91 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

Just like English sparrows. I’m surprised they’re not more invasive around the world.

[gcsnelling]

Be patient

[Martialis]

Glad to see your project is coming along. I can’t wait to see the results of it!

Edited by Martialis, September 21 2020 - 9:09 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

Glad to see your project is coming along. I can’t wait to see the results of it!

me too! This is facinating.

[PurdueEntomology]

UPDATE:

 

It would seem that we have discovered an as of yet undescribed species of Tapinoma.  Morphologically it is distinct from Tapinoma sessile.  As you would recall my research was focusing on crypsis within the Tapinoma sessile population of East Tennessee.  Of my 100 odd individual taxa from my 2019-2020 collections two appear to be an undescribed species of Tapinoma found in East Tennessee (the only two locations of yet for this new species).  The final paper describing the new species will be coming out in Summer of 2021.  We are finalizing a broader genome analysis currently.  Morphologically though clearly a new species. 

[TennesseeAnts]

UPDATE:
 
It would seem that we have discovered an as of yet undescribed species of Tapinoma.  Morphologically it is distinct from Tapinoma sessile.  As you would recall my research was focusing on crypsis within the Tapinoma sessile population of East Tennessee.  Of my 100 odd individual taxa from my 2019-2020 collections two appear to be an undescribed species of Tapinoma found in East Tennessee (the only two locations of yet for this new species).  The final paper describing the new species will be coming out in Summer of 2021.  We are finalizing a broader genome analysis currently.  Morphologically though clearly a new species.

Wow, that is impressive! Any idea as to whether or not this is the "morph" I talked to you about a few months back? If so that would be very interesting...

I wish you luck!

[PurdueEntomology]

 

UPDATE:
 
It would seem that we have discovered an as of yet undescribed species of Tapinoma.  Morphologically it is distinct from Tapinoma sessile.  As you would recall my research was focusing on crypsis within the Tapinoma sessile population of East Tennessee.  Of my 100 odd individual taxa from my 2019-2020 collections two appear to be an undescribed species of Tapinoma found in East Tennessee (the only two locations of yet for this new species).  The final paper describing the new species will be coming out in Summer of 2021.  We are finalizing a broader genome analysis currently.  Morphologically though clearly a new species.

Wow, that is impressive! Any idea as to whether or not this is the "morph" I talked to you about a few months back? If so that would be very interesting...

I wish you luck!

 

would you please refresh my memory?  

[ANTdrew]

That’s amazing! Congrats, my friend! What will you name it?

But....not sure if I’m ready for another species of Tapinoma, at least not in my kitchen.

[PurdueEntomology]

That’s amazing! Congrats, my friend! What will you name it?

But....not sure if I’m ready for another species of Tapinoma, at least not in my kitchen.

Haha! Well I have not yet settled on a name.  Well both these taxa were found in natural areas away from structures.  Obviously only 2% of my collected taxa are this ant.  I have no idea of its distribution or any other facts regrarding it save one of the two did have a  polydomous nest covering an area of approximately 465 square feet which seems unusual for me especially in a natural location as usually such large polydomous nest structures with T. sessile occur in urban disturbed areas.  Also when I first found this particular sample I turned over a stone and they were there and I had never before found T. sessile in a natural location under a stone or wood before. I did find one sample of T. sessile under a piece of plywood thrown along a road in a forested natural area but considering its location and orientation it was a "warm" location ideal for brood.  The stone mentioned here in was not in such a configuration. Note though a couple of T.sessile samples from over 4500 feet elevation in Appalachia did have colony nests in leaf litter over stone/gravel and into the stone/gravel for about 2-3inches but this was not unsurprising due to the elevation, orientation etc for brood development, such locations are just warmer.

Edited by PurdueEntomology, December 7 2020 - 3:55 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

awesome research, purdue! thanks for all of the work into identifying ants!

[Devi]

awesome research, purdue! thanks for all of the work into identifying ants!

