DOCSLIB.ORG

Variation in the Persistence and Effects of Argentine Ants Throughout Their Invaded Range in New Zealand

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Variation in the persistence and effects of Argentine ants throughout their invaded range in New Zealand A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ecology and Biodiversity at Victoria University of Wellington January 2012 by Meghan Dawn Cooling School of Biological Sciences Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Abstract Invasive ants are a serious ecological problem around the world. The Argentine ant has had devastating effects on resident ant communities and may negatively impact other invertebrates in its introduced range. First detected in Auckland in 1990, this invader has since spread widely around the country. The effect of Argentine ants on invertebrates in New Zealand was investigated by comparing ground-dwelling arthropod species richness and abundance between and among paired uninvaded and invaded sites in seven cities across this invader’s New Zealand range. In order to study density-dependent effects, invaded sites were chosen so as to differ in Argentine ant population density. The effects of rainfall and mean maximum temperature on Argentine ant abundance and the species richness and abundance were also examined. Argentine ant population persistence in New Zealand was examined by re-surveying sites of past infestation across this species range. The influence of climate on population persistence was investigated, and how this effect may vary after climate change. Additionally, the potential of community recovery after invasion was also examined. Epigaeic (above ground foraging) ant species richness and abundance was negatively associated with Argentine ant abundance; however, no discernable impact was found on hypogaeic (below ground foraging) ant species. The effect of Argentine ant abundance on non-ant arthropod species richness and abundance was mixed, with most arthropod orders being unaffected. Diplopoda was negatively influenced by Argentine ant abundance while Hemiptera was positively influenced. Annual rainfall and mean maximum temperature were found to have no effect on Argentine ant abundance or resident ant species richness and abundance, though these variables did help explain the distribution of several non-ant arthropod orders. Argentine ant populations appear to be collapsing in New Zealand. Populations had a mean survival time of 14.1 years (95% CI= 12.9- 15.3 years). Climate change may prolong population survival, as survival time increased with increasing temperature and decreasing rainfall, but only by a few years. Formerly invaded Auckland ant communities were indistinguishable from those that had never been invaded, suggesting ant communities will recover after Argentine ant collapse. 1 Acknowledgments First and foremost, I must thank Phil Lester for letting me join his lab group when I called him up out of the blue and told him, “I just want to work with ants”. Thank you Phil, for your constant encouragement, advice, and availability throughout this program. A big thank you too, to my fellow Canadian Dalice Sim, for all her patience and statistical advice. Thank you very much to Stephen Hartley for contributing to the climate model in Chapter 3. Thank you to the “Ant Club”- Julien Grangier, Rafael Barberi, Allan Burne, and Monica Gruber, for always being willing to answer my questions, provide feedback or just hang out. Evan Brenton-Rule lent me the use of his exceptional fine motor skills, thanks Evan. A special thanks to my field assistant Chris McGrannachan, who was always chill and never once complained about getting no days off, doing all the driving, or my crazy directions. Thanks man, I couldn’t have had a better field assistant. Richard Toft directed me to infested areas in Nelson where it was possible to set up pitfall traps, thereby saving me hours of frustration. Lloyd Stringer and his intern Josh spent half their day doing the same in Christchurch. Thank you as well to all the people who allowed me to set up my traps on their property. Adrian Pike showed me the ropes and never failed to procure what I needed to do my collecting and sorting. Chris Thorn and Sushila Pillai also kindly lent me necessary equipment. Patricia Stein, Mary Murray, Sandra Taylor, Lesley Thompson, Delwyn Carter-Jarratt, and Rachel Zhang answered my countless questions and were always happy to provide assistance. Thank you to my fellow students in KK 409 who empathized with the maddness. 2 Thank you to my good friend Masami Hoshino-Spafford, for editing this manuscript. Thank you to Eda Czarnecki, who outsmarted Word and got me through the final hours. I am grateful to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Victoria University of Wellington for funding me throughout my studies. Finally, thank you to my family and friends who, despite being on the other side of the world, always managed to be there. 3 Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................. 1 Acknowledgements........................................................................................................... 2 Table of Contents.............................................................................................................. 4 List of Tables and Figures................................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER 1: ................................................................................................................... 7 General Introduction ......................................................................................................... 7 Research Aims ................................................................................................................ 12 CHAPTER 2: ................................................................................................................. 14 The effect the Argentine ant ( Linepithema humile ) has on ground-dwelling arthropods depends on invader abundance ....................................................................................... 14 Abstract...................................................................................................................... 14 Introduction................................................................................................................ 15 Materials and Methods............................................................................................... 17 Study Sites ................................................................................................................. 17 Ant Sampling ............................................................................................................. 21 Invertebrate Identification.......................................................................................... 22 Statistical Analysis..................................................................................................... 22 Results........................................................................................................................ 23 Effects of Argentine ants, rainfall, and temperature on resident ants........................ 23 Effects of Argentine ant abundance, rainfall, and temperature on non-ant arthropods................................................................................................................... 29 Discussion.................................................................................................................. 32 CHAPTER 3: .................................................................................................................. 38 The widespread collapse of an invasive species: Argentine ants ( Linepithema humile ) in New Zealand ................................................................................................................... 38 Abstract...................................................................................................................... 38 Introduction................................................................................................................ 39 Materials and Methods............................................................................................... 41 Argentine ant sampling.............................................................................................. 41 4 Climate change model................................................................................................ 43 Ant community surveys ............................................................................................. 44 Results........................................................................................................................ 45 Argentine ant survival................................................................................................ 45 Effect of climate change on Argentine ant survival................................................... 45 Effect of invasion on resident ant communities......................................................... 46 Discussion.................................................................................................................. 47 CHAPTER 4: .................................................................................................................. 53 General Discussion ......................................................................................................... 53 The influence of Argentine ant presence and abundance on resident
Recommended publications
  • Appreciably Modified

