{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:25:15Z","timestamp":1760059515191,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,22]],"date-time":"2025-06-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750550400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"International Collaboration grant (National Institute of Ecology)","award":["DL57\/2016\/CP1440\/CP1646\/CT0003","EXPL\/BIA-EVL\/0470\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DL57\/2016\/CP1440\/CP1646\/CT0003","EXPL\/BIA-EVL\/0470\/2021"]}]},{"name":"SCVZ Desertas Fund","award":["DL57\/2016\/CP1440\/CP1646\/CT0003","EXPL\/BIA-EVL\/0470\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DL57\/2016\/CP1440\/CP1646\/CT0003","EXPL\/BIA-EVL\/0470\/2021"]}]},{"name":"Norma Transit\u00f3ria","award":["DL57\/2016\/CP1440\/CP1646\/CT0003","EXPL\/BIA-EVL\/0470\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DL57\/2016\/CP1440\/CP1646\/CT0003","EXPL\/BIA-EVL\/0470\/2021"]}]},{"name":"FCT through the BIGFIT project","award":["DL57\/2016\/CP1440\/CP1646\/CT0003","EXPL\/BIA-EVL\/0470\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DL57\/2016\/CP1440\/CP1646\/CT0003","EXPL\/BIA-EVL\/0470\/2021"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Genes"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Ants are one of the most abundant animal groups on the planet and have a considerable impact on ecosystems. In the Cabo Verde Archipelago, the study of invertebrates is very scarce and ants are no exception. Methods: In this work we focus on the taxonomic analysis of formicids and study their distribution and the possible presence of invasive species in the Cabo Verde Islands. In addition, the diversity of Cabo Verde ants is compared with that of the closest African coastal countries, Senegal and Mauritania, to study a possible colonization of African ants into the archipelago. For this, we use two molecular markers, cytochrome oxidase I and the wingless gene, to perform phylogenetic analyses and haplotype networks that facilitate identification. Results: Nine taxa were identified, five invasive species, Paratrechina longicornis, Pheidole megacephala, Trichomyrmex destructor, Brachyponera sennaarensis, and Solenopsis globularia, one endemic Monomorium subopacum and three unidentified species of native genera, Monomorium sp., Lepisiota sp. Camponotus sp. Conclusions: Molecular network patterns as well as phylogenetic analyses suggest that ants are widespread throughout the archipelago, a likely consequence of human introductions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/genes16070725","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,24]],"date-time":"2025-06-24T09:24:18Z","timestamp":1750757058000},"page":"725","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["First Preliminary Molecular Assessment of Ants from Cabo Verde"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8935-5913","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael Joseph","family":"Jowers","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Biolog\u00eda y Geolog\u00eda, F\u00edsica y Qu\u00edmica Inorg\u00e1nica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Departamento de Zoolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"National Institute of Ecology, 1210, Geumgang-ro, Maseo-myeon, Seocheon-gun 33657, Republic of Korea"}]},{"given":"Franco","family":"Guouman Ferreyra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Zoolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain"}]},{"given":"Stephane","family":"Caut","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ANIMAVEG Conservation, 58 Avenue Allende, F-94800 Villejuif, France"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5444-8132","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Carlos","family":"Brito","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIBIO, Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Biodiversidade e Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, InBIO Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Campus de Vair\u00e3o, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vair\u00e3o, Portugal"},{"name":"BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vair\u00e3o, 4485-661 Vair\u00e3o, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4717-9429","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raquel","family":"Vasconcelos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIBIO, Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Biodiversidade e Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, InBIO Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Campus de Vair\u00e3o, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vair\u00e3o, Portugal"},{"name":"BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vair\u00e3o, 4485-661 Vair\u00e3o, Portugal"},{"name":"Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Cal\u00e7ada Martim de Freitas, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"abp9908","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.abp9908","article-title":"The global distribution of known and undiscovered ant biodiversity","volume":"8","author":"Kass","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci. 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