Reference genome of the bicolored carpenter ant, Camponotus vicinus.

Carpenter ants in the genus Camponotus are large, conspicuous ants that are abundant and ecologically influential in many terrestrial ecosystems. The bicolored carpenter ant, Camponotus vicinus Mayr, is distributed across a wide range of elevations and latitudes in western North America, where it is a prominent scavenger and predator. Here, we present a high-quality genome assembly of C. vicinus from a sample collected in Sonoma County, California, near the type locality of the species. This genome assembly consists of 38 scaffolds spanning 302.74 Mb, with contig N50 of 15.9 Mb, scaffold N50 of 19.9 Mb, and BUSCO completeness of 99.2%. This genome sequence will be a valuable resource for exploring the evolutionary ecology of C. vicinus and carpenter ants generally. It also provides an important tool for clarifying cryptic diversity within the C. vicinus species complex, a genetically diverse set of populations, some of which are quite localized and of conservation interest.

Zombie-ant fungi across continents: 15 new species and new combinations within Ophiocordyceps. I. Myrmecophilous hirsutelloid species.

Ophiocordyceps species infecting ants - the so-called zombie-ant fungi - comprise one of the most intriguing and fascinating relationships between microbes and animals. They are widespread within tropical forests worldwide, with relatively few reports from temperate ecosystems. These pathogens possess the ability to manipulate host behaviour in order to increase their own fitness. Depending on the fungal species involved the infected ants are manipulated either to leave the nest to ascend understorey shrubs, to die biting onto vegetation, or descend from the canopy to die at the base of trees. Experimental evidence has demonstrated that the behavioural change aids spore dispersal and thus increases the chances of infection, because of the existing behavioural immunity expressed inside ant colonies that limits fungal development and transmission. Despite their undoubted importance for ecosystem functioning, these fungal pathogens are still poorly documented, especially regarding their diversity, ecology and evolutionary relationships. Here, we describe 15 new species of Ophiocordyceps with hirsutella-like asexual morphs that exclusively infect ants. These form a monophyletic group that we identified in this study as myrmecophilous hirsutelloid species. We also propose new combinations for species previously described as varieties and provide for the first time important morphological and ecological information. The species proposed herein were collected in Brazil, Colombia, USA, Australia and Japan. All species could readily be separated using classic taxonomic criteria, in particular ascospore and asexual morphology.

Intracellular Symbiotic Bacteria of Camponotus textor, Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

This study focuses on the weaver ant, Camponotus textor, Forel which occurs in some areas of the Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, and its symbionts: Blochmannia, an obligate symbiont of Camponotus, and Wolbachia, known for causing reproductive alterations in their hosts. The main goal of this study was to investigate the presence, frequency of occurrence, and diversity of Wolbachia and Blochmannia strains in C. textor colonies. We found high infection rates (100%) and the occurrence of at least two distinct strains of Blochmannia (H_1 or H_7) in the same species. The observed haplotype variation within a single species may result from the high mutation rate of the symbiont. Similarly, the Wolbachia was found in all colonies with different rates of infections and a new strain (supergroup A) was deposited in the MLST database. The diversity found in the present study shows that there is still much to explore to understand about these symbiotic interactions.

Taxonomic Additions to the Neotropical Subgenus Camponotus (Myrmobrachys) Forel 1912 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with Emphasis on the dimorphus-Group.

We provide updated diagnoses for the senex-, burtoni- and dimorphus-groups of Camponotus (Myrmobrachys). Dichotomous keys for the C. (Myrmobrachys) groups and species of the dimorphus-group, based on type-specimens are provided. Two new species of the dimorphus-group are described, Camponotus cameloides sp. nov. and Camponotus hyalus sp. nov. We classified C. dolabratus and C. lancifer as members of the dimorphus-group and C. crassicornis, C. subcircularis, and C. championi as members of the senex-group. Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to describe the branched pilosity of C. cameloides and this is the first description of it for adult workers of Camponotini tribe.

