Pub Date : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf106
Quan Li, Stephen M Jackson, Xueyou Li, Wenyu Song, Zhongzheng Chen, Zhongxu Zhu, Zhechang Hu, Shuiwang He, Hongjiao Wang, Kang Luo, Jing Luo, Mingjin Pu, Changzhe Pu, Yun Xiong, Sanfu Li, Shaoying Liu, Xuelong Jiang
Petaurista is the largest and most taxonomically complex genus of extant flying squirrels and occurs in forests of Asia. Eight Petaurista specimens collected from both sides of the Nu (Salween) River in northwest Yunnan Province, China, did not match the diagnosis of any currently known species. We undertook a comprehensive morphological and genetic comparison between these specimens and other Petaurista species. Our results suggest that: (i) the northwest Yunnan specimens represent a new species that has been named Petaurista nujiangensis sp. nov.; (ii) magnificus, sybilla, and yunanensis and mishmiensis should be recognized as subspecies of Petaurista albiventer, Petaurista marica, and Petaurista nobilis, respectively; (iii) mechukaensis and muzongensis should be synonymized with Petaurista nobilis mishmiensis; (iv) there are 14 species within the genus Petaurista; and (v) Petauria is a distinct fossil genus, not related to Petaurista, and includes helleri and tetyukhensis. The estimated time of divergence and inferred ancestral distribution suggest that Petaurista originated in the Hengduan Mountains in the Miocene and underwent early diversification in situ. It subsequently spread to the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and East Asia during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene. Climate change and fluctuating sea levels during the Pliocene and Pleistocene then led to subspecies differentiation.
{"title":"Discovery of a new species of giant flying squirrel (Petaurista) from northwest Yunnan, China, sheds light on the origin and diversification of the genus","authors":"Quan Li, Stephen M Jackson, Xueyou Li, Wenyu Song, Zhongzheng Chen, Zhongxu Zhu, Zhechang Hu, Shuiwang He, Hongjiao Wang, Kang Luo, Jing Luo, Mingjin Pu, Changzhe Pu, Yun Xiong, Sanfu Li, Shaoying Liu, Xuelong Jiang","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf106","url":null,"abstract":"Petaurista is the largest and most taxonomically complex genus of extant flying squirrels and occurs in forests of Asia. Eight Petaurista specimens collected from both sides of the Nu (Salween) River in northwest Yunnan Province, China, did not match the diagnosis of any currently known species. We undertook a comprehensive morphological and genetic comparison between these specimens and other Petaurista species. Our results suggest that: (i) the northwest Yunnan specimens represent a new species that has been named Petaurista nujiangensis sp. nov.; (ii) magnificus, sybilla, and yunanensis and mishmiensis should be recognized as subspecies of Petaurista albiventer, Petaurista marica, and Petaurista nobilis, respectively; (iii) mechukaensis and muzongensis should be synonymized with Petaurista nobilis mishmiensis; (iv) there are 14 species within the genus Petaurista; and (v) Petauria is a distinct fossil genus, not related to Petaurista, and includes helleri and tetyukhensis. The estimated time of divergence and inferred ancestral distribution suggest that Petaurista originated in the Hengduan Mountains in the Miocene and underwent early diversification in situ. It subsequently spread to the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and East Asia during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene. Climate change and fluctuating sea levels during the Pliocene and Pleistocene then led to subspecies differentiation.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145181142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf114
Lech Karpiński, Patrick Gorring, Anthony I Cognato
The flightless tribe Dorcadionini is one of the most species-rich and taxonomically challenging groups in the family Cerambycidae. Eodorcadion is one of five genera included in Dorcadionini, and one of three distributed in Central Asia. The current classification of the genus is based on taxonomic works pre-dating the application of cladistic methods. We used molecular data from one mitochondrial and three nuclear markers (COI, CAD, ITS2, and Histone 3) for 70 specimens in 23 species and subspecies, representing all subgenera and most species groups of Eodorcadion to build its first phylogeny. By including some taxa of Central Asian Dorcadion and Lamia textor (type genus of Lamiini and Lamiinae), we assessed the monophyly of the tribe. The results of our analyses are the first to fully support the synonymy of Dorcadionini with Lamiini and confirm the morphology-inferred monophyly of Eodorcadion. Consequently, Lamiini = Dorcadionini syn. nov. Moreover, based on the obtained phylogeny and morphological differences, we diagnosed and subsequently described two new subgenera of Eodorcadion: Altaidorcadion Karpiński subgen. nov. and Arenodorcadion Karpiński subgen. nov., while the currently recognized subgenus Humerodorcadion stat. nov. was elevated to the genus rank. Our phylogeny is remarkably consistent with results previously obtained by other authors that used endophallic morphology.
