Two new phragmotic ant species from Africa: morphology and next-generation sequencing solve a caste association problem in the genus Carebara Westwood

• DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.525.6057
• Publication Date: 2015-10-05T14:18:19Z
• Authors: Georg Fischer; Frank Azorsa; Francisco Hita Ga...; Alexander Mikheyev; Evan Economo
• Keywords: Caste; Thoracica

Phragmotic or "door head" ants have evolved independently in several ant genera across the world, but Africa only one case has been documented until now. Carebara elmenteitae (Patrizi) is known from a single phragmotic major worker collected sifted leaf-litter near Lake Elmenteita Kenya, here castes of two species Kakamega Forest, small rainforest Western are studied. workers were previously identified as and non-phragmotic minor assigned to C. thoracica (Weber). Using evidence both morphological next-generation sequencing analysis, it shown that different actually same neither name – correctly applies them. Instead, this another closey related Ivory Coast morphologically elmenteitae, thus they described new phragmotica sp. n. lilith