    Appreciably Modified

    VI1.-KEYS TO THE GESER.1 AND SUBGEKERA OF ASTS BY WM. 31. WHEELER KEYTO THE SUBFAMILIES~ 8, 0 1. Cloacal orifice round, tefminal, surrounded by a fringe of hairs; sting transformed into a sustentacular apparatus for the orifice of the poison vesicle, which has a peculiar structure called by Fore1 '' pulviniferous vesicle" (vessie 2 coussinet) . Abdominal pedicel consisting of a single segment; no constriction between the second and third segments. Male genitalia not retractile. Nymphs rarely naked, most frequently enclosed in a cocoon. FORMICINA3. Cloacal orifice in the shape of a slit. ........................ .2. 2. Sting rudimentary (except Aneuretus) ; abdominal pedicel con- sisting of a single segment; no constriction between the second and third segments of the abdomen; the poison glands are often vestigial and there are anal glands which secrete an aromatic product of characteristic odor (Tapinoma-odor). Nymphs without a cocoon. ..........DOLICHODERINAE. Sting developed, though sometimes very small, but capable never- theless of being exserted from the abdomen. The first two segments of the abdomen usually modified, either forming together a two-jointed pedicel, or the first alone (petiole) forming the pedicel, the second (postpetiole) being merely constricted posteriorly and articulating with a spheroidal surface of the third segment, which is usually transversely striated (stridulatory organ) ; rarely the second segment is not appreciably modified. .................................... .3. 3. Pedicel of two segments, the petiole and the postpetiole; rarely (in Melissotarsus, e. 9.) the postpetiole is attached to the follow- ing segment over its whole extent. Frontal carin= usually separated from each other (except in the Melissotarsini and certain Attini). In the male the copulatory organs are almost always exserted (being entirely retractile in certain genera of the Solenopsidini only) ; cerci nearly always present (except Anergates) .
  • New Zealand's Genetic Diversity

    New Zealand's Genetic Diversity

    1.13 NEW ZEALAND’S GENETIC DIVERSITY NEW ZEALAND’S GENETIC DIVERSITY Dennis P. Gordon National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Private Bag 14901, Kilbirnie, Wellington 6022, New Zealand ABSTRACT: The known genetic diversity represented by the New Zealand biota is reviewed and summarised, largely based on a recently published New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. All kingdoms and eukaryote phyla are covered, updated to refl ect the latest phylogenetic view of Eukaryota. The total known biota comprises a nominal 57 406 species (c. 48 640 described). Subtraction of the 4889 naturalised-alien species gives a biota of 52 517 native species. A minimum (the status of a number of the unnamed species is uncertain) of 27 380 (52%) of these species are endemic (cf. 26% for Fungi, 38% for all marine species, 46% for marine Animalia, 68% for all Animalia, 78% for vascular plants and 91% for terrestrial Animalia). In passing, examples are given both of the roles of the major taxa in providing ecosystem services and of the use of genetic resources in the New Zealand economy. Key words: Animalia, Chromista, freshwater, Fungi, genetic diversity, marine, New Zealand, Prokaryota, Protozoa, terrestrial. INTRODUCTION Article 10b of the CBD calls for signatories to ‘Adopt The original brief for this chapter was to review New Zealand’s measures relating to the use of biological resources [i.e. genetic genetic resources. The OECD defi nition of genetic resources resources] to avoid or minimize adverse impacts on biological is ‘genetic material of plants, animals or micro-organisms of diversity [e.g. genetic diversity]’ (my parentheses).
  • Phylogeny and Classification of the Melastomataceae and Memecylaceae

