Description of a new species of the ant genus Leptanilla (Formicidae: Leptanillinae) with a putative non-dichthadiiform ergatoid queen from Okinawa-jima Island, Japan

The subfamily Leptanillinae represents a basal lineage within Formicidae, and the biology of most of its members remains poorly understood due to their cryptic nature and small body size. Here, we describe Leptanilla fuminorii sp. nov., a species from Okinawa-jima Island, Japan. The worker and queen are characterized by a clypeus with a median lobe and a pair of lateral lobes, and postpetiole markedly higher than petiole in lateral view in the worker. Morphologically, L. fuminorii sp. nov. closely resembles L. boltoni Baroni Urbani, 1977, from Ghana, but differs in its larger size and in the structure of the clypeus and postpetiolar sternite. The colony (type series) found at approximately 15 cm depth in forest soil was composed of 352 workers, 207 larvae, and a single queen. The larvae were actively feeding on a centipede Strigamia sp., consistent with the previously reported diet of the genus. Queen-worker dimorphism is remarkably low compared to other species. This discovery enhances our understanding of Leptanilla diversity