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Dryad

Ultraconserved element data from Integrating morphology with phylogenomics to describe four Siculo-Maltese endemic Temnothorax species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

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Dec 04, 2023 version files 76.33 MB

Abstract

Temnothorax (Myrmicinae, Crematogastrini) is one of the most diverse Holarctic ant genera, and new taxonomic advancements are still frequent worldwide. The Mediterranean region, a global biodiversity hotspot characterized by a complex geographic history, is home to a substantial portion of its described diversity. Sicily is the region’s largest island and, as ongoing investigations are revealing, it is inhabited by a long-overlooked but highly diverse ant fauna that combines multiple biogeographic influences. We combined qualitative and quantitative morphology of multiple castes with phylogenomic analysis based on ultra-conserved elements (UCEs) to describe four Temnothorax species endemic to Sicily and the neighboring Maltese Islands (Sicilian Channel). Three of these species, T. marae sp. nov., T. poldii sp. nov. and T. vivianoi sp. nov., are new to science, while a redescription clarifies the identity of T. lagrecai (Baroni Urbani, 1964). These descriptions provide an opportunity to discuss the current difficulties of delimiting monophyletic species-groups of Temnothorax based on morphological characters. The intra-insular endemicity patterns we revealed highlight the importance of Mediterranean paleogeography to contemporary ant diversity and distribution.