Evolution of morphological crypsis in the Tetramorium caespitum ant species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Cryptic species are morphologically very similar to each other. To what extent stasis or convergence causes crypsis and whether ecology influences the evolution of crypsis has remained unclear. The Tetramorium caespitum complex is one of the most intricate examples of cryptic species in ants. Here, we test three hypotheses concerning the evolution of its crypsis: H1: The complex is monophyletic. H2: Morphology resulted from evolutionary stasis....