Nylanderia bourbonica

Williams, Jason L., Zhang, Y. Miles, LaPolla, John S., Schultz, Ted R. & Lucky, Andrea, 2022, Phylogenomic Delimitation of Morphologically Cryptic Species in Globetrotting Nylanderia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Species Complexes, Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1), pp. 1-15 : 6

Nylanderia bourbonica Complex

Monophyly of the bourbonica complex is strongly supported by the global ML phylogeny ( Fig. 2), the unphased MSC phylogeny ( Fig. 3A), and the phased MSC phylogeny ( Fig. 3B). Five morphospecies of those sampled here belong to the bourbonica complex: N. bourbonica , N. vaga , N. obscura, N. Fij 4, and N. sp. MJ10; the last two are undescribed species from Fiji and The Philippines, respectively. Both MSC analyses of the bourbonica complex strongly support N. bourbonica and N. vaga as independent, monophyletic species and inclusion of previously unstudied species refutes their previously hypothesized status as sister taxa. Nylanderia bourbonica emerged as sister to N. sp. Fij4 from Fiji. Nylanderia vaga is most closely related to a clade comprised of N. sp. MJ10 and N. obscura . Seven specimens previously misidentified as N. bourbonica instead belong to two other morphospecies closely related to the bourbonica complex. This strongly supported clade of morphospecies resembling N. bourbonica includes Nylanderia spp. 05 and 08 from southern China and Hong Kong ( Fig. 3A and B).