Queen size dimorphism in the ant Tetramorium moravicum (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): Morphometric, molecular genetic and experimental evidence |
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| Authors: | B. C. Schlick-Steiner F. M. Steiner M. Sanetra G. Heller C. Stauffer E. Christian B. Seifert |
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| Affiliation: | (1) Department of Integrative Biology, Institute of Zoology,;(2) Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Vienna, University of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Str. 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria;(3) Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany;(4) , Stauferring 47, 55218 Ingelheim, Germany;(5) Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz, PSF 300154, 02826 Görlitz, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Summary. By combining different methods we evaluate whether the ant Tetramorium rhenanum is specifically separated from T. moravicum or whether it is a conspecific microgyne form. High-precision morphometry shows a clear difference in queen size. Sequence comparison of 1031 bp of COI reveals that T. rhenanum falls into a clade with T. moravicum, which is significantly separated from T. forte and T. chefketi. T. rhenanum shares at least two haplotypes with T. moravicum and is considered as a junior synonym. Sexual behaviour and colony foundation experiments corroborate conspecificity. The queen dimorphism is discussed in the context of social parameters such as queen number and reproductive strategy.Received 10 June 2004; revised 28 October 2004; accepted 12 November 2004. |
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| Keywords: | morphometry mtDNA mating behaviour colony foundation Tetramorium rhenanum |
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