Tropical Insects Research Articles

Heat domes increase vulnerability of native stingless bees by simultaneously weakening key survival traits

Heatwave events increase in frequency and duration, yet there is a strong gap in assessing their nonlethal effects on tropical insects, including beneficial social species. The stingless bees are a highly diverse group of pantropical pollinators that provide key ecosystem services. Here, we simultaneously analyzed for the first time the effect of sublethal heat stress (HS) during immature (pupal) development on adult morphology (size, shape, symmetry) and immune response of the three castes/sexes in stingless bee colonies: workers, unmated queens (gynes) and males, as well as its impact on the onset of foraging and lifespan in workers. Individuals experimentally heat stressed during development had smaller body size and reduced symmetry as adults compared with control, non-heat stressed (NHS) individuals, though the strength of the effects of HS also varied between castes and sexes. Notably, males were more prone to the effects of HS compared with workers, and less so gynes; HS reduced the immune response of males, though not that of workers or queens. Workers had significantly earlier onset of foraging and a shorter lifespan when exposed as immatures to HS. Under a worst-case scenario, knock-on negative impacts on individual survival caused by HS could compromise colony fitness. In the long-term, heatwaves may also have repercussions for the persistence of stingless bee species, the sustainability of key ancestral activities like meliponiculture and ecosystem services. Measures to ameliorate the effect of climatic warming are urgently needed to protect these pollinators, which represent an iconic world heritage.

Friendly fungi: Tropical insect families form partnerships with intracellular fungi related to pathogens

Sap-sucking insects fail to obtain vitamins, amino acids, and sterols from their plant diet. To compensate, obligate intracellular bacterial symbionts (usually Sulcia and Vidania) provide these missing nutrients. Notably, some planthoppers within the Fulgoromorpha (suborder Auchenorrhyncha) associate with intracellular fungi, which either accompany or replace the anciently associated bacterial partners. Planthopper-symbiont surveys, however, have only been conducted in limited temperate regions, thus necessitating examination of these relationships in the tropics, where insect and fungal diversity is high. Here, five tropical planthopper families host yeast-like endosymbionts related to the parasitic genus Ophiocordyceps. Fungal endosymbiont identity generally corresponded to host family, suggesting possible coevolution. Vertical transmission to offspring was supported by the occurrence of fungal cells in developing eggs. This serves as the most comprehensive tropical planthopper-symbiont survey to date, doubling the roster of known Fulgoromorpha species that host intracellular fungi and further elucidating the remarkable success of this diverse insect group.

Tropical beetles more sensitive to impacts are less likely to be known to science

Insects are posited to be declining globally. This is particularly pertinent in tropical forests, which exhibit both the highest levels of biodiversity and the highest rates of biodiversity loss. However, for the hyper-diverse tropical insects there are scant data available to evidence declines. Understanding tropical insect diversity and its response to environmental change has therefore become a challenge, but it is estimated that 80% of tropical insect species remain undescribed1. Insect biodiversity predictions are based mostly on well-studied taxa and extrapolated to other groups, but no one knows whether resilience to environmental change varies between undescribed and described species. Here, we collected staphylinid beetles from unlogged and logged tropical forests in Borneo and investigated their responses to environmental change. Out of 252 morphospecies collected, 76% were undescribed. Undescribed species showed higher community turnover, reduced abundance and decreased probability of occurrence in logged forests. Thus the unknown components of tropical insect biodiversity are likely more impacted by human-induced environmental change. If these patterns are widespread, how accurate will assessments of insect declines in the tropics be?

Stingless bee foragers experience more thermally stressful microclimates and have wider thermal tolerance breadths than other worker subcastes

