Differentiation of the ant genus Tapinoma from the Mediterranean Basin by species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. Berville, L., Hefetz, A., Lenoir, A., Renucci, M., Blight, O., Provost, E. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27178.39360 Correct species identification is a precondition for biological study; yet despite a long history of morphological investigations, the systematic position of many ant species remains unclear. Identifying cryptic or sibling species is essential because morphological similarity may mask great differences in behavior and ecology. Consequently, their reliable identification requires elaborate methods in multi-modal approaches such as high morphology analysis, DNA analysis or cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) compositions. Like any phenotypic character, CHCs are reliable indicators of species identity. Here, we identified by GC and compared cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of workers of several species of Tapinoma from Algeria, Morocco, Israel, France and Spain and identified five Tapinoma species: T. erraticum, T. israele, T. madeirense, T. nigerrimum and T. simrothi. The species-specific hydrocarbon profiles were found to remain remarkably stable between Morocco and Northern France and between Israel and Algeria. They seem not to be influenced by ecological factors such as vegetation type, soil and climate. In Tapinoma genus, cuticular hydrocarbon profiles were found to have a high diversity in CHC composition determined by GC-MS. These five identified Tapinoma species shared only three CHC. The findings from our work clearly show how using chemical facilitates the study of these species, by allowing precise differentiation and identification. The chemistry of the CHC blend is shown to be a good tool for taxonomists, being species-stable over thousands of kilometers.
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