    Phylogeny and Classification of the Melastomataceae and Memecylaceae

    Nord. J. Bot. - Section of tropical taxonomy Phylogeny and classification of the Melastomataceae and Memecy laceae Susanne S. Renner Renner, S. S. 1993. Phylogeny and classification of the Melastomataceae and Memecy- laceae. - Nord. J. Bot. 13: 519-540. Copenhagen. ISSN 0107-055X. A systematic analysis of the Melastomataceae, a pantropical family of about 4200- 4500 species in c. 166 genera, and their traditional allies, the Memecylaceae, with c. 430 species in six genera, suggests a phylogeny in which there are two major lineages in the Melastomataceae and a clearly distinct Memecylaceae. Melastomataceae have close affinities with Crypteroniaceae and Lythraceae, while Memecylaceae seem closer to Myrtaceae, all of which were considered as possible outgroups, but sister group relationships in this plexus could not be resolved. Based on an analysis of all morph- ological and anatomical characters useful for higher level grouping in the Melastoma- taceae and Memecylaceae a cladistic analysis of the evolutionary relationships of the tribes of the Melastomataceae was performed, employing part of the ingroup as outgroup. Using 7 of the 21 characters scored for all genera, the maximum parsimony program PAUP in an exhaustive search found four 8-step trees with a consistency index of 0.86. Because of the limited number of characters used and the uncertain monophyly of some of the tribes, however, all presented phylogenetic hypotheses are weak. A synapomorphy of the Memecylaceae is the presence of a dorsal terpenoid-producing connective gland, a synapomorphy of the Melastomataceae is the perfectly acrodro- mous leaf venation. Within the Melastomataceae, a basal monophyletic group consists of the Kibessioideae (Prernandra) characterized by fiber tracheids, radially and axially included phloem, and median-parietal placentation (placentas along the mid-veins of the locule walls).
  • Pest Control and Invertebrates Factsheet Rd19

    Pest Control and Invertebrates Factsheet Rd19

    PEST CONTROL AND INVERTEBRATES FACTSHEET RD19 Possums are regarded as a pest species in New Zealand because they are main wildlife vector of bovine tuberculosis (TB). Populations are controlled as part of New Zealand’s TBfree pest control programme, which has the secondary benefit of impeding the destruction of native biodiversity. Possum populations are controlled by the use of trapping and poisoning. While trapping is not considered to have negative effects on invertebrates (ie any animal without a backbone such as insects, snails or worms), the application of poison bait has the potential to expose invertebrates to a range of pesticides used for possum or rodent control. These include sodium fluoroacetate (1080), anticoagulants (such as brodifacoum, pindone and diphacinone) and cyanide. IMPACTS OF WILDLIFE AND PEST CONTROL ON NATIVE INVERTEBRATES Numerous studies have shown that introduced mammals are an important cause of the decline or disappearance of native invertebrates. In particular, larger, flightless, ground-dwelling nocturnal species have suffered most (for example, giant weta). These groups disappeared rapidly from the mainland after mammals invaded New Zealand. For example, the Cook Strait giant weta became extinct on the lower North Island over 100 years ago but it has survived on mammal-free islands in Cook Strait. The ‘Māori’ or Polynesian rat (kiore arrived) in New Zealand about 700 years ago; 150 years before a diversity of other mammals became established. Only invertebrates with resistant traits (eg high fecundity, small body size) have survived the onslaught of predators on the mainland. Some studies have found that mammal control alters invertebrate abundance, species richness, diversity, and behaviour.
  • ARTHROPODA Subphylum Hexapoda Protura, Springtails, Diplura, and Insects