IntroductionThe current state of anthropogenic climate change is particularly concerning for tropical insects, species predicted to be the most negatively affected. Researching climatic tolerance in social insects is challenging because adaptations exist at both individual and societal levels. Division of labor research helps to bridge the gap between our understanding of these adaptations at different scales, which is important because social insects comprise a tremendous portion of global animal biomass, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Considering how individual physiologies construct group-level adaptations can improve climate change impact assessments for social species. Tetragonisca angustula is a neotropical stingless bee species that exhibits high worker subcaste specialization with a morphologically distinct soldier caste.MethodsWe used this species to investigate 1) whether age- and size-differentiated subcastes differ in thermal tolerance, 2) which worker subcaste operates closest to their thermal limits, and 3) the extent to which this species selects active foraging times to offset thermal stress. We measured the thermal tolerance (CTmax and CTmin) of small-bodied foragers and two soldier subcastes (hovering guards and standing guards) in T. angustula.Results and discussionDespite body size differences between foragers and guards, no differences in the upper or lower thermal limits were observed. However, the average thermal tolerance breadth of foragers was significantly larger than that of guards, and foraging sites were more thermally variable than nest sites, supporting the Climatic Variability Hypothesis at a microclimate scale and in the context of division of labor. Warming tolerance was significantly lower among small-bodied foragers compared to hovering and standing guards. The magnitude of warming tolerances indicated low risk of imminent climate change impacts in this environment but suggests that increasing temperatures and heatwave prevalence may cause foragers to meet their upper thermal limits before other subcastes. Foraging occurred at a narrower range of temperatures than would challenge critical temperatures, with higher morning activity. Directionally increasing temperatures will likely confine these preferred foraging temperatures to a narrower time window. Further study is needed to elucidate how foragers may shift times of activity in response to anthropogenic warming, but changing climates may impact plant pollination rates in natural and agricultural systems.

What one genus of showy moths can say about migration, adaptation, and wing pattern

The Ornate Moth, Utetheisa ornatrix, has served as a model species in chemical ecology studies for decades. Like in the widely publicized stories of the Monarch and other milkweed butterflies, the Ornate Moth and its relatives are tropical insects colonizing whole continents assisted by their chemical defenses. With the recent advances in genomic techniques and evo-devo research, it is becoming a model for studies in other areas, from wing pattern development to phylogeography, from toxicology to epigenetics. We used a genomic approach to learn about Utetheisa's evolution, detoxification, dispersal abilities, and wing pattern diversity. We present an evolutionary genomic analysis of the worldwide genus Utetheisa, then focusing on U. ornatrix. Our reference genome of U. ornatrix reveals gene duplications in the regions possibly associated with detoxification abilities, which allows them to feed on toxic food plants. Finally, comparative genomic analysis of over 100 U. ornatrix specimens from the museum with apparent differences in wing patterns suggest the potential roles of cortex and lim3 genes in wing pattern formation of Lepidoptera and the utility of museum-preserved collection specimens for wing pattern research.

Colonization by tiger mosquito (<em>Aedes albopictus</em> Skuse, 1894) of mountain areas over 600 m above sea level in the surroundings of Trento city, Northeast Italy

Originally from Southeast Asia, the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is now found almost everywhere in the world. Additionally, it spread throughout all of Northeastern Italy’s cities, including Trento, and settled in the Alpine regions. The invasion of mountain regions in the Alps above 600 meters, which is generally thought to be the upper limit of Ae. Albopictus’s range, is confirmed for the first time in this note. We observed it in the summer of 2023 between 615 and 708 meters above sea level in the Trento region’s surrounding mountains, specifically in the Montevaccino and Sopramonte localities. The mosquito was caught using ovitraps, and by raising the eggs to adulthood in a lab, the species identification was verified. This finding heightens worries about how tropical insect species, which are favored by global warming, may invade the mountains and affect tourism.

A new genus and species of Platypodini pinhole borers from South America (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Platypodinae).

I describe Amplioscapus new genus for Amplioscapus mirabilis new species represented by 164 specimens collected from tropical forests of the Amazon Basin and Guiana Shield. The new genus differs from all other Neotropical Platypodini genera in the antennae being inserted at the upper margin of the eyes in females; in the extraordinarily expanded antennal scape with dense long setae; in the numbers of transverse rugae on the protibiae; and in the numbers of small teeth on the anterior margin of the impression at the distal ends of the metanepisternum and metaventrite. The new pinhole borer genus is most similar to Megaplatypus Wood; in addition to the characters mentioned previously, the new genus differs from all known Megaplatypus in the pair of large mycangia on the female pronotum and the strongly alternating lengths of the elytral interstriae of males. Most individuals were taken from low elevations. Host records for specimens taken from cut trees show the new species to be a host generalist. The vast majority of specimens were captured by flight intercept traps, Malaise traps or canopy fogging, underlining the importance of passive trapping for tropical insect biodiversity surveys.

Parallel shifts in flight-height associated with altitude across incipient Heliconius species.

