Ultimately it is a fishing exercise, with no guarantee of success. We are rapidly approaching (or have already arrived at) the point where DNA sequencing is easier and more efficient than the dissections or measurements needed for identification (Tautz et al. 2002), even if the morphological correlates of genetic structure are known. Fišer et al. (2018) argue that finding these morphological correlates should not be a requirement for recognizing and naming species. We are not arguing that morphology is unimportant. Morphology is the form and function that has evolved in lineages, interacting with the environment and being shaped by selection and drift. But we take the approach here that genetic structure is the primary evidence for species, onto which we map easily observable characters, acknowledging a frequent lack of morphological diagnosis. Importantly, we are not arguing that a single locus (e.g., the COI barcode region) or a few loci will always reveal species boundaries better than morphology. Incomplete lineage sorting and introgression can blur the relationship between DNA sequence history and the history of the organisms that carry and transmit the DNA (Mallet et al. 2016). But in many cases, broad patterns in the genome correlate with morphology, when extremely thorough morphological data are available. We expect that detailed morphological examination, including morphometrics, might eventually provide a morphological diagnosis for our species of Syscia. The species we define in this work provide a framework for more thorough morphological examination to refine this taxonomy in the future.
(Die 800 sex. Identitäten bedürfen wohl einer Deutung. - Anm. Merkur)Die Gender-Diskussion ist in aller Munde und macht auch vor den Darmstädter Biologen nicht halt. Eine neu entdeckte Ameisenspezies hat jetzt einen geschlechtsneutralen Namen bekommen.
Über den Stand der Gender-Diskussion in Ameisenstaaten ist uns wenig bekannt. Da diesen Gemeinschaften üblicherweise eine Königin vorsteht, dürfte das Bewusstsein für Geschlechtergerechtigkeit dort jedoch hoch entwickelt sein. Auch lässt die progressive Aufgabenverteilung, die bei manchen Arten zu beobachten ist (Weibchen fallen als Sklavenhalterinnen in fremde Kolonien ein), eine grundsätzliche Skepsis gegenüber binären Rollenklischees erwarten.
Insoweit hat der Darmstädter Biologiedoktorand Philipp Hönle klug gehandelt, als er einer von ihm entdeckten ecuadorianischen Ameisenspezies einen geschlechtsneutralen Namen gab.
Angemessene Repräsentation
Von dieser Pioniertat berichtet dpa unter Berufung auf die Fachzeitschrift ZooKeys, in der Hönle die neue Art vorstellte. Ihr Name Strumigenys ayersthey bricht mit taxonomischen Konventionen, indem er nicht auf „ae“ (weiblich) oder „i“ (männlich) endet, sondern mit dem neutralen englischen „they“ schließt.
Offen bleibt, ob wirklich jede der 800 sexuellen Identitäten, deren Existenz bei allen staatenbildenden Organismen vorausgesetzt werden darf, hierdurch angemessen repräsentiert wird. Falls nicht, muss Herr Hönle auf der nächsten „Conference on Ant Diversity“ mit einem Redeverbot rechnen.
Etymology
Strumigenys ayersthey sp. nov. is thus inclusively named in honor of Jeremy Ayers for the multitude of humans among the spectrum of gender who have been unrepresented under traditional naming practices. Jeremy was a multifaceted and beloved Athens-based (GA, USA) artist and activist whose humanity and achievements defied the limits of categorized classification....
--Ants exhibit a striking variety of lifestyles, including highly specialist or mutualist species. The minute blind workers of the African genus Melissotarsus chew tunnels in live trees to accommodate their obligate partner scale insects. Their modified legs are adapted for tunnelling, but are unsuited for walking outside, confining these ants to their initial host tree. Here, we investigated whether this unique lifestyle results in complex patterns of genetic diversity at different scales, from the same tree to different populations. Using 19 microsatellite markers, we assessed their mating strategy and colony structure among and across populations in South Africa. We showed that only one queen reproduces within a colony, mated with up to three males. However, several inseminated dealate queens are present in colonies; one probably replaces the older queen as the colony ages. The reproduction of a single queen per colony at a given time results in genetic differences between colonies, even those located on the same tree. We discuss how the slow process of colony digging under the bark and the lack of workers patrolling above the bark might result in reduced competition between colonies and allow several secluded colonies to cohabit the cramped space on a single tree.
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