    ARTHROPODA Subphylum Hexapoda Protura, Springtails, Diplura, and Insects

    NINE Phylum ARTHROPODA SUBPHYLUM HEXAPODA Protura, springtails, Diplura, and insects ROD P. MACFARLANE, PETER A. MADDISON, IAN G. ANDREW, JOCELYN A. BERRY, PETER M. JOHNS, ROBERT J. B. HOARE, MARIE-CLAUDE LARIVIÈRE, PENELOPE GREENSLADE, ROSA C. HENDERSON, COURTenaY N. SMITHERS, RicarDO L. PALMA, JOHN B. WARD, ROBERT L. C. PILGRIM, DaVID R. TOWNS, IAN McLELLAN, DAVID A. J. TEULON, TERRY R. HITCHINGS, VICTOR F. EASTOP, NICHOLAS A. MARTIN, MURRAY J. FLETCHER, MARLON A. W. STUFKENS, PAMELA J. DALE, Daniel BURCKHARDT, THOMAS R. BUCKLEY, STEVEN A. TREWICK defining feature of the Hexapoda, as the name suggests, is six legs. Also, the body comprises a head, thorax, and abdomen. The number A of abdominal segments varies, however; there are only six in the Collembola (springtails), 9–12 in the Protura, and 10 in the Diplura, whereas in all other hexapods there are strictly 11. Insects are now regarded as comprising only those hexapods with 11 abdominal segments. Whereas crustaceans are the dominant group of arthropods in the sea, hexapods prevail on land, in numbers and biomass. Altogether, the Hexapoda constitutes the most diverse group of animals – the estimated number of described species worldwide is just over 900,000, with the beetles (order Coleoptera) comprising more than a third of these. Today, the Hexapoda is considered to contain four classes – the Insecta, and the Protura, Collembola, and Diplura. The latter three classes were formerly allied with the insect orders Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) and Thysanura (silverfish) as the insect subclass Apterygota (‘wingless’). The Apterygota is now regarded as an artificial assemblage (Bitsch & Bitsch 2000).
  • Disruption of Foraging by a Dominant Invasive Species to Decrease Its Competitive Ability

    Disruption of Foraging by a Dominant Invasive Species to Decrease Its Competitive Ability

    Disruption of Foraging by a Dominant Invasive Species to Decrease Its Competitive Ability Fabian Ludwig Westermann1*, David Maxwell Suckling2, Philip John Lester1 1 School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, 2 The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research, Christchurch, New Zealand Abstract Invasive species are a major threat to biodiversity when dominant within their newly established habitat. The globally distributed Argentine ant Linepithema humile has been reported to break the trade-off between interference and exploitative competition, achieve high population densities, and overpower nests of many endemic ant species. We have used the sensitivity of the Argentine ant to the synthetic trail pheromone (Z)-9-hexadecanal to investigate species interactions for the first time. We predicted that disrupting Argentine ant trail following behaviour would reduce their competitive ability and create an opportunity for three other resident species to increase their foraging success. Argentine ant success in the control was reduced with increasing pheromone concentration, as predicted, but interactions varied among competing resident species. These behavioural variations provide an explanation for observed differences in foraging success of the competing resident species and how much each of these individual competitors can increase their foraging if the competitive ability of the dominant invader is decreased. The mechanism for the observed increase in resource acquisition of resident species appears to be a decrease in aggressive behaviour displayed by the Argentine ant, which may create an opportunity for other resident species to forage more successfully. Our demonstration of species interactions with trail pheromone disruption is the first known case of reduced dominance under a pheromone treatment in ants.
  • Hymenoptera: Formicidae

    Hymenoptera: Formicidae

    16 The Weta 30: 16-18 (2005) Changes to the classification of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Darren F. Ward School of Biological Sciences, Tamaki Campus, Auckland University, Private Bag 92019, Auckland ([email protected]) Introduction This short note aims to update the reader on changes to the subfamily classification of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Although the New Zealand ant fauna is very small, these changes affect the classification and phylogeny of both endemic and exotic ant species in New Zealand. Bolton (2003) has recently proposed a new subfamily classification for ants. Two new subfamilies have been created, a revised status for one, and new status for four. Worldwide, there are now 21 extant subfamilies of ants. The endemic fauna of New Zealand is now classified into six subfamilies (Table 1), as a result of three subfamilies, Amblyoponinae, Heteroponerinae and Proceratiinae, being split from the traditional subfamily Ponerinae. Bolton’s (2003) classification also affects several exotic species in New Zealand. Three species have been transferred from Ponerinae: Amblyopone australis to Amblyoponinae, and Rhytidoponera chalybaea and R. metallica to Ectatomminae. Currently there are 28 exotic species in New Zealand (Table 1). Eighteen species have most likely come from Australia, where they are native. Eight are global tramp species, commonly transported by human activities, and two species are of African origin. Nineteen of the currently established exotic species are recorded for the first time in New Zealand as occurring outside their native range. This may result in difficulty in obtaining species-specific biological knowledge and assessing their likelihood of becoming successful invaders. In addition to the work by Bolton (2003), Phil Ward and colleagues at UC Davis have started to resolve the phylogenetic relationships among subfamilies and genera of all ants using molecular data (Ward et al, 2005).
  • Two New Primitive Ant Genera from the Late Eocene European Ambers