Vertical gradients in microclimate, resource availability, and interspecific interactions are thought to underly stratification patterns in tropical insect communities. However, only a few studies have explored the adaptive significance of vertical space use during the early stages of reproductive isolation. We analysed flight-height variation across speciation events in Heliconius butterflies, representing parallel colonizations of high-altitude forest. We measured flight-height in wild H. erato venus and H. chestertonii, parapatric lowland and mountain specialists, respectively, and found that H. chestertonii consistently flies at a lower height. By comparing our data to previously published results for the ecologically equivalent H. e. cyrbia (lowland) and H. himera (high altitude), we found that the species flying closest to the ground are those that recently colonized high-altitude forests. We show that these repeated trends largely result from shared patterns of ecological selection producing parallel trait-shifts in H. himera and H. chestertonii. Although our results imply a signature of local adaptation, we did not find an association between resource distribution and flight-height in H. e. venus and H. chestertonii. We discuss how this pattern may be explained by variations in forest structure and microclimate. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of behavioural adjustments during early divergence mediated by altitude-shifts.

Abundance, occurrence and time series: long-term monitoring of social insects in a tropical rainforest

The magnitude of worldwide insect decline is hotly debated, with multiple examples of stable or increasing insect populations. In addition, time series data for tropical insects are scarce, notably in rainforests where insect diversity is poorly known but reaches a peak. Despite social insects (ants, termites, bees and allies) being key organisms in these habitats, long-term monitoring data for these groups are crucially lacking. For many of these insects, the difficulty of locating nests in rainforests could be one reason. In this context, species occurrence in samples is often used as a surrogate for abundance to evaluate species distribution in space/time, but the loss of information is difficult to assess. In a tropical rainforest in Panama, we employed various sampling methods to examine the time series of seven insect assemblages with differing degrees of sociality: termite workers and soldiers, termite alates, bess beetles, litter ant workers, army ant alates, orchid bees, and nocturnal sweat bees. We used five community variables and six models related to occurrence and abundance, to test for significant trends in assemblages over a 13-year period (2009–2021). While assemblages of bess beetles increased, those of termite workers and soldiers, army ant alates, and orchid bees remained relatively stable. Termite alate, litter ant worker, and nocturnal bee assemblages showed signs of decline, demonstrating the need for monitoring distinct assemblages. Significant trends in generalized additive mixed models (GAMM) were observed in three out of five assemblages that could be tested. Our study indicates that trends in assemblages may be more informatively reported with abundance than with occurrence. We recommend (1) monitoring multiple insect assemblages as ecological indicators responsible for diverse ecosystem services; and (2) reporting species richness, changes in faunal composition, occurrence, and, when possible, using time-explicit analyses (such as GAMM models) for evaluating population trends over time.

El Niño oscillations impact anti-predator defences to alter survival of an herbivorous beetle in a neotropical wet forest

Abstract Little is known about the effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on tropical insect communities, even though they are suffering rapid declines in complexity and stability due to climate change. We explore the impact of fluctuations in local climate imposed by ENSO on the performance of herbivore defences mediating enemy interactions. In a widespread rainforest edge community, we quantified the mortality caused by five enemy guilds on the immature stages of the herbivorous beetle, Acromis sparsa. ENSO was a significant determinant of beetle mortality. During warmer, drier El Niño years, the survival of beetles decreased. This was due to increased egg parasitism by wasps, which reduced hatching. Additionally, ant predation on beetle larvae increased. Flies and wasps were in competition for larval prey in wetter, cooler La Niña years. Experimental removal of maternal guards or chemical shields revealed which ENSO-related parameters predicted larval mortality. Guarding was most effective against social wasps in La Niña, whereas shields proved most effective in El Niño. Two ENSO-related defence–enemy breakdowns occurred: (1) decoupling whereby the efficacy of a narrow defensive adaptation was reduced to increase mortality, and (2) mismatching whereby the resistance of a narrow defensive adaptation against non-targeted enemies was further reduced to increase mortality. These results highlight that defence efficacy against natural enemies can vary predictably with biotic and abiotic environmental conditions. ENSO events will increase breakdowns in defence-mediated interactions, shifts in competition among enemies, and species loss.

