02726nas a2200157 4500008004100000245014500041210006900186260001500255300001200270490000700282520217200289100002002461700002202481700001902503856004602522 2018 eng d00aThree Turano-European species of the Temnothorax interruptus group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) demonstrated by quantitative morphology.0 aThree TuranoEuropean species of the iTemnothorax interruptusi gr c2018-02-21 a101-1190 v263 a

The ant genus Temnothorax is very diverse in the Palaearctic region. It consists of many cryptic species which are hard to discover with conventional toolkits of alpha taxonomy. However, the modern, quantitative morphological approaches have been improved, and their increased accuracy and taxonomic specificity allow taxonomists to discover cryptic biological diversity on a much finer scale. In this paper, we provide quantitative morphology-based evidence in support of our contention that the Turano-European Temnothorax interruptus (Schenck, 1852) is, in fact, a complex of three clearly separable lineages. Species hypotheses are developed through NC-PART clustering, a highly automated protocol using two algorithms, NC-clustering and Partitioning Based on Recursive Thresholding (PART). Our results are based on a large dataset generated from 19 continuous morphometric traits measured on a total of 165 workers from 66 nest samples. Classifications returned by the exploratory analyses are confirmed by cross-validated Linear Discriminant Analysis (LOOCV-LDA) with a 0.6% error rate in 166 workers. Two known type series, Temnothorax interruptus (Schenck, 1852) and Leptothorax tuberum ssp. knipovitshi Karavaiev, 1916, which meet the criteria for this species complex, are nested in the same cluster, and each classification is supported with posterior p = 1.0. Therefore, Leptothorax tuberum ssp. knipovitshi is considered a junior synonym of T. interruptus. The two other morphological clusters are described as T. morea sp.n. and T. strymonensis sp.n. Syntopic occurrence has been found in only one case, between Temnothorax interruptus and T. strymonensis, and mixed colonies were not observed. Temnothorax interruptus has been identified as a Turano-European species, with distribution from Spain to the Caucasus but completely unknown in the Mediterranean region. The two broadly sympatric East Mediterranean species, T. morea and T. strymonensis, occur widely in the region from Croatia to Turkey.

1 aCsősz, Sándor1 aSalata, Sebastian1 aBorowiec, Lech uhttps://greekants.myspecies.info/node/56103048nas a2200313 4500008004100000245014500041210006900186260001500255300001200270490000800282520194800290653004302238653003102281653002202312653002502334653003002359653002802389100002502417700002002442700002002462700002302482700002102505700002502526700002102551700002402572700002302596700003202619856008302651 2018 eng d00aTurning one into five: Integrative taxonomy uncovers complex evolution of cryptic species in the harvester ant Messor “structor”.0 aTurning one into five Integrative taxonomy uncovers complex evol c2018-10-31 a387-4040 v1273 a

Seed harvesting ants are ecosystem engineers that shape vegetation, nutrient cycles, and microclimate. Progress in ecological research is, however, slowed down by poor species delimitation. For example, it has not been resolved to date, how many species the European harvester ant Messor structor” (Latreille, 1798) represents. Since its first description, splitting into additional taxa was often proposed but not accepted later on due to inconsistent support from morphology and ecology. Here, we took an iterative integrative-taxonomy approach – comparing multiple, independent data sets of the same sample – and used traditional morphometrics, Wolbachia symbionts, mitochondrial DNA, amplified fragment length polymorphism, and ecological niche modelling. Using the complementarity of the data sets applied, we resolved multiple, strong disagreements over the number of species, ranging from four to ten, and the allocation of individuals to species. We consider most plausible a five-species hypothesis and conclude the taxonomic odyssey by redescribing Messor structor, M. ibericus Santschi, 1925, and M. muticus (Nylander, 1849) stat. rev., and by describing two new species, M. ponticus sp.n. and M. mcarthuri sp.n. The evolutionary explanations invoked in resolving the various data conflicts include pronounced morphological crypsis, incomplete lineage-sorting or ongoing cospeciation of endosymbionts, and peripatric speciation – these ants’ significance to evolutionary biology parallels that to ecology. The successful solution of this particular problem illustrates the usefulness of the integrative approach to other systematic problems of comparable complexity and the importance of understanding evolution to drawing correct conclusions on species’ attributes, including their ecology and biogeography.

10aAmplified fragment length polymorphism10aEcological niche modelling10aMitochondrial DNA10aSpecies delimitation10aTraditional morphometrics10aWolbachia endosymbionts1 aSteiner, Florian, M.1 aCsősz, Sándor1 aMarkó, Bálint1 aGamisch, Alexander1 aRinnhofer, Lukas1 aFolterbauer, Clemens1 aHammerle, Sarina1 aStauffer, Christian1 aArthofer, Wolfgang1 aSchlick-Steiner, Birgit, C. uhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790317305523?via%3Dihub00486nas a2200133 4500008004100000245010700041210006900148300001100217490000900228100002000237700002900257700002000286856004600306 2007 eng d00aTaxonomic revision of the Palaearctic Tetramorium chefketi species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) 0 aTaxonomic revision of the Palaearctic Tetramorium chefketi speci a1–380 v14051 aCsősz, Sándor1 aRadchenko, Alexander, G.1 aSchulz, Andreas uhttps://greekants.myspecies.info/node/434