Myrmica lemasnei

Quick Summary

• Difficulty: Expert
• Origin & Habitat: Pyrenees Mountains in France and Spain, found at high altitudes (800-900 m) in pine and oak forests ^[3][5][4]
• Colony Type: Workerless inquiline social parasite, requires a host colony of Myrmica spinosior (or possibly M. sabuleti) to survive. The parasite queen lives permanently in the host nest and produces no workers of her own ^[1][2][3]
• Size & Growth:
  • Queen: approximately 3 mm ^[1][2]
  • Worker: workerless, the parasite produces no workers
  • Colony: single parasite queen per host colony
  • Growth: N/A, workerless species
  • Development: N/A, this is a workerless species. The parasite queen does not produce her own workers ^[1][2] (As an inquiline parasite, this species relies entirely on host workers to tend its brood. No development timeline applies.)
• Antkeeping:
  • Temperature: Unknown for captive care, in the wild found at 800-900 m altitude in the Pyrenees, suggesting cool mountain conditions. Likely similar to host species requirements around 15-22°C ^[1][2]
  • Humidity: Unknown, would depend on host colony preferences. In nature found under stones in soil in forest habitats at altitude ^[1][2]
  • Diapause: Unknown, likely similar to host species (M. spinosior), which likely requires winter dormancy ^[1][2]
  • Nesting: Natural: In host nest (M. spinosior or M. sabuleti). Captive: Would require establishing a host colony first, then introducing the parasite queen ^[3][4]
• Behavior: This species is completely dependent on its host colony. The parasite queen does not forage, does not tend brood, and produces no workers. She survives by intercepting food during trophallaxis between host workers or by stimulating host larvae to regurgitate ^[1][2]. The species has never been observed producing males, male description is unknown ^[6].
• Common Issues: this species cannot be kept independently, it requires a host colony of Myrmica spinosior or M. sabuleti., extremely rare in the hobby with very few documented specimens., the parasite queen produces no workers, making colony growth impossible., introduction success is uncertain, host colonies may reject the parasite., obtaining both the parasite and suitable host species is extraordinarily difficult.

Understanding Inquiline Parasites

Myrmica lemasnei is classified as an inquiline, a type of social parasite that lives permanently within a host colony and has completely lost the ability to form its own worker caste. Unlike some parasitic ants that raid other colonies for brood (slave-makers), inquiline parasites integrate peacefully into the host society. The parasite queen produces only reproductive offspring (new queens and males), leaving all nest maintenance and brood-tending to the host workers ^[1][2]. This represents one of the most extreme forms of social parasitism in ants, where the parasite is entirely dependent on the host for survival.

Host Species Requirements

The only known host for M. lemasnei is Myrmica spinosior (and possibly M. sabuleti based on older records) ^[3][4][1]. These are medium-sized Myrmica ants found in the Pyrenees region. To keep M. lemasnei, you would first need to establish and maintain a healthy colony of the host species. This adds significant complexity as you are essentially keeping two species simultaneously. The host colony must be well-established before any introduction attempt. The host species likely has similar temperature and humidity requirements to other Pyrenean Myrmica, cool, mountain conditions with moderate humidity.

Feeding and Nutrition

The parasite queen does not forage or feed herself directly. Instead, she obtains nutrition through two documented methods: (1) positioning herself between two workers engaged in trophallaxis (food exchange) and intercepting some of the transferred liquid, or (2) stimulating host larvae to regurgitate food directly to her ^[1][2]. The parasite queen receives no direct attention from host workers, she must essentially steal or beg for food. This means the host colony must be healthy and actively feeding for the parasite to survive. You would not feed the parasite directly, instead, you maintain the host colony with appropriate food (sugar water, honey, small insects).

Reproduction and Nuptial Flights

Because this is a workerless species, reproduction is entirely dependent on the host colony. The parasite queen produces new reproductive individuals (princesses and males) that must leave the host nest to mate. These new reproductives would need to find and invade their own host colonies to establish the parasitic cycle. However, male description is unknown ^[6], and there is extremely limited information about the reproductive biology of this species. Nuptial flight timing and behavior have not been documented in the scientific literature.

Why This Species Is Not Recommended for Most Keepers

Myrmica lemasnei represents perhaps the most challenging ant species to keep in captivity. Unlike typical ants where you establish a queen and watch her colony grow, this species requires you to: (1) obtain a host colony (M. spinosior), (2) maintain it until well-established, (3) obtain a parasite queen, (4) successfully introduce the parasite without the host colony rejecting and killing it. Even if all this succeeds, you cannot grow the 'colony' in any traditional sense, you simply maintain a dual-species colony. The species is also extremely rare in the hobby, with documented records only from the Pyrenees. For these reasons, M. lemasnei should only be attempted by expert antkeepers with specific research goals and access to both species. ^[1][2][4]

Frequently Asked Questions

Report an Issue

The current care sheet is based fully on literature. See inconsistencies, or something that's incorrect? Please report here, it will be resolved after review from an admin. Contributing to the blogs tab also helps providing information, to make us be able to further improve the caresheets. Thank you for your support!

References