Skip to main content
Log in

Hybridization in the European carpenter ants Camponotus herculeanus and C. ligniperda (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Insectes Sociaux Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The first case of hybridization between the large European carpenter ants Camponotus herculeanus (Linnaeus 1758) and C. ligniperda (Latreille 1802) is demonstrated by means of exploratory and hypothesis-driven data analyses of standardized phenotypic characters. The strong signal separating the parental species allows the identification of hybrid workers on the individual level, based on only seven characters. The frequency of hybridization between the two species is estimated for Central Europe as 0.2–1.0%. This low ratio indicates strong reproductive barriers considering syntopic occurrence at about 10% of the observation sites, a nearly complete overlap of swarming times and basically equal meteorological conditions to release swarming. The presented case increases the known ratio of hybridizing species within the 178 ant species of Central Europe to 19.1%. This figure dramatically contrasts the known hybridization ratio of 0.55% within an estimated number of 2000 ant species from the Holarctic outside Central Europe. This 30-fold lower discovery rate of hybrids may be explained by the predominance of idiosyncratic species delimitation methods in morphology-based taxonomy in combination with the psychology of human decision-making. A neotype of Camponotus ligniperda is fixed in a specimen from the terra typica and comments on the Latin naming are given.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbott R, Albach D, Ansell S, Arntzen JW, Baird SJE, Bierne N, Boughman J, Brelsford A, Buerkle CA, Buggs R, Butlin RK, Dieckmann U, Eroukhmanoff F, Grill A, Cahan SH, Hermansen JS, Hewitt G, Hudson AG, Jiggins C, Jones J, Keller B, Maczewski T, Mallet J, Martinez-Rodriguez P, Möst M, Mullen S, Nichols R, Nolte AW, Parisod C, Pfennig K, Rice AM, Ritchie MG, Seifert B, Smadja CM, Stelkens R, Szymura JM, Väinölä R, Wolf JBW, Zinner D (2013) Hybridization and speciation. J Evol Biol 26:229–246

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson E, Stebbins GL (1954) Hybridization as an evolutionary stimulus. Evolution 8:378–388

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagherian A, Münch W, Seifert B (2012) A first demonstration of interspecific hybridization in Myrmica ants by geometric morphometrics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecol News 17:121–131

    Google Scholar 

  • Barton NH (2001) The role of hybridization in evolution. Mol Ecol 10:551–568

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard F (1968) Les fourmis d’Europe occidentale et septentrionale. Faune de l’ Europe et du Bassin Méditerranéen Eur. et Bas. Med. 3. Masson éditeurs, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernasconi C, Cherix D, Seifert B, Pamilo P (2010) Molecular taxonomy of the Formica rufa group (red wood ants) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a new cryptic species in the Swiss. Alps? Myrmecol News 14:37–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Bullini L (1994) Origin and evolution of animal hybrid species. Trends Ecol Evol 9:422–426

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Csösz S, Fisher B (2015) Diagnostic survey of Malagasy Nesomyrmex species-groups and revision of hafahafa group species via morphology based cluster delimitation protocol. ZooKeys 526:19–59. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.526.6037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douwes P, Stille B (1991) Hybridization and variation in the Leptothorax tuberum group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Z Zool Syst Evol 29:165–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer K (1987) Karyotypuntersuchungen an selbständigen und sozialparasitischen Arten der Tribus Leptothoracini (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) im Hinblick auf ihre Verwandtschaftsbeziehungen. PhD thesis, Technische Hochschule Darmstadt

  • Grant PJ, Mullarney K, Svensson L, Zetterström D (2000) Vögel Europas, Nordafrikas und Vorderasiens. Franck-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH, Stuttgart, 400 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Helms Cahan S, Parker JD, Rissing SW, Johnson RA, Polony TS, Weiser MD, Smith DR (2002) Extreme genetic differences between queens and workers in hybridizing Pogonomyrmex harvester ants. Proc R Soc Lond B 269:1871–1877

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kulmuni J, Seifert B, Pamilo P (2010) Segregation distortion causes large-scale differences between male and female genomes in hybrid ants. PNAS 107(16):7371–7376

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kutter H (1977) Hymenoptera - Formicidae. Fauna Insecta Helvetica, vol 6, Zurich, pp 298

  • Pearson B (1983) Hybridisation between Lasius niger and Lasius alienus. Insectes Soc 30:402–411

