Succession of Lasius s. str. ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in moist pine forests – reassessment after taxonomic revisions of the subgenus

Abstract

*[Czechowski et al. (1995) described the structure & structuring of ant assemblages along a successional gradient of moist pine forests in Poland. That paper did not take into account 2 systematic revisions where 2 common & abundant Lasius s. str. species, namely, L. niger (L.) and L. alienus (Foerst.), were split into 2 & 3 species respectively (Seifert 1991, 1992). In the light of the revised taxonomy & the present work, the former L. niger, in fact, included 2 sibling species: L. platythorax Seifert & L. niger, & the former L. alienus appeared to be L. psammophilus Seifert. In the present paper, the occurrence & abundances (nest densities) of these Lasius s. str. species in the successional habitats of the moist pine forests are reassessed according to the present taxonomic knowledge. The pioneer nature of L. platythorax in forest habitats is stressed.]