Genetic diversity of Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeletier) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae) explained by the disjunction of South American rainforests.

ABSTRACT

Angiopolybia pallens is a swarm-founding wasp that occurs in Atlantic and Amazonian rainforests, which have been isolated from each other by a large arid corridor in central Brazil since the Tertiary. In this study, we used data from polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism of 16S rDNA to infer some aspects of the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of this social wasp population. Samples collected across the species range in both rainforests showed remarkable differences that separated them into two distinct haplogroups. However, some samples from isolated areas in northeastern Bahia were more related to Amazonian lineages than to southern Bahia populations. Vicariant divergenc is discussed under South American rainforests biogeographical proposals.