A new trait in a well-studied ant: low aggression between workers from <i>Lasius niger</i> (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) nest complexes
Journal: bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Year: 2024

Abstract The formicine ant Lasius niger is one of the most abundant and most intensively studied Palaearctic ant species and was believed so far to form exclusively monogynous colonies, to spread via single-queen dispersal and to found claustrally. Two closely neighboring nest complexes of Lasius niger were observed in an abandoned field near Kyiv / Ukraine in 2017-2020. Nest complex A includes 14650 mounds on an area of 11.8 ha and nest complex B 15600 mounds on 13.3 ha. The nests within the ne