﻿Systematic revision of the ant subfamily Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Griebenow, Zachary

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1189.107506

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…We identified 104 ant genera missing from our study and eight additional outgroups for which Ultraconserved Element or whole genome data were publicly available, and downloaded their sequence reads from NCBI Sequence Read Archive. Since the inception of this project, three of the 104 genera have become synonyms: Anomalomyrma is now included in Protanilla, and Noonilla and Yavnella are both synonyms of Leptanilla (Griebenow, 2024). Downloaded sequences included 111 SRA read samples from previous ant phylogenies based on UCEs, including sequences from nine previous studies (Table 1), using both the original ant/Hymenoptera UCE bait set (Faircloth et al, 2015), and the updated version (Branstetter et al, 2017c).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating UCE data adequacy and integrating uncertainty in a comprehensive phylogeny of ants

Borowiec,

Miles Zhang,

Neves

et al. 2024

Preprint

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While some relationships in phylogenomic studies have remained stable since the era of Sanger sequencing, many challenging nodes elude resolution, even with genome-scale data. As early studies grappled with random error and insufficient information, incongruence or lack of resolution in phylogenomics is generally associated with inadequate modeling of biological phenomena combined with analytical issues leading to systematic biases. Few phylogenomic studies, however, explore the potential for random error or establish an expectation of what level of resolution should be expected from a given empirical dataset. In presenting incongruent results, phylogeneticists face a choice of providing a diverse array of results from different approaches or a single preferred tree, with few attempting to integrate uncertainties across methods.Recent phylogenetic work has uncovered many well-supported and often novel relationships, as well as more contentious findings, across the phylogeny of ants. Ants are the most species-rich lineage of social insects and among the most ecologically important terrestrial animals. As a result, they have attracted much research, including regarding systematics. To date, however, there has been no comprehensive genus-level phylogeny of the ants inferred using genomic data combined with an effort to evaluate signal and incongruence throughout.Here we provide deeper insight into and quantify uncertainty across the ant tree of life. We accomplish this with the most taxonomically comprehensive Ultraconserved Elements dataset to date, including 277 (81%) of recognized ant genera from all 16 extant subfamilies, representing over 98% of described species-level diversity. We use simulations to establish expectations for resolution, identify branches with less-than-expected concordance, and dissect the effects of data and model selection on recalcitrant nodes. We also construct a consensus tree integrating uncertainty from multiple analyses.Simulations show that hundreds of loci are needed to resolve recalcitrant nodes on our genus-level ant phylogeny, even under a best-case scenario of known model parameters and without systematic bias. This demonstrates that random error continues to play a role in phylogenomics. Our analyses provide a comprehensive picture of support and incongruence across the ant phylogeny, and our consensus topology is congruent with a recent phylogenomic study on the subfamily-level, while rendering a more realistic picture of uncertainty and significantly expanding generic sampling. We use this topology for divergence dating and find that assumptions about root age have significant impact on the dates inferred. Our results suggest that improved understanding of ant phylogeny will require both more data and better phylogenetic models. We also provide a workflow to identify under-supported nodes in concatenation analyses, outline a pragmatic way to reconcile conflicting results in phylogenomics, and introduce a user-friendly locus selection tool for divergence dating.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Collectively, these studies led to a dramatic refinement of generic boundaries across ants, resulting in as few as ca. 3% of the 342 currently recognized genera remaining nonmonophyletic (e.g., Bolton & Fisher, 2014;Borowiec, 2016b;Camacho et al, 2022;Griebenow, 2024;Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014;Ward et al, 2015.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating UCE data adequacy and integrating uncertainty in a comprehensive phylogeny of ants

Borowiec,

Miles Zhang,

Neves

et al. 2024

Preprint

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A new species of the Ant Genus Leptanilla Emery, 1870 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from sichuan Province, China

Zhong

2024

Sociobiology

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A new species of Leptanilla Emery, L. sichuanensis sp. nov., is described based on the worker caste from Sichuan, China. This new species is highly similar to L. macauensis Leong, Yamane & Guénard, sharing a conspicuous and strong central clypeal protuberance and clypeal lobes, along with a microspine-like subpetiolar process. The following characteristics of L. sichuanensis sp. nov. serve to distinguish it from the species: anteromedial circular disc of clypeal protuberance does not present a pair of triangular extensions on its medial margin, and instead has a complete curve; head and antennal scape longer in comparison (CI 67–70, SI 63–66); inferolateral margin of antennal toruli stretched angularly. An illustrated identification key for the Chinese Leptanilla based on the worker caste is provided.

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Leptanilla voldemort sp. nov., a gracile new species of the hypogaeic ant genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Pilbara, with a key to Australian Leptanilla

Wong,

McRae

2024

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The genus Leptanilla Emery, 1870 of the family Formicidae, subfamily Leptanillinae, comprises miniscule, pale, blind ants that are rarely collected and poorly understood due to their hypogaeic (i.e. underground) lifestyles. Here we describe a new Leptanilla species from two workers collected via subterranean scraping in the arid Pilbara region of Western Australia. Leptanilla voldemortsp. nov. is the second leptanilline species documented in Australia after the elusive Leptanilla swani Wheeler, 1932. Workers of L. voldemortsp. nov. display a remarkably gracile morphology characterised by elongated legs, antennae, and mandibles, and they are easily differentiated from other Leptanilla species. We also provide new measurements for L. swani from two workers found proximally to the type locality of L. voldemortsp. nov. A key to the worker caste of Leptanilla species of the Australian continent is presented.

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Systematic revision of the ant subfamily Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Cited by 3 publications

References 65 publications

Evaluating UCE data adequacy and integrating uncertainty in a comprehensive phylogeny of ants

Evaluating UCE data adequacy and integrating uncertainty in a comprehensive phylogeny of ants

A new species of the Ant Genus Leptanilla Emery, 1870 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from sichuan Province, China

Leptanilla voldemort sp. nov., a gracile new species of the hypogaeic ant genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Pilbara, with a key to Australian Leptanilla

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﻿Systematic revision of the ant subfamily Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Cited by 3 publications

References 65 publications

Evaluating UCE data adequacy and integrating uncertainty in a comprehensive phylogeny of ants

Evaluating UCE data adequacy and integrating uncertainty in a comprehensive phylogeny of ants

A new species of the Ant Genus Leptanilla Emery, 1870 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from sichuan Province, China

Leptanilla voldemort sp. nov., a gracile new species of the hypogaeic ant genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Pilbara, with a key to Australian Leptanilla

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Systematic revision of the ant subfamily Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)