Statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis by DNA polymorphism.

Results The analyses of generic composition and community structure were congruent, supporting a strong affinity between the Western Palaearctic ant fauna and modern Indomalayan and Australasian assemblages, and of a widespread Holarctic ant palaeofauna, and affinity between fossil Caribbean and modern Neotropical faunas. In addition, neither generic composition nor community structure of fossil assemblages showed evidence of taphonomic bias towards arboreal taxa.

Integration of global fossil and modern biodiversity data reveals dynamism and stasis in ant macroecological patterns

I first visited Indonesia in the mid to late 1980s, when the only available field guide to birds covered just Java and Bali (MacKinnon 1988). It was not until 1993 that a guide to all of the Greater Sundas, including Borneo and Sumatra, was published (MacKinnon & Phillipps 1993), and another four years before a guide to the birds of Sulawesi, the Lesser Sundas and Moluccas (Coates & Bishop 1997) appeared. The latter two books, and a couple of recent field guides for Borneo (Myers 2009; Phillipps & Phillipps 2009), have until now been the only available field guides for the vast contiguous biogeographic regions of the Greater Sunda islands (Sumatra, Borneo, Java, and Bali) and Wallacea (Sulawesi, the Moluccas, and the Lesser Sundas). The aforementioned books, with exception of the Borneo guides, have meant that recent visitors to the region have had to make do with books that are now thoroughly outdated. During the last 5-6 years, James Eaton and his team have worked tirelessly, gathering data from publications, museums, fellow birders, and in particular from the field, to produce what has to be one of the most important field guides of recent times. Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea is truly a landmark publication, and the book itself excels in filling the niche for a desperately needed, thoroughly modern, user-friendly field guide to the birds of this fascinating, highly diverse region.

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Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea

Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) is a circular single-stranded (ss) plant DNA virus and the type member of the genus Babuvirus in the family Nanoviridae. BBTV causes bunchy top disease of banana and plantain. Its integral genome consists of at least six circular ssDNA genome components and is associated with all geographical isolates of BBTV. BBTV is a phloem-limited virus that is transmitted from plant to plant by the aphid vector, and long-distance spread is through the movement of infected plant material. BBTV is an economically important plant pathogen causing substantial damage to banana crops worldwide. In the past 2 decades, with the advent of molecular techniques, the genome of BBTV has been elucidated, and its genetic diversity has been studied extensively. However, the molecular interactions of viral proteins with host metabolites and proteins have not been studied in depth. Protein functions and viral interactions of BBTV are comparable to the other group of single-stranded plant DNA viruses, Geminiviridae. However in many other aspects, BBTV is clearly distinct from geminiviruses. Further research is required to better elucidate the virus–host interactions and protein functions of this pathogen.

Banana bunchy top virus and the bunchy top disease

Nonequilibrium dynamics and non-neutral processes, such as trait-dependent dispersal, are often missing from quantitative island biogeography models despite their potential explanatory value. One of the most influential nonequilibrium models is the taxon cycle, but it has been difficult to test its validity as a general biogeographical framework. Here, we test predictions of the taxon cycle model using six expected phylogenetic patterns and a time-calibrated phylogeny of Indo-Pacific Odontomachus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae), one of the ant genera that E.O. Wilson used when first proposing the hypothesis. We used model-based inference and a newly developed trait-dependent dispersal model to jointly estimate ancestral biogeography, ecology (habitat preferences for forest interiors, vs. "marginal" habitats, such as savannahs, shorelines, disturbed areas) and the linkage between ecology and dispersal rates. We found strong evidence that habitat shifts from forest interior to open and disturbed habitats increased macroevolutionary dispersal rate. In addition, lineages occupying open and disturbed habitats can give rise to both island endemics re-occupying only forest interiors and taxa that re-expand geographical ranges. The phylogenetic predictions outlined in this study can be used in future work to evaluate the relative weights of neutral (e.g., geographical distance and area) and non-neutral (e.g., trait-dependent dispersal) processes in historical biogeography and community ecology.

Taxon cycle predictions supported by model-based inference in Indo-Pacific trap-jaw ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Odontomachus).

The ant genus Odontomachus Latreille is reviewed for Sumatra, the sixth largest island in the world and located in western Indonesia. Previously three species were recorded from the island: O. simillimus F. Smith, O. rixosus F. Smith, and O. latidens Mayr. We add two species to the fauna, O. procerus Emery stat. nov and Odontomachus minangkabau sp. nov. The new species belongs to O. rixosus species group, and it is morphologically most similar to O. rixosus and O. pararixosus Terayama & Ito. However, it can be separated from the latter two by its large body (HL 3.13-3.55 mm, WL 4.15-4.65 mm), the masticatory margin with 11-14 denticles, and dark-colored body. Odontomachus latidens subsp. sumatranus Emery is newly synonymized with O. procerus. The castes and sexes of the known species are also described, including the first descriptions of the male for O. latidens, O. procerus, and O. rixosus. A key to the Sumatran species based on the worker caste is provided, and the bionomics of each species is summarized.

The trap-jaw ant genus Odontomachus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Sumatra, with a new species description.

This study was aims to investigate the ant species composition in Macaranga spp. trees at Conservation Forest of Palm Oil Plantation of Tidar Kerinci Agung Company in West Sumatra Province by using Colony Collections and Hand Collections methods. A total of 28 species of ants that belonging to five subfamilies, 10 tribes, 17 genera and 5277 individuals was collected from five species of Macaranga (31 individuals of Macaranga trees). Myrmicinae and Formicinae were the highest in number of species (10 species respectively), followed by Ponerinae and Dolichoderinae (three species respectively), meanwhile Dorylinae only one species. Crematogaster (Decacrema) borneensis Andre, 1896 was the species with the most frequently among samples, accounting for 100% of species occurrences. Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index for all samples collected was low (0.94).

https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/2016/vol4issue1/PartE/3-6-59.pdf

Ant species composition in Macaranga spp. trees at a conservation forest of palm oil plantation in West Sumatra, Indonesia

A brief study on ant species on banana plants with Banana Bunchy-top Virus (BBTV) symptoms was conducted by direct collection in four regencies and one city of West sumatra Province in Indonesia. During the sampling we found 39 banana plants with BBTV symptoms, of which36 were occupied by insects, and of these 35 plants contained ants. A total of 24 species of ants, belonging to 16 genera, were collected. Myrmicinae was the subfamily with the highest number of species (11), followed by Formicinae (seven) and Dolichoderinae (six). Tetramorium and Technomyrmex were the genera with the most species (four). Dolichoderus thoracicus was found most frequently among samples, accounting for16% of species occurrences, followed by Tapinoma melanocephalum and Paratrechina longicornis (11 and 10% respectively). seventeen species of ants were found associated with aphids of which six showed a statistically-significant association, while seven ant species were not observed with trophobionts. species that were found more often associated with aphids were found more frequently during the study.

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The composition of ant species on banana plants with Banana Bunchy-top Virus (BBTV) symptoms in West Sumatra, Indonesia

Banana bunchy top disease is caused by the Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), which is a species of the genus Babuvirus in the family Nanoviridae. In this study, we collected 61 isolates of BBTV from Sumatra Island. The sequences of DNA-R and DNA-S of 61 samples and DNA-U3 of 37 samples were determined. Although the Sumatra population has different sequences in the stem-loop region in DNA-U3, it is generally very similar, with little or no variation according to planting area or the varieties and genome types of the host. The comparison of sequences between Sumatra isolates and those from other areas showed that the sequence identity with the Asian group is higher than with the South Pacific group. The genetic analysis showed that the Sumatra population has very low diversity compared with other areas. Recombination analysis revealed that there was no evidence of recombination in the Sumatra population. The selection pressure analysis indicated that all Sumatra populations received negative selection. The selection pressure among the viruses infecting the banana varieties having the genotypes of AAB or ABB received a slightly weaker negative selection than that of the viruses infecting the varieties with AA or AAA genotypes. A neutrality test suggested the sudden expansion of the West Sumatra population. This is the first report to survey the BBTV on Sumatra Island.

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Genetic structure and diversity of the Banana bunchy top virus population on Sumatra Island, Indonesia

The present study adds a novel perspective on Sumatran ant fauna by providing the information on its diversity across an altitudinal gradient in Mount Talang, a mountain in West Sumatra Province. A standardized sampling method of Quadra Protocol was applied at three altitudes (1,500, 2,000 and 2,500 m elevation). A total of 408 ant individuals collected in the study were identified to belong to 27 species in 19 genera of nine tribes and five subfamilies. Myrmicinae was the subfamily with the largest number of species collected (14 species), followed by Formicinae (six species), Dolichoderinae, and Ponerinae (three species in each), and a single species of an army ant from subfamily Dorylinae. The number of ant species decreases with altitude inclination; 19 species were recorded at 1,500 m elevation, ten at 2,000 m, and only three at 2,500 m.

Henny Herwina

Papers

The trap-jaw ant genus Odontomachus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Sumatra, with a new species description.

Ant species composition in Macaranga spp. trees at a conservation forest of palm oil plantation in West Sumatra, Indonesia

The composition of ant species on banana plants with Banana Bunchy-top Virus (BBTV) symptoms in West Sumatra, Indonesia

Genetic structure and diversity of the Banana bunchy top virus population on Sumatra Island, Indonesia

Altitudinal gradients of ant species diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Mount Talang, West Sumatra, Indonesia