Distribution pattern of swarm-founding eusocial wasps in the Indonesian Archipelago in comparison of that of parrots, one of sedentary bird groups

Abstract

In the colony founding modes, eusocial wasps are divided into “independent-founders”, which initiate a colony by one to several inseminated females, and “swarm-founders”, which found their new colony by a number of “workers” accompanying one to many “queens”. As the swarm-founders put their trail pheromone on a guide to lead their colony members to a new nesting site, they would not disperse across large water bodies, such as sea and wide rivers. The present-day distribution pattern of swarm-founding wasps on the islands that are currently separated from each other and from continents should reflect the historical geology of these islands. The distribution patterns of the swarm-founding eusocial wasps in the Indonesian Archipelago are characterized by (1) occurrence of Asian continental elements in Borneo and Sumatra and their adjacent small islands, with a few species extending eastwards to Flores of Lesser Sunda Islands; (2) restriction of Australasian elements to New Guinea and its adjacent small islands including Aru; and (3) absence on most islands in Wallacea such as Sulawesi, Moluccas and eastern parts of Lesser Sunda Islands including Timor. These islands where no swarm-founders occur have never merged with any continental (Asian or Australasian) land mass. In the current distribution patterns in the Indonesian Archipelago, the swarm-founding eusocial wasps and the parrots are superficially similar, but their historical biogeography would be quite different.