Unrecognized Ant Megadiversity in Monsoonal Australia: Diversity and Its Distribution in the Hyperdiverse Monomorium nigrius Forel Group

We document diversity and its distribution within the hyperdiverse Monomorium nigrius Forel group of Australian monsoonal tropics, an unrecognized global centre ant diversity. The includes a single described species, but several distinct morphotypes each with multiple clearly recognizable taxa are known. Our analysis is based on 401 CO1-sequenced specimens collected from throughout mainland primarily in north particularly four bioregions: Top End (northern third) Northern Territory (NT), Sturt Plateau region central NT, Kimberley far northern Western Australia, North Queensland. Clade structure CO1 tree highly congruent general morphotypes, although most occur clades therefore shown as polyphyletic. recognize 97 species among our sequenced specimens, this generally consistent (if not somewhat conservative) PTP analyses clustering. Species turnover extremely high both bioregions fauna that southern Australia. estimate M. contains well over 200 300 overall. study provides further evidence Australia should be recognized