Ants of the genus Acropyga display an advanced stage of obligatory trophobiosis with rhizoecine mealybugs. The trophobiosis has evolved to such an extent that virgin queens upon leaving their birth nests carry a mealybug with them in their mandibles, presumably using it to begin a new "herd" of mealybugs for their newly founded ant colonies. This behavior has been termed trophophoresy. Evidence suggests that the ants and mealybugs may have undergone coevolution, with both now dependent upon each other for survival. This study demonstrates, with both morphological and molecular datasets, the monophyly of the genus and this suggests that trophophoresy has only evolved once among the formicine ants. A monographic revision has been completed and an internal phylogeny of the genus is presented. This phylogeny suggests some interesting biogeographic patterns for the group and furthermore suggests that Acropyga are an ancient group of formicine ants. Fossil evidence corroborates antiquity for both Acropyga and trophophoretic behavior, with queens having been reported in Dominican amber holding mealybugs in their mandibles.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Formicidae Acropyga
Keywords: taxonomy, trophobiosis
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