ИСТИНА

Homoplasy in morphological evolution has been known for a long time, including Formicidae. The most difficult problem for investigation is parallel evolution of closely-related taxa. In this situation for differentiation the morphological similarity (homoplasy or homology) we solve a complex problem. We investigate ways of transformation of wing venation types in forewings of Formicinae, Dolichoderinae, Myrmecinae and Poneromorpha. Recent Formicidae have wide range of forewing venation types (16 by our typology, Perfilieva, 2010). Nevertheless most of them we observe simultaneously in several subfamilies and some of the types are more frequent. In that way a similar wing venation (homoplasy) in different subfamilies arise as a result of parallel evolution. We show stages of formation of new venation types on the basis of intraspecific variability. The reduction series of venation transformations for each subfamily was produced. Different subfamilies are distinguished by details of venation because of different evolutionary ways of its reduction. For example, reduction of the second and third sections of the RS vein takes place after the reduction of the fourth section in myrmicine wings. While the fourth section of the RS vein in poneromorphs form the transversal radial vein named usually as the second 2r-rs. Therefore, the 2r-rs vein is long and sloping in poneromorphs but short and erect in myrmicine wings. The features of venation of different subfamilies are defined by different ways of reduction of respective wing area.