 

Yes, this has been quite interesting to read!

[gcsnelling]

 

That’s amazing! Congrats, my friend! What will you name it?

But....not sure if I’m ready for another species of Tapinoma, at least not in my kitchen.

Haha! Well I have not yet settled on a name.  Well both these taxa were found in natural areas away from structures.  Obviously only 2% of my collected taxa are this ant.  I have no idea of its distribution or any other facts regrarding it save one of the two did have a  polydomous nest covering an area of approximately 465 square feet which seems unusual for me especially in a natural location as usually such large polydomous nest structures with T. sessile occur in urban disturbed areas.  Also when I first found this particular sample I turned over a stone and they were there and I had never before found T. sessile in a natural location under a stone or wood before. I did find one sample of T. sessile under a piece of plywood thrown along a road in a forested natural area but considering its location and orientation it was a "warm" location ideal for brood.  The stone mentioned here in was not in such a configuration. Note though a couple of T.sessile samples from over 4500 feet elevation in Appalachia did have colony nests in leaf litter over stone/gravel and into the stone/gravel for about 2-3inches but this was not unsurprising due to the elevation, orientation etc for brood development, such locations are just warmer.

 

Now to work out the western species.

[Manitobant]

I'm pretty sure there is more than one species under the name "tapinoma sessile" here in canada as well. I have seen colonies that have larger workers and larger queens and are strictly monogynous, as opposed to the small polygynous ones.

[Ants_Dakota]

 

 

That’s amazing! Congrats, my friend! What will you name it?

But....not sure if I’m ready for another species of Tapinoma, at least not in my kitchen.

Haha! Well I have not yet settled on a name.  Well both these taxa were found in natural areas away from structures.  Obviously only 2% of my collected taxa are this ant.  I have no idea of its distribution or any other facts regrarding it save one of the two did have a  polydomous nest covering an area of approximately 465 square feet which seems unusual for me especially in a natural location as usually such large polydomous nest structures with T. sessile occur in urban disturbed areas.  Also when I first found this particular sample I turned over a stone and they were there and I had never before found T. sessile in a natural location under a stone or wood before. I did find one sample of T. sessile under a piece of plywood thrown along a road in a forested natural area but considering its location and orientation it was a "warm" location ideal for brood.  The stone mentioned here in was not in such a configuration. Note though a couple of T.sessile samples from over 4500 feet elevation in Appalachia did have colony nests in leaf litter over stone/gravel and into the stone/gravel for about 2-3inches but this was not unsurprising due to the elevation, orientation etc for brood development, such locations are just warmer.

 

Now to work out the western species.

 

have you been doing any research lately, gcsnelling? 

[PurdueEntomology]

I'm pretty sure there is more than one species under the name "tapinoma sessile" here in canada as well. I have seen colonies that have larger workers and larger queens and are strictly monogynous, as opposed to the small polygynous ones.

During the last glacial maximum it is probable that no ants were present in your location unless there was a refugia population and that what you would have are populations that have reintroduced themselves during the past 8-10kyears.  The upshot is these populations are usually genetically very similar due to bottleneck scenarios.  My personal COX1 gene analysis for Canadian T. sessile has them all within one clade or haplotype, with more limited genetic diversity than the populations we have here in East Tennessee which did not undergo major glaciation. I would agree that there may very well be other "species" within the T.sessile population and crypsis is occurring. I also believe this species has been just "dumped" into a species bucket the default being:  It is a Dolichoderid, it is concolor, it has an odor = T. sessile.  South America has at least 6-7 recognized species and US/Canada/Mexico excluding the Caribbean with 2. It is known that tropical ecosystems foster greater speciation events and hence greater species.  North America is large though and it would not be surprising that what we know as T.sessile is actually a group of species.  I have a fundamental question though is how has speciation occurred in North America since opportunities for population isolation to occur do not readily avail themselves particularly in the Eastern half of the continent.  So I am quite curious how this novel species occurred. As for the Rocky Mountains being acting as a barrier, the ants I have acquired from Washington State clearly are T. sessile though they do have a lineage that is second oldest to the Tapinoma sp.nov.  that I am currently working on.  Current estimates of its population divergence have it in the mid to late Miocene then a 2-3 million year gap with the Washington State samples. Just keep in mind this is all inferred and tentative.

