@ARTICLE{TreeBASE2Ref25364, author = {Brendon E. Boudinot and Rodolfo S. Probst and C. Roberto F. Brand?o and Rodrigo M. Feitosa and Philip S. Ward}, title = {Out of the Neotropics: newly discovered relictual species sheds light on the biogeographic history of spider ants (Leptomyrmex, Dolichoderinae, Formicidae)}, year = {2016}, keywords = {biogeography, paleontology, phylogenetics, divergence dating, evolutionary morphology}, doi = {}, url = {http://}, pmid = {}, journal = {Journal of Biogeography}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, abstract = {Aim Spider ants of the genus Leptomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) are flagship species of Australasian rainforests, with putative fossil relatives in the Neotropics and Europe. There is a longstanding debate over the biogeographic history of the genus, with the Palearctic and Neotropical regions proposed as alternate centers of origin. We contribute to a resolution of this debate with the recent discovery and analysis of an extant species from central Brazil, L. relictus sp. n. Location Neotropics, Australasia, Palearctic Methods We sequence 10 nuclear genes in the new species and in several Australian Leptomyrmex species, and append these data to a 54-taxon 10-gene data matrix previously generated for the subfamily Dolichoderinae.We conduct phylogenetic and divergence dating analyses, and reevaluate the fossil record of the group. Results We recover Leptomyrmex relictus as a member of the Leptomyrmex clade with high support. It is sister to the Australasian species, and the genus Leptomyrmex is, in turn, sister to a pair of Neotropical genera, Forelius and Dorymyrmex. We infer a Neotropical origin for the genus and estimate a Mid Eocene (46 Ma, 95% CI 56?36 My) origin for the crown genus and an Oligocene origin for the Australasian clade (29 Ma, 95% CI 40?19 My). We confirm placement of the Dominican amber species L. neotropicus in the genus but reject a close relationship with the Palearctic fossil taxa Leptomyrmula and Usomyrma, considering them incertae sedis in the subfamily (Dolichoderinae). In contrast to the mesophilic preferences of the Australasian species of Leptomyrmex the new species from Brazil inhabits cerrado. Main conclusions Our results support a Neotropical origin for the spider ants with dispersal to Australia, likely via the Antarctic land bridge. The finding of a relict Leptomyrmex species in Brazilian cerrado highlights the biological importance of this habitat. } }

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