Community Structure in an Isolated Tropical Forest Biome: One Year of Fruit-Feeding Butterfly Trapping in Four Habitats in the Western Ghats, India

Insect communities in tropical forests tend to be structured vertically and with respect to tree fall gaps and edges. Furthermore, insect communities vary over time. Insight into such habitat specificity and temporal variation is needed to design and interpret biodiversity surveys and to compare conservation value among habitats. Some aspects of tropical insect community structure, such as the proportion of canopy specialists and temporal variation, vary among biogeographical regions and climatic zones. To date, few regions have been sampled systematically, so generalization remains difficult. We compared fruit-feeding butterfly communities among understory, canopy, natural treefalls, and forest edge, in a tropical forest of the Western Ghats, a strip of rainforest that is isolated from Sundaland, the large rainforest block of South-East Asia. During a yearlong study, we captured 3018 individuals belonging to 32 species and representing 14 genera. While some butterflies were captured in the canopy, no species was significantly more abundant in the canopy than in the understory. This observation was contrary to studies elsewhere in the tropics where 14–55% of the species could be classified as canopy specialists. Even though the largest number of species was captured at forest edges, species diversity was highest in the gaps. The communities at the forest edge differed importantly from those in treefall gaps: at the forest edge, we caught grassland species in addition to the forest species. Larger treefall gaps had higher butterfly abundance than smaller gaps. Both abundance and diversity peaked during the late monsoon season, and all common species in our sample also peaked during this period. The spatiotemporal community structure appears to depend on biogeography (less vertical stratification further from large forest blocks) and climate (more synchrony among species in seasonal abundance when there is a more severe dry season).

Threatened species could be more vulnerable to climate change in tropical countries

Climate change is a major threat impacting insects globally, yet the impact on tropical insects is largely unknown. Here, I assessed the climatic vulnerability of Bangladeshi butterflies (242 species). About 42 % of species could experience range contraction, and the impact could be significantly more severe among threatened species. Depending on Socio-Economic Pathways (ssps), the future climatic condition could be unsuitable for 2 (ssp126) – 34 % (ssp585) species. The mean elevation of the suitable habitat could increase by 238 %, and the situation could be more severe for the threatened butterflies. Further, 54 % of the realised niche of butterflies could be altered. Although there might be no significant association between the shift in habitat suitability along the elevational gradient, migratory species could experience a more significant shift than non-migrants. Overall, climate change could have a severe impact on Bangladeshi butterflies. To mitigate insect decline globally and meet the Post 2020 Biodiversity Framework targets, immediate detection of climate change impact on tropical insects and developing effective conservation strategies is essential.

Towards a functional classification of poorly known tropical insects: The case of rhinoceros beetles (Coleoptera, Dynastinae) in Panama

AbstractThe population dynamics of most tropical insects are unknown and long‐term monitoring programmes are urgently needed to evaluate a possible insect decline in the tropics. In this context, functional groups can be used effectively to summarise time‐series for species‐rich taxa. Neotropical dung beetles have often been catalogued into functional groups, but close relatives also of ecological significance, the Dynastinae, are awaiting such a classification.Here, we examine the functional groups of Dynastinae at the regional (Panama: 147 species) and local (Barro Colorado Island, BCI: 56 species) scales. Our optimum classification of Panamanian species distinguished five groups, one of which is probably artificial and accounts for species ecologically poorly known.Ecological attributes or species traits mainly influencing the delineation of groups were geographical distribution, body length, seasonal aggregation, larval food and whether the adult may be present in decaying wood.Our analyses indicated that (1) missing trait values and the high percentage of ‘cryptic’ species (25%) influenced the delineation of groups; (2) the dendrogram similarity of functional groups versus phylogenetic tree was low, although some traits were phylogenetically conserved; and (3) the overall structure of functional groups was conserved when comparing regional and local data, suggesting no drastic loss of functional groups locally.To proceed with the functional classification of poorly known tropical insects, we recommend a cautious selection of traits a priori, inclusion of ‘cryptic’ species recognised by DNA barcoding, and building phylogenies, which may allow a careful taxonomic imputation to complete species‐traits matrices.

