Trophobiosis between a new species of (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) and new (Hemiptera, Xenococcidae) from Peru, and establishment of the species-group.

We describe a new pair of trophobiotic partners from the ant genus and the root mealybug genus . A recent field study on ants and associated root mealybugs, conducted in the Peruvian Amazon, led to the discovery of LaPolla & Schneider, and its root mealybug symbiont Schneider & LaPolla, The new root mealybug belongs to the family Xenococcidae, whose members are all obligate associates of ants. Providing joint descriptions of new mutualist partners in the same article is a novel approach for this system, and it offers benefits to the ongoing study of mutualism and patterns of association among these symbiotic ants and scales.

A Neotropical complex of species (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha, Rhizoecidae) collected from the nests of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

We describe five new Neotropical species of living in association with ants: , , , , and We also redescribe and based on type specimens and other collections. Together, these seven species form a morphologically similar group that we informally refer to as the -complex of . All members of the -complex are confirmed or are speculated to be mutualists of ants.

Distinguishing Symbiotic Partners of Acropyga Ants from Free-Living Soil Inhabitants.

The fruitful study of associations between ants and scale insects yields insight into the mechanisms that shape these symbioses. Field collections provide the basic information linking partnered species, and as such it is critical that collection techniques from the field reflect true species-to-species partnerships in the published literature. It is equally critical that such practices limit the potential for mistaking free-living "neighbors" for symbiotic partners and publishing erroneous associations.

Trophobiosis between a new species of Williamsrhizoecus (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Rhizoecidae) and Acropyga silvestrii (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Tanzania.

A new myrmecophilous species of root mealybug, Williamsrhizoecus udzungwensis sp. n., is described from individuals found living within a nest of Acropyga silvestrii in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania.

Nylanderia of the World Part III: Nylanderia in the West Indies.

The diversity of the formicine ant genus Nylanderia is currently underestimated and largely undescribed. This includes the faunas of tropical regions where species richness is typically high. Here, the taxonomy of the West Indian Nylanderia fauna is revised for the first time.

Two new Prenolepis species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Indomalaya and Australasia, with a redescription of P. dugasi from Vietnam.

Prenolepis is a lineage of formicine ants with its center of diversity in the Old World tropics. Three more Prenolepis species are added to the Indomalayan and Australasian fauna and another is synonymized, bringing the total number of Prenolepis species worldwide to 19. Two new species are described: P.

An ant genus-group (Prenolepis) illuminates the biogeography and drivers of insect diversification in the Indo-Pacific.

The Malay Archipelago and the tropical South Pacific (hereafter the Indo-Pacific region) are considered biodiversity hotspots, yet a general understanding of the origins and diversification of species-rich groups in the region remains elusive. We aimed to test hypotheses for the evolutionary processes driving insect species diversity in the Indo-Pacific using a higher-level and comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis for an ant clade consisting of seven genera. We estimated divergence times and reconstructed the biogeographical history of ant species in the Prenolepis genus-group (Formicidae: Formicinae: Lasiini).

Biogeography of mutualistic fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants.

Leafcutter ants propagate co-evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex) range from Argentina to the United States, with the greatest species diversity in southern South America. We elucidate the biogeography of fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants using DNA sequence and microsatellite-marker analyses of 474 cultivars collected across the leafcutter range.

Taxonomic revision and phylogeny of the ant genus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

The formicine ant genus Prenolepis is here revised for the first time. Thirteen extant species are recognized of which four are described as new. A key for the worker caste is provided, and the worker of each species is imaged, with males and queens imaged in species where they are known.

Isolation and characterization of Nylanderia fulva virus 1, a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus infecting the tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva.

We report the discovery of Nylanderia fulva virus 1 (NfV-1), the first virus identified and characterized from the ant, Nylanderia fulva. The NfV-1 genome (GenBank accession KX024775) is 10,881 nucleotides in length, encoding one large open reading frame (ORF). Helicase, protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and jelly-roll capsid protein domains were recognized within the polyprotein.

Phylogenomics, biogeography and diversification of obligate mealybug-tending ants in the genus Acropyga.

Acropyga ants are a widespread clade of small subterranean formicines that live in obligate symbiotic associations with root mealybugs. We generated a data set of 944 loci of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) to reconstruct the phylogeny of 41 representatives of 23 Acropyga species using both concatenation and species-tree approaches. We investigated the biogeographic history of the genus through divergence dating analyses and ancestral range reconstructions.

Evidence of niche shift and global invasion potential of the Tawny Crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva.

Analysis of an invasive species' niche shift between native and introduced ranges, along with potential distribution maps, can provide valuable information about its invasive potential. The tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva, is a rapidly emerging and economically important invasive species in the southern United States. It is originally from east-central South America and has also invaded Colombia and the Caribbean Islands.

Then there were five: a reexamination of the ant genus Paratrechina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

The ant genus Paratrechina is reexamined based on the discovery of two new species from Madagascar (P. ankarana sp. n.

Two new Paraparatrechina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) species from the Seychelles, with notes on the hypogaeic weissi species-group.

Recent survey work in the Seychelles has revealed two new species of Paraparatrechina that are here described: P. illusio sp. n.

Ants and the fossil record.

The dominance of ants in the terrestrial biosphere has few equals among animals today, but this was not always the case. The oldest ants appear in the fossil record 100 million years ago, but given the scarcity of their fossils, it is presumed they were relatively minor components of Mesozoic insect life. The ant fossil record consists of two primary types of fossils, each with inherent biases: as imprints in rock and as inclusions in fossilized resins (amber).

The importance of using multiple approaches for identifying emerging invasive species: the case of the Rasberry Crazy Ant in the United States.

In the past decade, Houston, Texas has been virtually overrun by an unidentified ant species, the sudden appearance and enormous population sizes and densities of which have received national media attention. The Rasberry Crazy Ant, as it has become known due to its uncertain species status, has since spread to neighboring states and is still a major concern to pest control officials. Previous attempts at identifying this species have resulted in widely different conclusions in regards to its native range, source, and biology.

Phylogenetic position of the ant genus Acropyga Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the evolution of trophophoresy.

Trophophoresy is exhibited in two ant genera: Acropyga (Formicinae), in which all 37 species are thought to be trophophoretic, and Tetraponera (Pseudomyrmecinae), in which it has been observed in only one species, T. binghami. This study analyses a dataset comprised of both morphological and molecular (D2 region of 28S rRNA and EF1-alpha) data.

Why weight?

Whether phylogenetic data should be differentially or equally weighted is currently debated. Further, if differential weighting is to be explored, there is no consensus among investigators as to which weighting scheme is most appropriate. Mitochondrial genome data offer a powerful tool in assessment of differential weighting schemes because taxa can be selected from which a highly corroborated phylogeny is available (so that accuracy can be assessed), and it can be assumed that different data partitions share the same history (so that gene-sorting issues are not so problematic).