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Lasius

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Lasius

 1a.Large eyes (eye length > 0.20× head width), golden-brown  2
 1b.Small eyes (eye length < 0.17× head width), subterranean, yellow-brown ants 4
   
 2a. First tooth of mandible offset (and smaller) from the others; forest habitat L. pallitarsis  
 2b. First tooth of mandible aligned with the rest of the teeth 3 
   
 3a. Open habitats; erect hairs on scape (usually) or tibia (always)  L. neoniger 
 3b. Forest habitats; no erect hairs on scape or tibia L. alienus 
   
 4a. Eyes with < 35 omatidia  5 
 4b. Eyes with > 35 omatidia  
   
 5a. Open habitat; terminal segment of maxillary palp shorter than penultimate segment L. flavus 
 5b. Forests; terminal segment of maxillary palp longer than penultimate segment L. nearcticus 
   
 6a. Second gastric tergite lacking pubsecence and with few hairs; shiny; forests  L. speculiventris 
 6b. Second gastric tergite with some pubscence; open habitats   7
   
 7a. Longest hairs of the first gastric tergite < 0.5×width of the hind tibia at its midpoint; moistdisturbed and  young-successional areas  L. umbratus  
 7b. Longest hairs of the first gastric tergite > 0.6× width of the hind tibia; open habitats, especially bogs, fens  and sedge meadows; very small   L. minutus 

Reference: Wilson, E.O. 1955. A monographic revision of the ant genus Lasius. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard College 113: 1-201.