Biogeography of the social wasp genus Brachygastra (Hymenoptera: Vespidade: Polistinae)

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to understand the biogeography of Brachygastra. As the spatial component of evolution is of fundamental importance to understanding the processes shaping the evolution of taxa, the known geological history of the Neotropical region was used together with the current phylogeny and distribution of species to investigate questions concerning the biogeography of Brachygastra: the ancestral ranges of Brachygastra species; their areal relationships and their congruence with previously published hypotheses; the possible associated vicariance events and the influence of land bridges between North and South America, and the split between the Amazon and Atlantic forests.Location Neotropical region, from Mexico to central Argentina and southern USA.Methods Statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis (S-DIVA) was used to reconstruct the possible ancestral ranges of Brachygastra species based on their phylogeny (divided into three groups, lecheguana, scuttelaris and smithii). A Brooks parsimony analysis (BPA) and component analysis were performed to reconstruct the areal relationships of these species within the Neotropics.Results S-DIVA suggested a widespread, South American ancestral region for Brachygastra. The ancestral B. azteca probably reached the Nearctic before a posterior vicariance event separated it from the species groups ((lecheguana (scutellaris + smithii))), that stayed in the Atlantic forest. The ancestral (scutellaris + smithii groups) possibly reached the Amazon by dispersal, and the subsequent vicariance event splitting the Atlantic forest and Amazon separated the groups into scutellaris in the Atlantic forest and smithii in the Amazon. BPA and component analyses suggested that the Nearctic was a sister area to other regions, the Andes and Mesoamerica was a sister area to the Neotropical regions and the Amazon was closely related to the Atlantic forest. Main conclusionsThe phylogeny and distribution of Brachygastra suggest the influence of a land bridge between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres affecting the cladogenesis of B. azteca and the importance of the formation of the two blocks of forests in South America to the cladogenesis of the main groups of Brachygastra. Future comparisons between the distribution patterns of other taxa should enable a more precise identification of the possible events and outcomes, adding robustness to the hypothesized areal relationships.

Systematics of the Ceracis furcifer Species-Group (Coleoptera: Ciidae): The Specialized Consumers of the Blood-Red Bracket Fungus Pycnoporus sanguineus

“…Further studies shall evaluate whether the split of species of the furcifer group was related with the separation of the Atlantic and Amazon biomes. This event, which occurred in the Pliocene period, explains the currently distribution patterns of several organisms, e.g., mammals, birds, insects and plants [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ] and is a plausible hypothesis to be tested for explaining the distribution patterns we show here.…”

Integrative taxonomy reveals a new genus and new species of Philosciidae (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea) from the Neotropical region

“…As previously mentioned, A. floridana is recorded from coastal regions of Florida, USA until north of Argentina, and Ascension and St. Helena islands. Along this wide distribution range many historical barriers are well known (i. e., Nihei and Carvalho 2007;Morrone 2014;Silva and Noll 2014;DaSilva et al 2015). Thus, the distribution of A. floridana is probably the result of human introductions (see also Ferrara and Taiti 1981).…”

Polistinae biogeography in the Neotropics: history and prospects

“…As showed by Silva and Noll (2014), phylogenetics and distribution data call attention to the importance of land bridges connecting the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to the cladogenesis of basal species of genus Brachygastra Perty. Unfortunately, although these alterations have influenced substantially the distribution of some land organisms (Croizat 1976, Hershkovitz 1977, it is not possible to our knowledge to quantify precisely how much these changes have contributed to extinction, disruptions and speciation events of paper wasps.…”

“…In fact, discussions regarding the origins and distribution patterns of this subfamily were not discussed by almost two decades; the last study on this subject before Silva and Noll (2014) was published by Carpenter (1996). However, factors related to the current distribution and success of paper wasps are typically associated with environmental conditions (e.g., Dejean et al 2011).…”