Liometopum is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae, found in North America, Europe and Asia.
Caterpillars of certain butterfly species have a symbiotic relationship with Liometopum ants. They produce secretions that the ants will feed on, similar to the behavior of the ant genus Iridomyrmex.
Species
Liometopum apiculatum Mayr, 1870 †Liometopum bogdassarovi (Nazaraw, Bagdasaraw & Uriew, 1994) †Liometopum brunascens (Heer, 1867) †Liometopum crassinervis Heer, 1849 †Liometopum croaticum (Heer, 1849) †Liometopum eremicum Zhang, 1989 †Liometopum escheri (Heer, 1867) †Liometopum globosum (Heer, 1849) †Liometopum imhoffii (Heer, 1849) †Liometopum incognitum Dlussky, Rasnitsyn, & Perfilieva, 2015 Liometopum lindgreeni Forel, 1902 †Liometopum longaevum (Heer, 1849) †Liometopum lubricum Zhang, Sun & Zhang, 1994 Liometopum luctuosum Wheeler, 1905 – the pine tree ant Liometopum masonium (Buckley, 1866) Liometopum microcephalum (Panzer, 1798) †Liometopum miocenicum Carpenter, 1930 Liometopum occidentale Emery, 1895 – the velvety tree ant †Liometopum oligocenicum Wheeler, 1915 Liometopum orientale Karavaiev, 1927 †Liometopum pallidum (Heer, 1867) †Liometopum potamophilum Zhang, 1989 †Liometopum rhenana (Meunier, 1917) †Liometopum scudderi Carpenter, 1930 Liometopum sinense Wheeler, 1921 †Liometopum stygium (Heer, 1867) †Liometopum venerarium (Heer, 1864) †Liometopum ventrosum (Heer, 1849)
See also Escamoles, a Mexican dish made from Liometopum larvae and pupae
References
External links