First evidence of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the early Pleistocene of Madeira Island (Portugal)

Marques, Carlos A. Góis; Correia, Pedro; Nel, Andre; Madeira, José; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/5327

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Authors

Marques, Carlos A. Góis

Correia, Pedro

Nel, Andre

Madeira, José

Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de

Abstract(s)

To be successfully established on oceanic islands, native ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) have to migrate from the mainland or from nearby islands, crossing the ocean barriers, to find a suitable habitat. Despite the general interest on oceanic islands biotas, nothing is known about the deep-time migration and settling of native ants in these insular ecosystems. Palaeoentomological studies on oceanic islands that could provide palaeobiological information on Formicidae are scarce. Here, we describe and illustrate the first fossil of an ant from the Macaronesian archipelagos (Atlantic Ocean), based on a partial forewing found within 1.3 Ma (Calabrian, Pleistocene) lacustrine sediments from Madeira Island, Portugal. Although unidentifiable beyond the family level, this fossil record provides a minimum age for the presence of ants in the Madeira archipelago. Palaeoecologically, this record indicates the presence of suitable habitats for ants during the early Pleistocene.

Keywords

Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Madeira (Portugal) Pleistocene . Faculdade de Ciências da Vida

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/5327

Citation

Carlos A. Góis-Marques, Pedro Correia, Andre Nel, José Madeira & Miguel Menezes de Sequeira (05 Dec 2022): First evidence of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the early Pleistocene of Madeira Island (Portugal), Historical Biology, DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2022.2152688