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Lepidodexia Brauer and Bergenstamm is one of the most speciose genera of flesh flies found in the Western Hemisphere. With approximately 200 species and 33 subgenera, Lepidodexia generic level diagnosis primarily relies on male terminalia features. However, the monophyly of Lepidodexia has been questioned, and for some taxa, the male terminalia are poorly known, leading to uncertainty about the genus delimitation and internal relationships. To address these issues, we performed the first comprehensive phylogeny of Lepidodexia, covering 85 % of its subgenera. Our results enabled us to establish a clear diagnosis for Lepidodexia and to identify 14 groups of subgenera based on key morphological features. The taxonomic status of the subgenera Archimimus, Halliosca, Xylocamptops and the species Lepidodexia angustifrons is addressed. Furthermore, our study provides a foundation for future taxonomic and evolutionary research on this diverse and ecologically important genus of flesh flies.

In this study, Taxonomic differences between Microtus guentheri and Microtus hartingi, which are similar in terms of external morphological features, were determined using linear morphometric, geometric morphometric, karyological and molecular analyses methods. Through classical morphometric (mean values) and geometric morphometric analyses of craniodental and mandible characters, influenced by various genetic, developmental, and functional processes, it was found that M. hartingi and M. guentheri exhibited notable differences in both mean linear measurements and shape. The Jackknife in classical morphometric analyses of samples, which underwent molecular and karyological species diagnoses, was higher than 88 % for each character. In geometric morphometric analyses, the Procrustes distance for shape follows the order Ventral < Dorsal < Mandible < M3<M2<M1. Based on cross-validation, the accurate classification rate is between 73 and 100 %. In both mean linear measurements and centroid size, M. hartingi specimens exhibited significantly larger mandibles and craniodentals compared to individuals of M. guentheri. According to PLS results, there was a significant relationship between the shape of M1, M2 and M3 and environmental variables, while the relationship between their size and environmental variables was not significant. However, neither the shape nor the size of the other parts had an sufficient relationship with environmental variables. Both species exhibited karyological similarity with a chromosome number of 2n = 54, but display polymorphism in chromosome arm number. There were differences in the C-banding of autosomal chromosomes and X chromosome. The classification of species in classical and geometric morphometric analyses, diverges from the outcomes of karyological and molecular assessments. In both species, the intraspecific genetic distance remained below 1.35 %. The cyt-b exhibits significant differentiation between the two species (K2P = 6.55 %). The divergence time for M. guentheri from the clade containing M. hartingi + M. qazvinensis + Microtus dogramacii was estimated to be 0.73 million years ago. Since no sample of Microtus elbeyli with karyological and cyt-b characteristics was found in the samples taken from the type locality, the taxonomic status of M. elbeyli remains unclear.

Sacoglossa is a monophyletic group of small suctorial herbivorous Нeterobranchia. Due to the biology of feeding, most sacoglossans (except Cylindrobulla) have a distinctive feeding apparatus, which includes a sucking muscular organ as well as a sacoglossan-type radula with one tooth in a transverse row, which pierces algal cells. Although there is obvious interest in the radular morphology and developmental modes of Sacoglossa, as these characters may provide some insight into the evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships of Sacoglossa, data on radula formation and morphogenesis in this group are sparse. This paper presents original data on the direct development, formation, and morphogenesis of the radula of Limapontia senestra (Quatrefages, 1844) from the White Sea. Based on the data obtained, we describe the development and formation of the radula. They fit into the general pattern of heterochrony in the radula anlage, characteristic of all gastropods. The small number of odontoblasts in the formation of the adult radula of L. senestra is a distinctive feature of the radula of Heterobranchia.

