New Technomyrmex in Dominican amber (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a reappraisal of Dolichoderinae phylogeny

Abstract

A new species of Technomyrmex (T. caritatis sp. n.) is described based on workers and larvae from Dominican amber (Oligocene to Lower Miocene). These are preserved with eggs and pupae of the same species and with five other insects in one amber piece found in the Palo Quemado Mine, near Santiago and in two separate amber pieces collected in Carlos Diaz Mine. Both mines are in Cordillera Septentrional. Iridomyrmex hispaniolae Wilson is redescribed and transferred to Technomyrmex. Most Technomyrmex species occur from Africa, east through southern Asia, to Australia. One species transported by human activity is known in the New World and there is only one extant native Neotropical species recorded from Panama. Technomyrmex likely represents a case of an Old World ant genus undergoing extinction in the New World. We discuss the affinities of this genus with the extant Dolichoderinae and the phylogeny of the subfamily.

New ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from Canadian Late Cretaceous amber

“…These two extant genera occupied basal positions within two distinct clades in Shattuck's (1995) morphological analysis, but he also noted that these particular genera were of uncertain placement and likely to mobilize in future analyses. In the expanded analysis of Brandão et al (1998), Linepithema and Anonychomyrma were consecutively nested within the same clade, a result not retrieved in the molecular analysis of Ward et al (2010).…”

“…Furthermore, these specimens strongly suggest that Leptomyrmecini were present at this time. Given the tribe's position high within the topologies presented by Ward et al (2010) and other studies (e.g., Brady et al 2006, Moreau et al 2006, Brandão et al 1998, Moreau & Bell 2013, an extension on divergence estimates for all Dolichoderinae is required. This extension is more in line with the age estimates established by Brady et al (2006) and Moreau et al (2006) for Dolichoderinae (which ranged from approximately 71-76 Ma, or accepted Eotapinoma as a 78 Ma constraint on dolichoderine divergence, respectively).…”

“…In this act, they incorporated a range of genera that were recovered as a monophyletic group in their study, and that have been sporadically recovered as members of the same clade in previous molecular studies (e.g., Brady et al 2006, Moreau et al 2006. The tribe has yet to be subjected to any subsequent morphological or combined morphological/molecular analysis designed to test its monophyly, but it was not supported by the previous morphological analyses conducted at the appropriate taxonomic level (i.e., Shattuck 1995, Brandão et al 1998.…”

“…-The value of recognizing multiple tribes within Dolichoderinae has been questioned (e.g., Shattuck 1992Shattuck , 1995Bolton 1994Bolton , 2003, but morphological (e.g., Brandão et al 1998) and molecular (e.g., Brady et al 2006, Moreau et al 2006 phylogenetic analyses seem to support at least some of the groupings that were recently proposed by Ward et al (2010). Leptomyrmecini began as a monotypic tribe proposed by Emery (1913), and although it has been variably recognized by different workers, its content underwent little change until the work of Ward et al (2010) resurrected the taxon.…”

A new species of the genus Bothriomyrmex Emery, 1869 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from Costa Rica

“…The subfamily Dolichoderinae is comprised of 22 genera, the majority of which are Old World (Shattuck 1992, Bolton 2003, Brandão et al 1999. The dolichoderine genera with significant indigenous radiations in the New World are Azteca, Dolichoderus, Dorymyrmex, Forelius, Linepithema, Liometopum, and Tapinoma. Three additional genera have been reported as rare or introduced elements.…”