We provide a reference tree resolving the relationships among the main Formica subgenera with high bootstrap supports. s., Coptoformica, Raptiformica and Serviformica) using a phylogenomic dataset of 945 genes for 16 species. In this study, we resolve the relationships among the 4 palearctic Formica subgenera ( Formica str. The absence of a well-resolved phylogenetic tree of the genus prevent an assessment of whether relationships among Formica subgenera are compatible with this scenario. In his book “On the Origin of Species” (1859), Darwin first hypothesized that slave-making behaviour in Formica evolved in incremental steps from a free-living ancestor.
In particular, Darwin used Formica as model species to better understand the evolution of slave-making, a parasitic behaviour where workers of another species are stolen to exploit their workforce. The ants of the Formica genus are classical model species in evolutionary biology.
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