Taxonomic identification/inventory of Algerian ants assisted by a molecular barcoding and phylogenetic approach using COX1 mitochondrial sequences

This study is the first attempt to inventory and evaluate the taxonomic identification of the Algerian myrmecofauna by integrating traditional morphology with molecular barcoding and phylogenetic approach. Sixty-one specimens of ants belonging to the family Formicidae, collected from different ecosystems in Algeria, were sequenced and barcoded using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (COX1). The DNA barcodes newly generated from this study were compared and analyzed with COX1 homologs available in GenBank databases representing putative conspecific and congeneric relatives of the Algerian ant samples and several others to represent the Formicoid, Poneroid, and Leptanillinae diversity to serve as molecular barcode references and outgroups for phylogenetic analyses. The results confirmed the COX1 gene as an excellent molecular marker at the generic level. They allowed the unambiguous taxonomic assignment of the Algerian specimens surveyed to fourteen Formicoid genera belonging to the Myrmicinae, Formicinae, and Dolichoderinae subfamilies, with abundance of Crematogaster, Tapinoma, Cataglyphis, and Componotus representatives. Such an integrative approach not only provided molecular support to most morphology-based identification but also allowed suggestion of taxonomic assignment or reassignment of some incompletely determined specimens, in accordance with the latest taxonomic revisions (e.g., Plagiolepis schmitzii, Camponotus spissinodis). It also helped to circumscribe some cases which need further investigations to illuminate complex evolutionary relationships and to re-evaluate and refine the taxonomic value of the most relevant diagnostic characters. Moreover, these preliminary data support the previous detection of three additional non-native ants in Algeria. Altogether, these results demonstrate the significant advantages that can be derived from a comprehensive development of such integrative studies for faster and better knowledge and understanding of the myrmecofauna diversity of Africa conserving regional biodiversity. Dataset published through GBIF (DOI: 10.15468/sjtjv2)