Evolutionary History of the Hymenoptera

Systema naturae（自然の体系）

Ants are one of the most ecologically and numerically dominant group of terrestrial organisms with most species diversity currently found in tropical climates. Several explanations for the disparity of biological diversity in the tropics compared to temperate regions have been proposed including that the tropics may act as a “museum” where older lineages persist through evolutionary time or as a “cradle” where new species continue to be generated. We infer the molecular phylogenetic relationships of 295 ant specimens including members of all 21 extant subfamilies to explore the evolutionary diversification and biogeography of the ants. By constraining the topology and age of the root node while using 45 fossils as minimum constraints, we converge on an age of 139–158 Mya for the modern ants. Further diversification analyses identified 10 periods with a significant change in the tempo of diversification of the ants, although these shifts did not appear to correspond to ancestral biogeographic range shifts. Likelihood-based historical biogeographic reconstructions suggest that the Neotropics were important in early ant diversification (e.g., Cretaceous). This finding coupled with the extremely high-current species diversity suggests that the Neotropics have acted as both a museum and cradle for ant diversity.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/evo.12105

Testing the museum versus cradle tropical biological diversity hypothesis: phylogeny, diversification, and ancestral biogeographic range evolution of the ants.

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). Several species-rich myrmicine genera are shown to be nonmonophyletic, including Pogono- myrmex, Aphaenogaster, Messor, Monomorium, Pheidole, Temnothorax andTetramor- ium. We propose a number of generic synonymies to partially alleviate these problems (senior synonym listed first): Pheidole = Anisopheidole syn.n. = Machomyrma syn.n.; Temnothorax = Chalepoxenus syn.n. = Myrmoxenus syn.n. = Protomognathus syn.n.; Tetramorium = Rhoptromyrmex syn.n. = Anergates syn.n. = Teleutomyrmex syn.n. The genus Veromessor stat.r. is resurrected for the New World species previously placed in Messor; Syllophopsis stat.r. is resurrected from synonymy under Monomorium to contain the species in the hildebrandti group;Trichomyrmex stat.r. is resurrected from synonymy underMonomorium to contain the species in the scabriceps- anddestruc- tor-groups; and the monotypic genus Epelysidris stat.r. is reinstated for Monomorium brocha. Bayesian divergence dating indicates that the crown group Myrmicinae origi- nated about 98.6 Ma (95% highest probability density 87.9-109.6 Ma) but the six major clades are considerably younger, with age estimates ranging from 52.3 to 71.1 Ma. Although these and other suprageneric taxa arose mostly in the middle Eocene or earlier, a number of prominent, species-rich genera, such as Pheidole, Cephalotes, Strumigenys, Crematogaster andTetramorium, have estimated crown group origins in the late Eocene or Oligocene. Most myrmicine species diversity resides in the two sister clades, Attini and Crematogastrini, which are estimated to have originated and diversified extensively in the Neotropics and Paleotropics, respectively. The newly circumscribed Myrmicini is Holarctic in distribution, and ancestral range estimation suggests a Nearctic origin. The Pogonomyrmecini and Solenopsidini are reconstructed as being Neotropical in origin,

/pdf/the-evolution-of-myrmicine-ants-phylogeny-and-biogeography-5axjn54tbh.pdf

The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems Fossil Ecosystems of North America. A Guide to the Sites and their Extraordinary Biotas Fossil Behavior Compendium Biodiversity of Fossils in Amber from the Major World Deposits

A total of 5754 ant inclusions from 13 European collections of Baltic, Bitterfeld, Rovno, and Scandinavian ambers are studied and identified as belonging to 147 species, 57 genera, and 9 subfamilies. The taxonomic composition and relative species abundances of species in representative collections are analyzed and considerable differences between the above four types of amber are shown. These differences appear to reflect differences in ecological conditions rather than in age. The Baltic and Bitterfeld ant assemblages are shown to be most similar, the Scandinavian assemblage turns out to be most dissimilar to these, and the Rovno assemblage is shown to be intermediate.

Ants (Insecta: Vespida: Formicidae) in the upper Eocene amber of central and Eastern Europe

The types and undescribed material of the hymenopteran fossils of the Insect Bed of the Bembridge Marls from the Isle of Wight (UK) are critically revised and studied. A total of 1460 fossils are recorded and attributed to 20 families: Gasteruptiidae s.l. (1); Proctotrupidae (3); Diapriidae (24); Cynipidae (7); Figitidae (6); Pteromalidae (1); Agaonidae (3); Scelionidae (12); Platygastridae (2); Ichneumonidae (32); Braconidae (75); Bethylidae (3); Crabronidae (2); Sphecidae (1); Apidae (2); Scoliidae (1); Tiphiidae (2); Vespidae (4); and Formicidae (1220). Described as new are 51 species, 13 genera, two tribes and two subfamilies. Minimum number of species recorded (either as described species or representing higher taxa with no described species in the assemblage) is 118. The composition of the hymenopteran assemblage is most similar to that of Baltic amber and indicative of a well forested territory, as well as of a humid, equable (aseasonal but not very hot) climate, more typically equable than in the Baltic amber source area, judging from the absence of Aphidiinae and scarcity of aphids.