Mavropanorpa n. gen. is an Asian genus of scorpionflies with about 17 species, evidenced as monophyletic mainly because of the crossing of its thin subsidia (accessorial structures of the aedeagus). The genus diversified in continental east Asia before one species reached Japan, founding an evolutionary branch including Mavropanorpa japonica (Thunberg, 1784). The sister species of japonica migrated back to continental China and developed into today's M. kellogi. Lack of a medigynial apodeme in female M. japonica, lewisi and close allies is not plesiomorphic, but a result of reduction. The same holds for the shape of the subsidia and the lack of their crossing in M. japonica and M. kellogi, for which there is a pre-stage in M. nipponensis. Mavropanorpa and the type species of Panorpa, P. communis are compared with each other. A new genus name (Calliopanorpa) is also proposed for Panorpa takenouchii Miyaké, 1908 which is only superficially similar to Mavropanorpa. – Some morphological structures are renamed to avoid confusion with terminology in other insect groups or because unjustified homology might be inferred.

Morphometric analysis and evaluation of 260 striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) were carried out to identify sexual size dimorphism in pelvic bones regarding the age of individuals and the reproductive history of females. Pelvic size was found to differ between subadult and adult individuals of both sexes. A comparison using the Mann–Whitney U test between the right and left parts of the pelvis showed statistically non-significant differences between the pelvis dimensions. In the inter-sexual comparison of both ages (subadult, adult), statistically significant differences were found for only four traits in adults: length of the coxal bone (LP1), width of the ischiopubis (WP1), length of the obturator foramen (LSF) and width of the obturator foramen (WSF). The two indices (WSF/LSF and WP1/LP2) evaluated clearly reflected changes in the pelvic shape, which were most pronounced in adult mice. For the group of subadult males and females, the differences in measured traits and indices were not as pronounced. Several analyses, such as the Mann–Whitney U test, principal component analysis (PCA) as well as discriminant analysis (DFA), showed sex differences in pelvic morphology and shape, although the two sexes overlapped. Similarly, one-way ANCOVA showed that there was a significant difference between the sexes for the adjusted means. Analyses showed that for a given body mass, it appears that females tend to have larger pelvises. Thus, the sexual dimorphism of females was related to pelvic size and shape in A. agrarius. The breeding history showed differences in pelvic dimensions in following direction: the nulliparous < primigravid < primiparous direction.

Cloacal microanatomy of male Leiolepis ocellata during the reproductive cycle was examined using histochemistry and light microscopy. The cloaca is divided into three contiguous regions: the coprodeum, urodeum, and proctodeum. The coprodeum has anterior and posterior connections to the intestine and the urodeum, respectively. A bladder stalk and paired ampulla ureters open to the ventral and the dorsal urodeal walls, respectively. Paired, bilateral anterior dorsal recesses of the urodeum lie ventrally to ureters and ampulla ductus deferentes. A cloacal triad junction is indicated by confluence of the coprodeum, urodeum, and bladder stalk. The proctodeum is subdivided into the anterior and the posterior regions; the latter bears dorsal and ventral proctodeal glands. In general, similar histological profiles of each cloacal region are noticeable among animals from different reproductive periods. However, mucosal glycoconjugate production in the cloacae of reproductively inactive males is slightly less than that in the active males. Seasonal histological changes of proctodeal glands are appreciable, with the reproductively active males having structurally and functionally active glands. As expected, spermatozoa are found in the urodeal and the proctodeal lumina of the active males, while residual round germ cells are occasionally found in the cloacae of the inactive males. Overall, male L. ocellata exhibits seasonal cyclicity of microanatomy and histochemistry of the proctodeal glands, with marginal histological variability in other parts of the cloacae. Hence, the present study provides improved knowledge on dynamic microanatomical variation of the male reproductive system of reptiles in relation to the annual reproductive cycle.

A new interactive DELTA key (DEscription Language for TAxonomy) for identification of kinorhynch species is made available. The key covers species of Kentrorhagata, Xenosomata, and Anomoirhaga, i.e., all non-Echinoderidae and non-Pycnophyidae kinorhynchs. Upon publication, the key includes 64 entries, but it will continuously be updated and expanded as new species are described. The present short note describes how to access key database, and how to use the identification tools.

