Starr

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Masuko, K. (2019). Leptanillinae. In: Starr, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90306-4_72-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90306-4_72-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90306-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90306-4

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