/pdf/the-wasps-bees-and-ants-insecta-vespida-hymenoptera-from-the-2ufijs7kgf.pdf

The wasps, bees and ants (Insecta: Vespida=Hymenoptera) from the Insect Limestone (Late Eocene) of the Isle of Wight, UK

Ants (10 specimens) comprise 12% of the hymenopteran Armaniid-Kind assemblage collected from the Turonian deposits at Orapa, Botswana. The taxa Orapia Dlussky, Brothers & Rasnitsyn, gen. n. (Armaniinae), Orapia rayneri Dlussky, Brothers & Rasnitsyn, sp. n., Orapia minor Dlussky, Brothers & Rasnitsyn, sp. n., Afropone Dlussky, Brothers & Rasnitsyn, gen. n. (Ponerinae), Afropone oculata Dlussky, Brothers & Rasnitsyn, sp. n., Afropone orapa Dlussky, Brothers & Rasnitsyn, sp. n., Afromyrma Dlussky, Brothers & Rasnitsyn, gen. n. (oldest known Myrmicinae), and Afromyrma petrosa Dlussky, Brothers & Rasnitsyn, sp. n. are described. The significance of these findings is discussed in the context of observed faunal changes in Cretaceous ants, evolutionary changes in the Ponerinae, and time and mode of origin of Myrmicinae.

/pdf/the-first-late-cretaceous-ants-hymenoptera-formicidae-from-3r3o6f5v9q.pdf

The first Late Cretaceous ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from southern Africa, with comments on the origin of the Myrmicinae

Two new species of weaver ant are described from the Eocene of Germany. Males and gynes of Oecophylla longiceps Dlussky sp. nov. are found in the middle Eocene (about 47 Ma) of Grube Messel, Germany. Males, gynes and two workers of O. eckfeldiana Dlussky sp. nov. are recorded from the middle Eocene (about 43 Ma) of Eckfeld maar, Germany. The two new species are among the oldest records of the extant genus Oecophylla. First adaptations for moving in the forest canopy are present in the workers of O. eckfeldiana. Even more specialized adaptations for arboreal life are found in the workers of O. brischkei from Baltic amber. The coexistence of two species in Baltic amber and in the Bembridge marls suggests that in these cases different ecological niches were realised by sympatric species. Comparisons of the queens from different fossil and extant species indicate morphological trends, partly connected with increasing fertility. Most likely Oecophylla originated in the early Paleogene in the Palaearctic realm,...

/pdf/new-middle-eocene-formicid-species-from-germany-and-the-5adtk6vyx5.pdf

New middle Eocene formicid species from Germany and the evolution of weaver ants

The ant subfamilies Ponerinae, Cerapachyinae and Pseudomyrmecinae are revised in the Baltic, Bitterfeld, Rovno, and Scandinavian ambers of the Late Eocene age. Thirteen new species are described: Amblyopone groehni sp. n., A. electrina sp. n., Pachycondyla conservata sp. n., P. tristis sp. n., Ponera lobulifera sp. n., P. mayri sp. n., P. wheeleri sp. n., Gnamptogenys rohdendorfi sp. n., Bradoponera similis sp. n., Proceratium eocenicum sp. n. (Ponerinae), Procerapachys sulcatus sp. n. (Cerapachyinae), Tetraponera europaea sp. n., and T. groehni sp. n. (Pseudomyrmecinae). Tetraponera angustata (Mayr) is synonymized with T. simplex (Mayr). Keys to species are provided.

G. M. Dlussky

Papers

Ants (Insecta: Vespida: Formicidae) in the upper Eocene amber of central and Eastern Europe

The wasps, bees and ants (Insecta: Vespida=Hymenoptera) from the Insect Limestone (Late Eocene) of the Isle of Wight, UK

The first Late Cretaceous ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from southern Africa, with comments on the origin of the Myrmicinae

New middle Eocene formicid species from Germany and the evolution of weaver ants

The Ant Subfamilies Ponerinae, Cerapachyinae, and Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Late Eocene Ambers of Europe