Lasius flavus

Japanese Name

Kiiro-ke-ari

Fabricius, J.C. (1782) Species Insectorum exhibentes eorum differentias specificas, synonyma, autorum, loca natalia, metamorphosin adiectis observationibus, descriptionibus. 1 : 552 pp. Hamburgi et Kilonii.

Formica flava Fabricius (Fabricius, 1781) , Lasius flavus (Fabricius) (Mayr, 1861) , Lasius flavus var. myops Forel (Forel, 1894) ,

Total length of workers around 2 - 3.5 mm. Color yellow to yellowish brown. Scapes short, their length 0.85 times head width. Eyes more than 0.11 mm in diameter, relatively the largest among Japanese species of this subgenus; each with more than 20 facets. Scapes and tibiae without erect hairs.

This species is rare in southern parts of Japan, but it is found commonly in northern regions such as Hokkaido and the Tohoku district. In the Kanto district it commonly occurs in mountainous regions, and there are a few lowland records. L. flavus occurs in grasslands and at forest margins, nesting in the soil and under stones. Nuptial flights take place in August and September.

Hokkaido, Honshu; NE China, Korean Peninsula, Siberia, central Asia, Europe.