Abstract
The ant genusCardiocondylais characterised by a remarkable variability of reproductive life histories and colony structures. Little is known about theC. stambuloffiigroup, whose distribution extends from southeast Europe to central and eastern Asia. We here present data on the structure ofCardiocondylacolonies from southern Georgia. Morphometry and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c ...
Abstract
The ant genusCardiocondylais characterised by a remarkable variability of reproductive life histories and colony structures. Little is known about theC. stambuloffiigroup, whose distribution extends from southeast Europe to central and eastern Asia. We here present data on the structure ofCardiocondylacolonies from southern Georgia. Morphometry and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunits I and II indicates that it is distinct from the other species of this group (C. gibbosa,C. koshewnikovi,C.stambuloffii, andC. tibetana). Microsatellite analysis revealed a high nestmate relatedness and frequent inbreeding, matching the observation of exclusively wingless males and the phylogenetic position of the group in the "Palaearctic clade," in which colonies are typically single-queened.
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