GENERIC-LEVEL RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE ANT SUBFAMILY DOLICHODERINAE (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE)

A cladistic analysis was undertaken to determine relationships among e xtant genera of the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae. Twenty-one of the tw enty-two currently recognized genera within the subfamily were examine d using 104 morphological characters. A single fully resolved, most-pa rsimonious tree was found when a combination of ordered and unordered characters was used. When all characters were coded as unordered, seve nty most-parsimonious trees were found. The following results were fou nd with both character coding methods. Leptomyrmex was placed basal to the remainder of the subfamily and the monophyletic sets Dolichoderus + Liometopum + Axinidris + Tapinoma + Technomyrmex, Froggattella + Ir idomyrmex + Ochetellus + Papyrius + Philidris + Turneria, and Bothriom yrmex + Dorymyrmex + Forelius + Loweriella were suggested. The genera Linepithema and Doleromyrma showed a small amount of instability in mo ving between neighbouring sister groups when the character coding meth od changed. The genera Anillidris and Anonychomyrma were difficult to place as they showed major differences in their positions between the two character coding methods.