02479nas a2200265   4500008004100000020001400041245007900055210006900134260002900203300001200232490000700244520171500251653002301966653002501989653002302014653000902037653001502046653001602061653002002077653001302097653001602110100002002126700002302146856004402169       2011                        eng d  a1365-294X00aBiogeography and morphological evolution in a Pacific island ant radiation0 aBiogeography and morphological evolution in a Pacific island ant  bBlackwell Publishing Ltd  a114-1300 v203 aWhile insular radiations are documented for many terrestrial arthropods, few examples are known for eusocial insects. This study seeks to ascertain whether the spinescence observed among Fijian Pheidole ants was inherited from an oversea ancestor or is evidence of ecological release from interspecific competitors. We broaden our understanding of morphological convergence, insular radiation and Pacific biogeography by testing three hypotheses proposed previously for the Fijian Pheidole roosevelti group: (i) the group is monophyletic; (ii) spinescence is a plesiomorphic trait inherited from an overseas ancestor; and (iii) the group is closely related to spinescent New Guinean relatives. The analysis included the fragments of two mitochondrial genes (COI, cytb) and two nuclear genes (H3, EF1α-F2) from 66 taxa, including all members of the roosevelti group, representatives from the spinescent subgenus Pheidolacanthinus, Fijian congeners and widespread Pacific congeners. Our results yield new insights into the biogeographic history of Fiji, reveal a fascinating example of convergent evolution and serve as a novel example of ecological release occurring within an insular eusocial insect lineage. These findings recover the history of a presumably unremarkable ant species that colonized a remote oceanic archipelago in the Miocene (17–10 Ma) and radiated across the emerging islands into niche-space occupied elsewhere in the Pacific by distantly related spinescent congeners. We propose the radiation of Fijian Pheidole into spinescent morphotypes was the consequence of ecological opportunities afforded by the absence of competing ant lineages with conspicuous epigaeic foraging strategies.10aadaptive radiation10aconvergent evolution10aecological release10aFiji10aFormicidae10aHYMENOPTERA10aPacific Insects10aPheidole10aspinescence1 aSarnat, Eli, M.1 aMoreau, Corrie, S.  uhttps://pacleps.myspecies.info/node/20602362nas a2200205   4500008004100000020001400041245008600055210006900141300001200210490000700222520175800229653000901987653002701996653001502023653001602038653002002054100001802074700002002092856004402112       2010                        eng d  a1365-269900aBiogeography and diversification of the Pacific ant genus <i>Lordomyrma</i> Emery0 aBiogeography and diversification of the Pacific ant genus iLordo  a624-6340 v373 aAim†This study addresses the origins of terrestrial biodiversity of the Fijian islands using the ant genus Lordomyrma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) as a model system. We derive the evolution of the genus and determine its closest extra-Fijian relatives from geological data, molecular phylogenetic reconstruction and divergence estimates.Location† Ant taxa were sampled in the Southwest Pacific, Melanesia, Southeast Asia, Australia and mainland China.Methods† Phylogeny and divergence estimates of the ant genus Lordomyrma based on four nuclear genes (28S, ArgK, LW Rh, CAD) plus data on Indo-Pacific geological history are used to address current hypotheses regarding the origins of the Fijian biota.Results† The genus Lordomyrma probably originated in mainland Asia, with subsequent colonization of Australia and the Pacific. The Fijian Lordomyrma clade is monophyletic, and originated c.†8.8†Ma, when it diverged from a sister group in Papua New Guinea.Main conclusions† The colonization of Fiji by Lordomyrma is probably a result of long-distance dispersal from New Guinea, possibly aided by island hopping across the Vitiaz Arc. The timeline of diversification in Lordomyrma is broadly congruent with the Miocene fragmentation of the Vitiaz Arc and the Pliocene emergence of Vanua Levu. The biotic shuttle hypothesis, which posits 'Eua Island as the source of Fijian endemics, is rejected based on the sister relationship of Fiji and New Guinea lineages, as well as on the Miocene submergence of the terrane below sea level. The diversity of Fijian Lordomyrma results from the radiation of a single lineage, which diverged from a New Guinea sister group. The genus appears to have originated in Asia rather than in Australia.10aants10abiogeographic patterns10aFormicidae10aHYMENOPTERA10aPacific Insects1 aLucky, Andrea1 aSarnat, Eli, M.  uhttps://pacleps.myspecies.info/node/127