RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Phylogeny of the Ants: Diversification in the Age of Angiosperms
JF Science
JO Science
FD American Association for the Advancement of Science
SP 101
OP 104
DO 10.1126/science.1124891
VO 312
IS 5770
A1 Moreau, Corrie S.
A1 Bell, Charles D.
A1 Vila, Roger
A1 Archibald, S. Bruce
A1 Pierce, Naomi E.
YR 2006
UL http://science.sciencemag.org/content/312/5770/101.abstract
AB We present a large-scale molecular phylogeny of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), based on 4.5 kilobases of sequence data from six gene regions extracted from 139 of the 288 described extant genera, representing 19 of the 20 subfamilies. All but two subfamilies are recovered as monophyletic. Divergence time estimates calibrated by minimum age constraints from 43 fossils indicate that most of the subfamilies representing extant ants arose much earlier than previously proposed but only began to diversify during the Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene. This period also witnessed the rise of angiosperms and most herbivorous insects.