The multigenerational effects of clothianidin on Chironomus xanthus: Larvae exposed to this acetylcholine super agonist show no clear resistance

Clothianidin (CLO) is an insecticide belonging to the second-generation class of neonicotinoids. In this study, we evaluated how CLO affects the survival and the complete life cycle of the tropical insect Chironomus xanthus, a non-target species, considering the Parental (P) and Filial (F1) generations. We found a 48 h-lethal concentration (LC50) of CLO of 3.78 µg/L. The lowest observed effect concentrations (LOECs) were: i) for body growth and head capsule width in P generation = 47.3 ng/L CLO; ii) for body growth and head capsule width in F1 generation larvae = 80 and 36.4 ng/L CLO, respectively; iii) for cumulative emergence it was 80 ng/L CLO in the P generation, while there was no significant difference in the F1 generation; iv) for total developmental time for males and females = 61.53 ng/L in P generation; v) in the F1 generation, the LOEC was determined to be 36.4 ng/L for males and 80 ng/L for females; vi) The number of total hatched eggs and total hatched eggs/female had LOECs of 36.4 ng/L CLO for both generations. Our study reveals that environmentally relevant concentrations of the CLO-based insecticide are highly toxic to C. xanthus. It also shows that the F1 generation, resulting from parents exposed to CLO was not clearly resistant to the insecticide. This fact might be explained by the different effects observed for males and females of F1 generation. Understanding the sub-types of acetylcholine receptors present on target and non-target insect species and toxicological effects of neonicotinoids seems to be desirable for the insecticide industry to deal with insect pests and the environmental protection of non-target organisms.

Virome of Three Termite Species from Southern Vietnam.

Modern metagenomic approaches enable the effective discovery of novel viruses in previously unexplored organisms. Termites are significant ecosystem converters and influencers. As with the majority of tropical forest insects, termites are studied insufficiently, and termite virome remains especially understudied. Here, we studied the virome of lichenophagous and mycophagous termites (Hospitalitermes bicolor, Macrotermes carbonarius and Odontotermes wallonensis) collected in the Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam). We assembled four full genomes of novel viruses related to Solemoviridae, Lispiviridae, Polycipiviridae and Kolmioviridae. We also found several contigs with relation to Chuviridae and Deltaflexiviridae that did not correspond to complete virus genomes. All the novel viruses clustered phylogenetically with previously identified viruses of the termites. Deltaflexi-like contigs were identified in the fungi-cultivating M. carbonarius and showed homology with viruses recently discovered in the edible basidiomycete mushrooms.

More winners than losers over 12 years of monitoring tiger moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama.

Understanding the causes and consequences of insect declines has become an important goal in ecology, particularly in the tropics, where most terrestrial diversity exists. Over the past 12 years, the ForestGEO Arthropod Initiative has systematically monitored multiple insect groups on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, providing baseline data for assessing long-term population trends. Here, we estimate the rates of change in abundance among 96 tiger moth species on BCI. Population trends of most species were stable (n = 20) or increasing (n = 62), with few (n = 14) declining species. Our analysis of morphological and climatic sensitivity traits associated with population trends shows that species-specific responses to climate were most strongly linked with trends. Specifically, tiger moth species that are more abundant in warmer and wetter years are more likely to show population increases. Our study contrasts with recent findings indicating insect decline in tropical and temperate regions. These results highlight the significant role of biotic responses to climate in determining long-term population trends and suggest that future climate changes are likely to impact tropical insect communities.

Polyethylene microplastics and substrate availability can affect emergence responses of the freshwater insect Chironomus sancticaroli.

Pollution caused by polyethylene microplastics (MP) has been reported for aquatic environments worldwide. However, despite recurrent research for several aquatic organisms, the effects of MP on the emergence stage of freshwater insects from tropical environments are little known. This study is the first to assess the emergence of the Brazilian native species Chironomus sancticaroli Strixino & Strixino, 1981 when exposed to primary polyethylene microplastics (size 40-48 µm). We performed two exposure scenarios, with a substrate (standard assays) and without substrate (as a stressful experience), and recorded emergence responses. The MP did not affect the species' emergence rate, but these rates were statistically different for the standard and stressful exposure scenarios. In bioassays without substrate, the high concentrations of MP caused anticipation of the insect's emergence (5-6 days). On the other hand, female emergence time was longer than males in standard bioassays. The substrate absence caused a slight increase in the left female wing's length and the potential female fecundity. These findings suggest that the polyethylene microplastics and substrate availability can affect the emergence dynamics of the tropical insect C. sancticaroli.

