Lasius balearicus
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| Lasius balearicus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Genus: | Lasius |
| Species: | L. balearicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lasius balearicus Talavera et al., 2014 | |
Lasius balearicus is an ant species from the genus Lasius. It was described as a new species in 2014 and is the first known ant endemic to the Balearic Islands. It is endemic to the island of Majorca and has only been recorded from seven mountains in the Serra de Tramuntana at elevations of 800–1,400 m (2,600–4,600 ft). It inhabits rocky calcareous areas with scattered shrubby vegetation, especially Hypericum balearicum and Genista valdes-bermejoi. Worker are about 4 mm long and have distinctive yellowish-brown, very hairy bodies. The scientists who described Lasius balearicus recommended listing the species as being endangered on the IUCN Red List. The total population size of Lasius balearicus is thought to be less than 2500 nests. The species has a very restricted elevation range and is threatened by climate change, with the most pessimistic predictions suggesting that it might go extinct by 2050 or 2080 because of climate change.
Lasius balearicus was discovered in 1982 by Cedric Alex Collingwood, an entomologist from the Royal Entomological Society, and described as a new species in 2014 after a team from the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva in Barcelona collected the holotype in 2008. DNA evidence suggests that it diverged from its nearest relatives 1.51 million years ago. The last land bridge connecting Majorca and Iberia existed around 5 million years ago, suggesting that L. balearicus colonised the island after the land bridge had disappeared. Several other mainland Lasius species are also found in the Balearic Islands, suggesting that dispersal across the Mediterranean is not an unusual event in this genus.[1]
Description
The total length of a Lasius balearicus worker is about 4 mm. The body is distinctive yellowish-brown and very hairy.[1]