Ophiocordyceps desmidiospora, a basal lineage within the "Zombie-Ant Fungi" clade.

The genus Ophiocordyceps contains the most diverse assemblage of fungi that attack ants worldwide and are remarkably well adapted to the specific ecologies of their hosts. Desmidiospora myrmecophila Thaxt. is closely related to other ant-pathogenic species within Ophiocordyceps, possibly specific to queens, but the sheer infrequency of encounters and previously unsuccessful attempts to culture this fungus has precluded any meaningful assessment until now. A new record of Desmidiospora myrmecophila from Louisiana was found infecting a foundress Camponotus pennsylvanicus queen, the same host species favored by the more common and ubiquitous ant-pathogenic Ophiocordyceps unilateralis clade found in the same geographic locality. To evaluate a long-held assumption that these fungi represent synanamorphs of a single species, we sampled our Desmidiospora specimen along with the local O. unilateralis population for molecular comparison. We are able to present for the first time the in vitro characteristics and morphology of Desmidiospora myrmecophila, as well as a phylogenetic context for this fungus based on combined molecular analysis of representative members of the Ophiocordycipitaceae. Our results place the Desmidiospora myrmecophila lineage within the genus Ophiocordyceps, with a basal affiliation to the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis core clade; thus, in accordance to the "One Fungus-One Name" (1F1N) rule, we propose a new synonym to suppress Desmidiospora in protection of Ophiocordyceps, i.e., O. desmidiospora. These results further implicate this species as an important and quintessential example of cryptic diversity among an already taxonomically diverse and ecologically important group of fungi.

Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on "exploding ants" (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group.

A taxonomic description of all castes of Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. from Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia is provided, which serves as a model species for biological studies on "exploding ants" in Southeast Asia. The new species is a member of the Colobopsis cylindrica (COCY) group and falls into a species complex that has been repeatedly summarized under the name Colobopsis saundersi (Emery, 1889) (formerly Camponotus saundersi). The COCY species group is known under its vernacular name "exploding ants" for a unique behaviour: during territorial combat, workers of some species sacrifice themselves by rupturing their gaster and releasing sticky and irritant contents of their hypertrophied mandibular gland reservoirs to kill or repel rivals. This study includes first illustrations and morphometric characterizations of males of the COCY group: Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. and Colobopsis badia (Smith, 1857). Characters of male genitalia and external morphology are compared with other selected taxa of Camponotini. Preliminary notes on the biology of C. explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. are provided. To fix the species identity of the closely related C. badia, a lectotype from Singapore is designated. The following taxonomic changes within the C. saundersi complex are proposed: Colobopsis solenobia (Menozzi, 1926), syn. n. and Colobopsis trieterica (Menozzi, 1926), syn. n. are synonymized with Colobopsis corallina Roger, 1863, a common endemic species of the Philippines. Colobopsis saginata Stitz, 1925, stat. n., hitherto a subspecies of C. badia, is raised to species level.

Molecular Profile of the Brazilian Weaver Ant Camponotus textor Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

Camponotus textor Forel is, to date, the only weaver ant recorded from Brazil, and all existing studies on the species are restricted to describing its weaving and nesting behaviors. The aim of this work is to establish the molecular profile of the species. We sampled eight different colonies by sequencing mitochondrial genes (COI, transfer DNA (tRNA), and an intergenic spacer) and the nuclear gene 28S ribosomal DNA (rDNA). We then assessed haplotype diversity and also analyzed distribution patterns of this species based on the correlation between genetic and geographic distances. Our results provide an additional tool for species identification by identifying new regions that can be used as molecular markers for barcoding (such as the intergenic spacer (IGS) and tRNA-Leu). In addition, the phylogenetic analysis revealed that C. textor has features that could be associated with deep population divergences. We identified a wide range of mitotypes and three distinct groups, suggesting a possible reduction of gene flow between colonies.