Electrophoretic Variation of Amylase in Meat Ants, Iridomyrmex Purpureus, and Its Taxonomic Significance.

Abstract

Amylase isozymes in natural populations of Iridomyrmex purpureus (F. Sm.) in South Australia were found to be controlled by a polymorphic gene locus with four alleles. Two of the commonest forms of this species (I. p. purpureus and an unnamed blue form) were found to have considerable differences in allele frequency at the locus. This was taken as evidence that these forms do not interbreed in nature and so are separate species. It was not possible to make a distinction on this basis between I. p. purpureus and a third form, I. p. viridiaeneus Viehmeyer [cf. RAE/A 63, 1611], and the relation between these two remains uncertain.