    Two New Primitive Ant Genera from the Late Eocene European Ambers

    Two new primitive ant genera from the late Eocene European ambers GENNADY M. DLUSSKY and ALEXANDER G. RADCHENKO Dlussky, G.M. and Radchenko, A.G. 2009. Two new primitive ant genera from the late Eocene European ambers. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 54 (3): 435–441. DOI: 10.4202/app.2008.0092. Two extinct genera of ants from the late Eocene (ca. 40 Ma), Protomyrmica gen. nov. and Plesiomyrmex gen. nov. (family Formicidae, subfamily Myrmicinae), are described based on single specimens (males), from Baltic and Bitterfeld (also called Saxonian) ambers respectively; both genera belong to the tribe Myrmicini. In gross morphology they are similar to modern Myrmica but have a series of apomorphies combined with characters that are plesiomorphic not only in the tribe Myrmicini, but also in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The most significant plesiomorphies concern the antennal structure and wing venation of both genera. The antennal scape is short and the funiculus is filiform, having no apical club. More− over, the antennae of Protomyrmica are “sphecoid” with the length of the funicular segments gradually decreasing to− wards the apex (i.e., the longest is basal, starting from the second, and the shortest is apical); this type of structure is basal for the family Formicidae as a whole. Although we consider the wing venation of Protomyrmica to represent the proto− type of wings in the subfamily Myrmicinae, it has an apomorphy absent in the modern Myrmicini genera—the antennae are inserted into the head well behind the posterior margin of the clypeus. Plesiomyrmex also has a peculiar apomorphy not found in any other genus of Myrmicinae: the antennae are inserted into toruli located on short sub−vertical tube−like or cup−like structures that protrude distinctly above the head surface.
  • The Higher Classification of the Ant Subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Review of Ponerine Ecology and Behavior

    The Higher Classification of the Ant Subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Review of Ponerine Ecology and Behavior

    Zootaxa 3817 (1): 001–242 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Monograph ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2014 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3817.1.1 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A3C10B34-7698-4C4D-94E5-DCF70B475603 ZOOTAXA 3817 The Higher Classification of the Ant Subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Review of Ponerine Ecology and Behavior C.A. SCHMIDT1 & S.O. SHATTUCK2 1Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Entomology and Insect Science, Gould-Simpson 1005, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0077. Current address: Native Seeds/SEARCH, 3584 E. River Rd., Tucson, AZ 85718. E-mail: [email protected] 2CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Current address: Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200 Magnolia Press Auckland, New Zealand Accepted by J. Longino: 21 Mar. 2014; published: 18 Jun. 2014 C.A. SCHMIDT & S.O. SHATTUCK The Higher Classification of the Ant Subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Review of Ponerine Ecology and Behavior (Zootaxa 3817) 242 pp.; 30 cm. 18 Jun. 2014 ISBN 978-1-77557-419-4 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-77557-420-0 (Online edition) FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2014 BY Magnolia Press P.O. Box 41-383 Auckland 1346 New Zealand e-mail: [email protected] http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ © 2014 Magnolia Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, transmitted or disseminated, in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from the publisher, to whom all requests to reproduce copyright material should be directed in writing.
  • Blanchard, B. D. & Moreau, C. S., Evolution