Edited by PurdueEntomology, December 8 2020 - 6:03 AM.

[gcsnelling]

 

 

 

That’s amazing! Congrats, my friend! What will you name it?

But....not sure if I’m ready for another species of Tapinoma, at least not in my kitchen.

Haha! Well I have not yet settled on a name.  Well both these taxa were found in natural areas away from structures.  Obviously only 2% of my collected taxa are this ant.  I have no idea of its distribution or any other facts regrarding it save one of the two did have a  polydomous nest covering an area of approximately 465 square feet which seems unusual for me especially in a natural location as usually such large polydomous nest structures with T. sessile occur in urban disturbed areas.  Also when I first found this particular sample I turned over a stone and they were there and I had never before found T. sessile in a natural location under a stone or wood before. I did find one sample of T. sessile under a piece of plywood thrown along a road in a forested natural area but considering its location and orientation it was a "warm" location ideal for brood.  The stone mentioned here in was not in such a configuration. Note though a couple of T.sessile samples from over 4500 feet elevation in Appalachia did have colony nests in leaf litter over stone/gravel and into the stone/gravel for about 2-3inches but this was not unsurprising due to the elevation, orientation etc for brood development, such locations are just warmer.

 

Now to work out the western species.

 

have you been doing any research lately, gcsnelling? 

 

Sadly no, health issues and such have pretty much put the squish squash on such things. I am however following this work with great interest and am looking forward to great things from this upstart youngster LOL.
 

Edited by gcsnelling, December 8 2020 - 5:18 AM.

[PurdueEntomology]

 

 

 

 

That’s amazing! Congrats, my friend! What will you name it?

But....not sure if I’m ready for another species of Tapinoma, at least not in my kitchen.

Haha! Well I have not yet settled on a name.  Well both these taxa were found in natural areas away from structures.  Obviously only 2% of my collected taxa are this ant.  I have no idea of its distribution or any other facts regrarding it save one of the two did have a  polydomous nest covering an area of approximately 465 square feet which seems unusual for me especially in a natural location as usually such large polydomous nest structures with T. sessile occur in urban disturbed areas.  Also when I first found this particular sample I turned over a stone and they were there and I had never before found T. sessile in a natural location under a stone or wood before. I did find one sample of T. sessile under a piece of plywood thrown along a road in a forested natural area but considering its location and orientation it was a "warm" location ideal for brood.  The stone mentioned here in was not in such a configuration. Note though a couple of T.sessile samples from over 4500 feet elevation in Appalachia did have colony nests in leaf litter over stone/gravel and into the stone/gravel for about 2-3inches but this was not unsurprising due to the elevation, orientation etc for brood development, such locations are just warmer.

 

Now to work out the western species.

 

have you been doing any research lately, gcsnelling? 

 

Sadly no, health issues and such have pretty much put the squish squash on such things. I am however following this work with great interest and am looking forward to great things from this upstart youngster LOL.
 

 

Who is the upstart?

[PurdueEntomology]

Dr. Snelling,

Sorry to hear you are having health issues.  Health and wellbeing are truly blessings to be secured while they last!!!

[gcsnelling]

Dr. Snelling,

Sorry to hear you are having health issues.  Health and wellbeing are truly blessings to be secured while they last!!!

Thanks, growing older sucks.

[Ants_Dakota]

Dr. Snelling,

Sorry to hear you are having health issues.  Health and wellbeing are truly blessings to be secured while they last!!!

i second this. i love what he has sacrificed to help other ant keepers like me have a better time identifying ants.