Behavior and ecology of the enigmatic antLeptanilla japonica Baroni Urbani (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae)

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean): identification and distribution

“…Wc did not find any LeptaniIla sp. in the current survey; however this is not surprising given the subterranean nature of this genus (Masuko 1990).…”

“…Most males are caught in traps or by sweeping, suggesting that they leave the nest for mating (Masuko 1990). Leptanilla queens have an unusual feeding behaviour in which they imbibe hemolymph from a pair of specialised duct organs on the larvae.…”

“…Leptanilla queens have an unusual feeding behaviour in which they imbibe hemolymph from a pair of specialised duct organs on the larvae. I"arval hemolymph feeding by this genus may be an adaptation to unstable food conditions (Masuko 1990). …”

Stings of Ants of the Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…Leptanilla is a rarely collected genus of tiny, subterranean ants that probably specialize on geophilomorpti centipedes (Masuko 1990). Because queens are dichthadiiform as in army ants of the Ecitoninae and Dorylinae, the Leptanillinae (Leptanilla plus some male-based genera) have often been considered relatives of those subfamilies (taxonomic history in Wheeler and Wheeler 1965).…”

Charting uncertainty about ant origins

“…Those leptanillines that have been studied are tiny, eyeless subterranean ants with an army-ant lifestyle, preying on geophilomorph centipedes like wolves on elk (10). Their bizarre habit of the queen feeding on hemolymph from her larvae also occurs in the Amblyoponinae (11), and this and morphological similarities raised suspicions that these groups are closely related.…”