    Blanchard, B. D. & Moreau, C. S., Evolution

    ORIGINAL ARTICLE doi:10.1111/evo.13117 Defensive traits exhibit an evolutionary trade-off and drive diversification in ants Benjamin D. Blanchard1,2,3 and Corrie S. Moreau2 1Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 2Department of Science and Education, Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois 60605 3E-mail: bblanchard@fieldmuseum.org Received July 9, 2016 Accepted November 1, 2016 Evolutionary biologists have long predicted that evolutionary trade-offs among traits should constrain morphological divergence and species diversification. However, this prediction has yet to be tested in a broad evolutionary context in many diverse clades, including ants. Here, we reconstruct an expanded ant phylogeny representing 82% of ant genera, compile a new family-wide trait database, and conduct various trait-based analyses to show that defensive traits in ants do exhibit an evolutionary trade- off. In particular, the use of a functional sting negatively correlates with a suite of other defensive traits including spines, large eye size, and large colony size. Furthermore, we find that several of the defensive traits that trade off with a sting are also positively correlated with each other and drive increased diversification, further suggesting that these traits form a defensive suite. Our results support the hypothesis that trade-offs in defensive traits significantly constrain trait evolution and influence species diversification in ants. KEY WORDS: Ancestral state reconstruction, defense, evolutionary trade-off, Formicidae, trait-based diversification. All species experience constraints arising from developmental, Trait trade-offs influence various evolutionary processes, in- functional, and energetic limitations. These limitations have fea- cluding patterns of morphological divergence (DeWitt et al.
  • Phylogeny and Biogeography of a Hyperdiverse Ant Clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

    Phylogeny and Biogeography of a Hyperdiverse Ant Clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

    UC Davis UC Davis Previously Published Works Title The evolution of myrmicine ants: Phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2tc8r8w8 Journal Systematic Entomology, 40(1) ISSN 0307-6970 Authors Ward, PS Brady, SG Fisher, BL et al. Publication Date 2015 DOI 10.1111/syen.12090 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Systematic Entomology (2015), 40, 61–81 DOI: 10.1111/syen.12090 The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) PHILIP S. WARD1, SEÁN G. BRADY2, BRIAN L. FISHER3 andTED R. SCHULTZ2 1Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A., 2Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, U.S.A. and 3Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A. Abstract. This study investigates the evolutionary history of a hyperdiverse clade, the ant subfamily Myrmicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), based on analyses of a data matrix comprising 251 species and 11 nuclear gene fragments. Under both maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods of inference, we recover a robust phylogeny that reveals six major clades of Myrmicinae, here treated as newly defined tribes and occur- ring as a pectinate series: Myrmicini, Pogonomyrmecini trib.n., Stenammini, Solenop- sidini, Attini and Crematogastrini. Because we condense the former 25 myrmicine tribes into a new six-tribe scheme, membership in some tribes is now notably different, espe- cially regarding Attini. We demonstrate that the monotypic genus Ankylomyrma is nei- ther in the Myrmicinae nor even a member of the more inclusive formicoid clade – rather it is a poneroid ant, sister to the genus Tatuidris (Agroecomyrmecinae).
  • Les Fourmis De Polynésie Française (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

    Les Fourmis De Polynésie Française (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

    Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, 119 (2), 2014 : 145-176. Les Fourmis de Polynésie française (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) par Thibault Ramage 9 quartier de la Glacière, F – 29900 Concarneau <[email protected]> Résumé. – Cinquante et une espèces de Fourmis sont recensées en Polynésie française. La connaissance de la répartition de ces espèces sur le territoire est améliorée, avec les premières données pour les îles de Taha’a, Maupiti, Tupai, Tikehau, Tahanea, Aratika, Fakahina, Niau, Rangiroa et Hatu Iti. La possible synonymie de Carebara tahitiensis (Wheeler, 1936) avec C. cornigera (Forel, 1902) est discutée. La description de Ponera bableti Perrault, 1993, est complétée. L’écologie et la biogéographie de chaque espèce sont précisées. Seules Carebara tahitiensis, Strumi­ genys mumfordi Wheeler, 1932, et S. insula (Bolton, 2000) sont aujourd’hui considérées comme endémiques de Polynésie française. Une clé d’identification permet de distinguer l’ensemble des espèces présentes sur le territoire. Abstract. – Ants from French Polynesia (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Fifty-one species of ants are recorded from French Polynesia. The distribution of these species is updated, with the first data for the islands of Taha’a, Mau- piti, Tupai, Tikehau, Tahanea, Aratika, Fakahina, Niau, Rangiroa and Hatu Iti. The possible synonymy between Carebara tahitiensis (Wheeler, 1936) and C. cornigera (Forel, 1902) is discussed. The description of Ponera bableti Perrault, 1993, is updated. The ecology and biogeography of each species is specified. Only Carebara tahitiensis, Strumigenys mumfordi Wheeler, 1932, and S. insula (Bolton, 2000) are considered to be endemic of French Polynesia. An identification key to the ants of French Polynesia is proposed.