Taxonomic revision of the Pheidole megacephala species-group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Malagasy Region.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Malagasy Region, one of the top megadiversity regions, hosts one of the highest numbers of endemic and threatened organisms on earth. One of the most spectacular examples of ant radiation on the island has occurred in the hyperdiverse genus Pheidole. To this date, there are 135 described Madagascan Pheidole divided into 16 species-groups, and 97% of Malagasy species are endemic to the island. This study is a taxonomic revision of the Pheidole megacephala group, one of only two species-groups comprising a combination of native, endemic taxa and widely distributed introduced species.

Methods

The diversity of the Malagasy members of the megacephala group was assessed via application of qualitative morphological and DNA sequence data. Q

SUBMITTER: Salata S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9053301 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature