A mixed colony of Tetramorium immigrans SANTSCHI, 1927 and the putative social parasite Tetramorium aspina sp.n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Küçük Resim Yok
Tarih
2018
Dergi Başlığı
Dergi ISSN
Cilt Başlığı
Yayıncı
Oesterreichische Gesell Entomofaunistik, C/O Naturhistor Museum Wien
Erişim Hakkı
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
Özet
Mixed ant colonies have long fascinated biologists since they are often examples of social parasitism. From the genus Tetramorium MAYR, 1855, two types of social parasitism are well known: dulosis and inquilinism. We present a nest record from Turkey comprising workers of T. immigrans SANTSCHI, 1927, workers and a single gyne of a new species, and brood in commonly used nest chambers. We interpret the new species as a social parasite and describe it as T. aspina sp.n. Three characteristics indicate a morphological degeneration of the worker caste: Workers of T. aspina sp.n. have strongly reduced propodeal spines, larger intranest morphological variability than workers of the T. caespitum complex sensu WAGNER & al. (2017: Myrmecological News 25: 95-129), and a larger proportion of these workers have an aberrant propodeum (propodeal syndrome) compared with workers of the T. caespitum complex. The discovery of T. aspina sp.n. raises interesting questions concerning the characterization of its socially parasitic life history and its evolutionary origin.
Açıklama
Anahtar Kelimeler
Morphometrics, Propodeal Spine, Intranest Morphological Variability, Worker Caste Degeneration, New Species, Tetramorium Caespitum Complex, Non-Cryptic Pavement Ant, Turkey, Diversification, Divergence, Taxonomy, Complex, Traits, Turkey, Host, Ants
Kaynak
Myrmecological News
WoS Q Değeri
Q1
Scopus Q Değeri
Q1
Cilt
28