Diversity and distribution of Fruit‐feeding butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda

AbstractTropical rainforests including high mountains are the most diverse terrestrial ecosystems. The ecology of tropical insects has been documented, but there is still a knowledge gap on insect diversity within certain underexplored regions such as the Afrotropical Mountains. A study was conducted in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda, an Afromontane tropical rainforest and a biodiversity hotspot. The aims of the study were to assess (1) the fruit‐feeding butterfly species and their distribution across an elevation gradient in Nyungwe; (2) the elevation distribution range of each fruit‐feeding butterfly species; and (3) the effect of seasonal variation on fruit‐feeding butterflies' distribution across an elevation gradient in Nyungwe National Park. Stratified seasonal sampling was conducted using fruit‐baited traps along an elevation gradient spanning from 1700 to 2950 m of altitude. Fifty‐six species including 10 Albertine Rift endemics were recorded, and 77% of the recorded species range between 1700 and 2100 m of altitude. Higher species richness and abundance were recorded during the dry season and decreased with increasing elevation. This study contributed to the knowledge of Nyungwe butterflies' diversity and provided baseline data for use in future monitoring of climate change effects in high mountain tropical rainforests within the Albertine Rift region.

Floral turnover and climate drive seasonal bee diversity along a tropical elevation gradient

AbstractThe contribution of seasonality in species communities to elevational diversity of tropical insects remains poorly understood. We here assessed seasonal patterns and drivers of bee diversity in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot, Kenya, to understand the contribution of seasonality to elevational biodiversity patterns. Bee species and plant species visited by bees were recorded on 50 study plots in regrowth vegetation across four major seasons along two elevation gradients from 525 to 2530 m above sea level. Bees were sampled by transect walks using sweep nets and aspirators. We examined how local species richness (α‐diversity) and seasonal changes in local species communities (β‐diversity) contribute to species richness across seasons (γ‐diversity) along elevation gradients. Using a multimodel inference framework, we identified the contribution of climate and floral seasonality to elevational patterns in bee diversity. We found that both α‐ and γ‐diversity decreased with elevation. Seasonal β‐diversity decreased with elevation and the high turnover of species across seasons contributed to a considerably higher γ‐ than α‐diversity on study plots. A combination of seasonality in climate and the seasonal turnover of floral resources best explained the seasonality in bee species communities (seasonal β‐diversity). We, therefore, conclude that, despite the more stable, and favorable climatic conditions in the tropics (in comparison to temperate regions), climatic seasonality and its influence on bees' floral resources largely determined seasonal patterns of bee species diversity along elevation gradients on tropical mountains.

Uncovering cryptic diversity in the enigmatic ant genus Overbeckia and insights into the phylogeny of Camponotini (Hymenoptera:Formicidae:Formicinae)

Many tropical insect species remain formally undescribed, and the validity of some rarely collected and poorly studied taxa is uncertain. Overbeckia Viehmeyer, 1916 is a monotypic ant genus and a rare member of the arboreal ant communities of tropical South East Asia and Australasia. Overbeckia subclavata Viehmeyer, 1916 was collected and described from Singapore more than a century ago and there have been few other records of these ants since. Here we compare the existing Overbeckia records with recent collections in Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. We revise the taxonomic diagnosis of the genus Overbeckia in comparison with other genera of the diverse tribe Camponotini, redescribe O. subclavata and describe two new species, Overbeckia papuana sp. nov., and Overbeckia jambiensis, sp. nov. We also summarise all available ecological and distributional information of the genus, indicating that Overbeckia occurs in a variety of lowland vegetation types, from rainforests to secondary growth and plantations but is extremely rare. Using external morphological characters, internal proventricular structures and a molecular phylogeny of 78 Camponotini species based on five protein-coding loci, we demonstrate that Overbeckia is a monophyletic lineage. Molecular-clock calibrated trees using 21 fossil records indicate that the divergence between Overbeckia and its sister clade comprising the genera Echinopla Smith, 1857 and Calomyrmex Emery, 1895 occurred c. 21Ma (95% highest posterior density 14–28), and that the divergence between the three Overbeckia species likely occurred in the late Miocene and Pliocene. In addition, we transfer one Camponotus Mayr, 1861 species to Colobopsis in the light of molecular evidence: Colobopsis triangulata (Klimes & McArthur, 2014) comb. nov. Our analysis represents the most comprehensive phylogeny of the tribe Camponotini in terms of coverage of extant divergent lineages, including Overbeckia, and suggests relatively robust phylogenetic relationships among genera that are consistent with published phylogenomic trees. Overall, our study reveals cryptic species diversity in Overbeckia and provides strong evidence that this is a valid and polytypic ant genus.