Leptothorax interruptus

Collingwood, C. A., 1979, The Formicidae (Hymenoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark., Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica 8, pp. 1-174 : 75

21. Leptothorax interruptus (Schenck, 1852) Fig. 98.

Myrmica interrupta Schenck , 1852:106.

Worker. Light bright yellow with dark areas at the side of the dorsum of the first gaster segment and frequently at the front corners of the head. The antennal club is distinctly dark. The dorsal outline of the alitrunk is smoothly curved without a break and the propodeal spines are long and curved. The petiole node is steeply peaked in profile. Length: 2.3-3.4 mm.

Queen. Uniformly dark with gaster often banded, middle of scutellum unsculptured, smooth. Length: 3.7-4.2 mm.

Male. Dark with very pale appendages and shortened funiculus segments - nos 2 to 5 are only very slightly longer than wide. Tibiae and scapes have no erect hairs. Length: 2.5-3.0 mm.

Distribution. Sweden: Gtl. and G. Sand. only. There is an old unverified record for Ostfold in Norway. - In Britain locally in Kent, Wight, Hants and Dorset. - Range: sparsely distributed from Spain to Czechoslovakia and North Italy to Sweden.

Biology. This is a rather uncommon ground nesting species. In Britain where it has been well studied by Donisthorpe (1927) it is found nesting in dry peat or among smal stones and heather roots in small colonies of 50-100 workers and single queens. Ala are present in the nests during July.