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pisarski B (1961) Studien über die polnischen Arten der Gattung Camponotus Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Ann Zool (Warszawa) 19:147–207

    Google Scholar 

  • Purcell J, Zahnd S, Athanasiades A, Türler R, Chapuisat M, Brelsford A (2016) Ants exhibit asymmetric hybridization in a mosaic hybrid zone. Mol Ecol 25:4866–4874

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pusch K, Heinze J, Foitzik S (2006) The influence of hybridization on the colony structure in the ant species Temnothorax nylanderi and T. crassispinus. Insectes Soc 53:439–445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross KG, Meer RKV, Fletcher DJC, Vargo EL (1987) Biochemical phenotypic and genetic studies of two introduced fire ants and their hybrid (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Evolution 41(2):280–293

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seifert B (1984) Nachweis einer im Freiland aufgetretenen Bastardierung von Leptothorax nigriceps Mayr und Leptothorax unifasciatus (Latr.) mittels einer multiplen Diskriminanzanalyse. Abh Ber Naturkundemus Görlitz 58/7:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Seifert B (1989) Camponotus herculeanus (Linné, 1758) und Camponotus ligniperda (Latr., 1802)—determination der weiblichen Kasten, Verbreitung und Habitatwahl in Mitteleuropa. Entomol Nachrichten Berichte 33:127–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Seifert B (1991) The phenotypes of the Formica rufa complex in East Germany. Abh Ber Naturkundemus Görlitz 65/1:1–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Seifert B (1999) Interspecific hybridisations in natural populations of ants by example of a regional fauna (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). Insectes Soc 46:45–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seifert B (2006) Social cleptogamy in the ant subgenus Chthonolasius—survival as a minority. Abh Ber Naturkundemus Görlitz 77:251–276

    Google Scholar 

  • Seifert B (2013) Keynote—frequency and evolutionary significance of hybridization in ants. In: Schlick-Steiner BC, Arthofer W, Steiner FM (eds): Abstract book of the 5th Central European workshop of myrmecology, p. 41 (published by CEWM 2013 organising committee, Innsbruck, Austria)

  • Seifert B (2017) The ecology of Central European non-arboreal ants—37 years of a broad-spectrum analysis under permanent taxonomic control. Soil Org 89(1):1–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Seifert B (2018) The ants of Central and North Europe. Lutra Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Tauer

    Google Scholar 

  • Seifert B, Goropashnaya A (2004) Ideal phenotypes and mismatching haplotypes—errors of mtDNA treeing in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) detected by standardized morphometry. Org Divers Evol 4/4:295–305

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seifert B, Kulmuni J, Pamilo P (2010) Independent hybrid populations of Formica polyctena × rufa wood ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) abound under conditions of forest fragmentation. Evol Ecol 24/5:1219–1237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steiner FM, Seifert B, Grasso DA, Le Moli F, Arthofer W, Stauffer C, Crozier RH, Schlick-Steiner BC (2011) Mixed colonies and hybridisation of Messor harvester ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Org Divers Evol 11:107–134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-011-0045-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steiner FM, Seifert B, Moder K, Schlick-Steiner BC (2010) A multisource solution for a complex problem in biodiversity research: description of the cryptic ant species Tetramorium alpestre sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zool Anz 24/9:223–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umphrey GJ, Danzmann RG (1998) Electrophoretic evidence for hybridization in the ant genus Acanthomyops (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Biochem Syst Ecol 26: 431–440

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Have TM, Pedersen JS, Boomsma JJ (2011) Mating, hybridisation and introgression in Lasius ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecol News 15:109–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Vander Meer RK, Lofgren CS (1989) Biochemical and behavioral evidence for hybridization between fire ants, Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis richteri (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J Chem Ecol 15:1757–1765

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wing MW (1968) Taxonomic revision of the nearctic genus Acanthomyops (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Cornell Univ Agric Exp Stn Mem 405:1–173

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Jörn Bittcher from Albertslund for providing the first hybrid sample and samples of the parental species from Denmark and Christophe Galkowski/St. Aubin de Medoc for collecting the neotype sample. Many thanks are also given to Roland Schultz/SMN Görlitz for making the z-stack photos.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. Seifert.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Seifert, B. Hybridization in the European carpenter ants Camponotus herculeanus and C. ligniperda (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insect. Soc. 66, 365–374 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-019-00693-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-019-00693-0

Keywords

Navigation