[Taxacom] ant biogeography

[John Grehan]

Hi Brendon

"the most plausible scenarios for a present-day distribution within both
Australasia and the Neotropics are terrestrial dispersal through Antarctica
or passive oceanic rafting."

How so? Do you explain this in your 2016 paper? Why not involve
paleogeographies across the Pacific?

"there are at least 18 arthropod groups represented in this amber with
distinct Australasian connections"

Not at all surprising given the many extant New World groups showing this
connection.

"discovery of a winged New World Leptomyrmex queen, whether in amber or
extant, would reveal that prehistoric dispersal ability in this lineage was
much greater than previously considered possible by exclusively
wingless queens.
Such a finding would support an historical overland dispersal scenario as
much more likely."

Since there are plenty of 'poor' dispersers with ranges just as great,
presumed dispersal ability might not be all that informative in any
particular way. All organisms disperse, and ancestral ranges may be local
or near global whether in ants, butterflies, worms, birds, frogs, or ghost
moths etc.

Cheers, John