Evolution: no-male's land for an Amazonian ant

Curr Biol. 2009 Sep 15;19(17):R738-40. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.021.

Abstract

Recent work has shown that, in the Amazonian fungus-growing ant Mycocepurus smithii, queens use exclusively asexual reproduction and the male sex seems to have disappeared from the species. This finding illustrates the remarkable diversity of reproductive systems in ants.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Ants / genetics
  • Ants / physiology*
  • Biological Evolution*
  • DNA Fingerprinting
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Microsatellite Repeats
  • Reproduction, Asexual*
  • Species Specificity