Prenolepis queen

Prenolepis imparis - winter ant (queen)

Urbana, Illinois

Photo details: Canon mp-e 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D

ISO 100, f13, 1/250 sec, diffused flash

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Is Prenolepis more closely related to Lasius and/or Brachymyrmex than to other formicines, or are the similarities just secondary? I mean, they both have tiny males and tiny workers, and their queens also do look similar.

More closely related to Nylanderia and Paratrechina. Trouble is, most non-parasitc formicine queens look a lot alike, one of the reasons for mainly worker-based ant taxonomy.

By James C. Trager (not verified) on 04 Apr 2010 #permalink