Eur. J. Entomol. 123: 279-281, 2026 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2026.027

Inbreeding effects on worker size in the ant Cardiocondyla elegans (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)Original article

Nana GRATIASHVILI ORCID...1, Mathilde VIDAL ORCID...1, 2, Jürgen HEINZE ORCID...1, *
1 LS Zoology / Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany; e-mails: nanagratiashvili@yahoo.com, mathilde@erinn.eu, juergen.heinze@ur.de
2 Present address: ERINN Innovation, Olympic House (Unit 3), Pleasants St, Saint Kevin's, Dublin, D08 H67X, Ireland

Although outbreeding is common among ants, genetic data suggest the regular occurrence of sib-mating in several species of the genus Cardiocondyla. Here, we demonstrate that workers produced by queens of Cardiocondyla elegans that mated with unrelated males are significantly larger than those produced by queens that mated with their brothers. Although this difference was small, prolonged inbreeding could have negative fitness consequences and may thus explain our previous observation that workers carry their sexual sisters to foreign nests, hereby promoting outbreeding.

Keywords: Body size, fluctuating asymmetry, sib-mating, fitness, mating

Received: August 28, 2026; Revised: September 25, 2026; Accepted: September 25, 2026; Published online: October 20, 2026  Show citation

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GRATIASHVILI, N., VIDAL, M., & HEINZE, J. (2026). Inbreeding effects on worker size in the ant Cardiocondyla elegans (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). EJE, 123, Article 279-281. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2026.027
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