Evolution of morphological crypsis in the Tetramorium caespitum ant species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

ABSTRACT: Cryptic species are morphologically very similar to each other. To what extent stasis or convergence causes crypsis and whether ecology influences the evolution of crypsis has remained unclear. The Tetramorium caespitum complex is one of the most intricate examples of cryptic species in ants. Here, we test three hypotheses concerning the evolution of its crypsis: H1: The complex is monophyletic. H2: Morphology resulted from evolutionary stasis. H3: Ecology and morphology evolved concertedly. We confirmed (H1) monophyly of the complex; (H2) a positive relation between morphological and phylogenetic distances, which indicates a very slow loss of similarity over time and thus stasis; and (H3) a positive relation between only one morphological character and a proxy of the ecological niche, whi

SUBMITTER: Wagner HC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6105586 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature