{"title":"Intercastes in the ant Aphaenogaster rugulosa (Formicidae: Myrmicinae): morphological variation and adaptive potential","authors":"A. Khalife, H. Sasaki, F. Ito","doi":"10.1007/s00040-024-00987-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Among eusocial insects, ants show the most advanced morphological division of labor with large winged queens, smaller wingless workers, and phenotypically intermediate castes. These intermediate castes may have evolved from the selection of developmental errors called intercastes. Intercastes are unusual phenotypes that show uncoordinated expression of worker and queen traits. These rare specimens provide remarkable insights into the advanced morphological evolution of the division of labor unique to ants. While they have been reported in several genera of the subfamily Myrmicinae, a single recent study described intercastes in the genus <i>Aphaenogaster</i> (210 spp). Here, we provide the first record of intercastes in an Asian species, <i>Aphaenogaster rugulosa</i>, endemic to the Japanese island of Yonaguni-jima. Using allometric measurements, scanning electron microscopy and dissections, we describe the trait combination of seven intercastes and compare it to worker and queen phenotypes. We discuss the modular origin of these rare phenotypes and elaborate on the potential role of intercastes in ant evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":13573,"journal":{"name":"Insectes Sociaux","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Insectes Sociaux","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-024-00987-y","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENTOMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Among eusocial insects, ants show the most advanced morphological division of labor with large winged queens, smaller wingless workers, and phenotypically intermediate castes. These intermediate castes may have evolved from the selection of developmental errors called intercastes. Intercastes are unusual phenotypes that show uncoordinated expression of worker and queen traits. These rare specimens provide remarkable insights into the advanced morphological evolution of the division of labor unique to ants. While they have been reported in several genera of the subfamily Myrmicinae, a single recent study described intercastes in the genus Aphaenogaster (210 spp). Here, we provide the first record of intercastes in an Asian species, Aphaenogaster rugulosa, endemic to the Japanese island of Yonaguni-jima. Using allometric measurements, scanning electron microscopy and dissections, we describe the trait combination of seven intercastes and compare it to worker and queen phenotypes. We discuss the modular origin of these rare phenotypes and elaborate on the potential role of intercastes in ant evolution.
期刊介绍:
Insectes Sociaux (IS) is the journal of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI). It covers the various aspects of the biology and evolution of social insects and other presocial arthropods; these include ecology, ethology, morphology, population genetics, reproduction, communication, sociobiology, caste differentiation and social parasitism. The journal publishes original research papers and reviews, as well as short communications. An international editorial board of eminent specialists attests to the high quality of Insectes Sociaux, a forum for all scientists and readers interested in the study of social insects.