Morphology, ecology and biogeography of Myrmecina sicula André, 1882, rediscovered after 140 years (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Schifani, Enrico; Scupola, Antonio; Alicata, Antonio

doi:10.21426/b635048444

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Previous records of C. sicheli Mayr 1866 from Sicily may all have to be attributed to C. ruber, but no localities were reported by Forel (1879) or any subsequent author (Poldi et al, 1995;Schifani et al, 2021a;see under C. sicheli). We confirm C. ruber at least from nW Sicily, a region that was particularly interested by Maghrebian faunal influences (Schifani et al, 2020).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 59%

“…However, it is uncertain whether Emery's statement was based on directly observed specimens, while significant exchanges of information with De Stefani certainly occurred (e.g. Schifani et al, 2020). However, in the event that Emery actually examined some C. ligniperda specimens from the Madonie Mountains, the most parsimonious hypothesis seems to be that of the temporary establishment of a small population of allochthonous origin.…”

Section: Species To Be Considered Absent 1 Camponotus Ligniperda (Latreille 1802)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We conducted extensive field investigations of the Sicilian ant fauna, leading to the collection of a significant amount of specimens and data that, we hope, will allow us to shed light on many unresolved issues. As a result, we provided first records of 35 species, described three new ones and clarified the validity of four endemics (Radchenko et al, 2006;Schifani, 2017;Schifani & Alicata, 2018;Alicata & Schifani, 2019;Schär et al, 2020;Schifani et al, 2020;2021a). However, since the descriptions of several new species are in due preparation, and problematic taxonomic issues remain to be solved, we still refrain from proposing a new comprehensive Sicilian ant checklist, which would become outdated very shortly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Ant diversity on the largest Mediterranean islands: on the presence or absence of 28 species in Sicily (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

et al. 2021

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The ant fauna of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean basin, has been significantly overlooked over the time. Drafting a reliable Sicilian ant checklist requires extensive field surveys, a careful review of the literature and of museum specimens, as well as the taxonomic investigation of some problematic issues. As a part of these ongoing efforts, we present our results on the presence or absence of 25 species. By analyzing specimens collected during the last 35 years across the island and reviewing old records in the light of present-day taxonomy, we provide evidence of the presence of 9 species (Camponotus ruber, Lasius myops, L. platythorax, Plagiolepis schmitzii, Ponera testacea, Solenopsis orbula, Temnothorax clypeatus, T. nylanderi, and T. ravouxi), while suggesting the absence of 19 others (Camponotus ligniperda, C. sicheli, C. spissinodis, Formica lugubris, Lasius alienus, L. flavus, L. niger, L. paralienus, Messor minor, M. wasmanni, Monomorium monomorium, Myrmica scabrinodis, M. spinosior, Nylanderia sp. 2 sensu Schifani & Alicata 2018, Solenopsis fugax, Temnothorax luteus, T. tuberum, Tetramorium caespitum, and T. indocile). Similar studies are necessary across Italy, as a significant portion of the existing ant records is outdated due to the evolved taxonomic framework.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Species To Be Considered Absent 1 Camponotus Ligniperda (Latreille 1802)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Ant diversity on the largest Mediterranean islands: on the presence or absence of 28 species in Sicily (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

et al. 2021

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“…Compared to northern Europe, the Mediterranean and Caucasus regions have more islands and varied topography, which may be responsible for restricting ant distributions (Figure 4). Their remarkable uniqueness in species composition and biogeographical isolation could also be the consequence of complex topography and geological history (Ficetola et al, 2018; Kiran & Karaman, 2021; Schifani et al, 2020; Schifani, Giannetti, et al, 2022; Tinaut & Ruano, 2021; Vitali & Schmitt, 2017). Thus, dispersal limitation may explain why geographical barriers represent major boundaries separating biogeographical regions of the European ants (Ficetola et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic and climatic constraints on bioregionalization of European ants

Wang

Kass

Galkowski

et al. 2022

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim: Biogeographical regionalization is scant for most insect groups due to shortfalls in distribution and phylogenetic information, namely the Wallacean and Darwinian shortfalls respectively. Here, we focused on the European ants and compared new techniques to classical analyses based on regional lists and taxonomic methods. We asked the following: (1) Can grid-based regionalizations using novel distribution data improve biogeographical transitions? and (2) Can phylogenetic approaches reveal new insights regarding ant evolutionary history?Location: Europe and Anatolia. Taxon: Ants (Formicidae).Methods: First, we developed a refined database integrating the occurrences of 747 ant species across 207 regions of Europe and Anatolia, based on newly expertvalidated records derived from the existing Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics database. Using range estimates for these species derived from polygons and species distribution modelling, we produced species assemblages in 50 × 50 km grid cells. We calculated taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover of ant assemblages, then performed a hierarchical clustering procedure to delineate biogeographical structure.Results: At both the regional list and grid assemblage levels, the Mediterranean has higher turnover and more biogeographical regions than northern Europe, both taxonomically and phylogenetically. Delineations based on grid assemblages detected more detailed biogeographical transitions, while those based on regional lists showed stronger insularity in biogeographical structure. The phylogenetic regionalization suggested a very similar spatial structure but varied affinities between assemblages in comparison to the taxonomic approach.Main Conclusions: Here, we integrated expert-validated regional lists, species distribution modelling and a recent phylogeny to tackle Wallacean and Darwinian shortfalls for an important insect group by developing a next-generation map of biogeographical regionalization for European ants. The results of this study suggest strong constraints from geographical barriers and potential effects of climatic history on ant distributions and evolutionary history, and also provide baseline spatial information for future investigations of regional insect distributions.

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Unlike rolling stones: not every Myrmecina species actively rolls away from danger (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Giannetti

Schifani

Castracani

et al. 2021

The European Zoological Journal

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Morphology, ecology and biogeography of Myrmecina sicula André, 1882, rediscovered after 140 years (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Ant diversity on the largest Mediterranean islands: on the presence or absence of 28 species in Sicily (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Ant diversity on the largest Mediterranean islands: on the presence or absence of 28 species in Sicily (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Geographic and climatic constraints on bioregionalization of European ants

Unlike rolling stones: not every Myrmecina species actively rolls away from danger (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

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