In the present study, we report for the first time the presence of Vitrina pellucida and Arion silvaticus as invasive species in Isla Grande of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Additionally, our research confirmed the presence in the same region of Deroceras reticulatum a previously reported invasive species from continental Patagonia. Taxonomic identification was achieved through morphological and molecular analyses (ribosomal 5.8S-ITS2-28S region and 16S rRNAgene). The finding of V. pellucida constitutes the first record of Vitrinidae for South America. This species is already naturalized in southern Tierra del Fuego and invaded natural areas of the National Park but still with small populations. In the case of Arion silvaticus, we observed a comparable situation, as this species has not only been collected from urban areas but also from within the forests of the protected area. These exotic species of land snails are exclusively cold-adapted Pulmonates. Their feeding types and diets range from herbivores on fresh plant material to omnivorous, occasionally on dead animals. The native micro snail species, coexisting in the same habitats, due to their minimal dispersal capacity and probable dependence on particular microhabitats, are particularly vulnerable not only to anthropogenic disturbances but also to the impacts and activities of these exotic species. Given the tourist impact in the region, the introduction of V. pellucida and Arion silvaticus in Tierra del Fuego has most likely occurred through accidental transport in soil by tourists arriving on the island. Another possible pathway of introduction is plant transportation.

We describe two new deep-sea species of bivalves of the genus Adontorhina that were found at a depth of 788–2532 m off the Kuril Islands and the southeastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula (Adontorhina inflata sp. nov.), as well as at a depth of 3210–3432 m in the Sea of Okhotsk and on the oceanic slope of the Kuril Islands (Adontorhina diaphana sp. nov.). Herein, we provide an expanded description of the amphi-Pacific Adontorhina cyclia, which is supplemented with new data on shell morphology, body anatomy, and distribution, based on the analysis of samples collected by 12 expeditions between 1949 and 2015 in various regions of the northwestern Pacific from the coast of Japan to the Bering Sea. The main feature distinguishing the new species from all other Adontorhina species is a unique sculpture of the prodissoconch consisting of thin folds and wrinkles of varying length, shape, and number. In addition, A. inflata sp. nov. differs from other Adontorhina species by having an obliquely ovate, strongly inflated shell with a poorly defined escutcheon and indistinct auricle; and A. diaphana sp. nov. is distinguished by having a subcircular shell with a long and strongly prominent auricle. A thorough study of the prodissoconch morphology of A. cyclia from the western and eastern Pacific, as well as Adontorhina sphaericosa and Adontorhina zelayi, showed that the sculpture of the prodissoconch in all species studied is unique and can be used as an important additional character for the identification and differentiation of Adontorhina species.

There is insufficient data about the migratory duck Anas crecca, especially the beak and oropharyngeal cavity roof. This study aimed to characterize the beak and palatine adaptations and relate the morphological features with the species-specific feeding behavior of A. crecca collected near Lake Nasser (Egypt). Our study was carried out with the help of gross, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and morphometric analysis. The lower median papillary teeth-like region corresponded to the lower papillary region in terms of food particle capture. The serrated gnathotheca surface exhibited transverse, wedge-like, cap-like, and serrated border-like processes. The lower mandibular space had four spaces: the rostral smooth, the middle folded, the long sublingual, and the caudal sublaryngeal space. The palate showed two major regions, the rostral long beak (beak nail, middle part, and the caudal papillary part) and the connecting region. The choana consists of the rostral narrow part, which has rostral non-papillated and caudal papillated parts, and the caudal papillated wide part, which has three papillary rows. The infundibular plate had numerous small papillae and sphenopterygoid salivary gland openings. Functionally, the beak plays an important role in the sieving filter feeding mechanism, and the palate is involved in the fixation of the captured food particles inside the oral cavity. Consequently, beak and palate structures exhibit anatomical adaptations for efficiently filtering feeding mechanisms.