{"title":"Is Dorcadionini monophyletic? First phylogeny of the genus Eodorcadion reveals startling relationships in Central Asian flightless lamiines (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)","authors":"Lech Karpiński, Patrick Gorring, Anthony I Cognato","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf114","url":null,"abstract":"The flightless tribe Dorcadionini is one of the most species-rich and taxonomically challenging groups in the family Cerambycidae. Eodorcadion is one of five genera included in Dorcadionini, and one of three distributed in Central Asia. The current classification of the genus is based on taxonomic works pre-dating the application of cladistic methods. We used molecular data from one mitochondrial and three nuclear markers (COI, CAD, ITS2, and Histone 3) for 70 specimens in 23 species and subspecies, representing all subgenera and most species groups of Eodorcadion to build its first phylogeny. By including some taxa of Central Asian Dorcadion and Lamia textor (type genus of Lamiini and Lamiinae), we assessed the monophyly of the tribe. The results of our analyses are the first to fully support the synonymy of Dorcadionini with Lamiini and confirm the morphology-inferred monophyly of Eodorcadion. Consequently, Lamiini = Dorcadionini syn. nov. Moreover, based on the obtained phylogeny and morphological differences, we diagnosed and subsequently described two new subgenera of Eodorcadion: Altaidorcadion Karpiński subgen. nov. and Arenodorcadion Karpiński subgen. nov., while the currently recognized subgenus Humerodorcadion stat. nov. was elevated to the genus rank. Our phylogeny is remarkably consistent with results previously obtained by other authors that used endophallic morphology.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"103 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145181141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf113
Adrian Richter, Roberto A Keller, Francisco Hita Garcia, Thomas van de Kamp, Evan P Economo
Ant lifestyles centre around the unique combination of eusociality, flightless workers, and often predatory habits. No morphological innovations in ants are known to relate to predation. Here, we explore an understudied ant novelty: the ability to close off their mouth. Ants lock their labrum in front of the maxillolabial complex through part of the maxilla pressing against labral hooks. Grooves on the maxillolabial complex additionally allow tighter labral fit in some groups. Variations in both mechanisms lead to different levels of mouthpart closure, with an evolutionary trend to switch from looser to tighter conditions across ants. We find predation to predict tight closure, but models of character evolution indicate that evolutionary dependence between these traits is not the only possible explanation for this pattern. Although tight interlocking is lost in some ants, we find no clear evidence for trade-offs with other functions, such as sensing with the palps. We discuss the origin of interlocking in ants and suggest that it might relate to a combination of predation, prognathous mouthparts, and multipurpose mandibles. We discuss the role of mouthpart closure in ant evolution but also highlight limitations of our comparative approach and emphasize the need for focused biomechanical investigations and enhanced natural history data to refine future inferences of adaptation.
{"title":"The evolution of novel mouthpart interlocking mechanisms in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)","authors":"Adrian Richter, Roberto A Keller, Francisco Hita Garcia, Thomas van de Kamp, Evan P Economo","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf113","url":null,"abstract":"Ant lifestyles centre around the unique combination of eusociality, flightless workers, and often predatory habits. No morphological innovations in ants are known to relate to predation. Here, we explore an understudied ant novelty: the ability to close off their mouth. Ants lock their labrum in front of the maxillolabial complex through part of the maxilla pressing against labral hooks. Grooves on the maxillolabial complex additionally allow tighter labral fit in some groups. Variations in both mechanisms lead to different levels of mouthpart closure, with an evolutionary trend to switch from looser to tighter conditions across ants. We find predation to predict tight closure, but models of character evolution indicate that evolutionary dependence between these traits is not the only possible explanation for this pattern. Although tight interlocking is lost in some ants, we find no clear evidence for trade-offs with other functions, such as sensing with the palps. We discuss the origin of interlocking in ants and suggest that it might relate to a combination of predation, prognathous mouthparts, and multipurpose mandibles. We discuss the role of mouthpart closure in ant evolution but also highlight limitations of our comparative approach and emphasize the need for focused biomechanical investigations and enhanced natural history data to refine future inferences of adaptation.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-19DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf126
Qiling Liu, Long Cheng, Thomas L Stubbs, Zichen Fang, Li Tian, Chunbo Yan, Michael J Benton
During the first 10 million years of the Triassic, sauropterygians diversified rapidly into a variety of marine predatory niches. Adults of the late Middle Triassic eosauropterygian Brevicaudosaurus jiyangshanensis from southern China exhibit fang-shaped premaxillary teeth that resemble those of some nothosaurids and are adapted for feeding on large prey. Here, we report a juvenile example of the species, about one-third the length of the adult. The new juvenile shares apomorphies of the adult, like the posteriorly constricted parietal table, broadened humeral mid-diaphysis and short tail. However, its juvenile status is confirmed by unfused contralateral neural arch halves and developing epiphyses of the humerus. The small, smooth, conical premaxillary teeth of the juvenile differ from the ornamented fangs of the adult. The differences in the tooth morphology between the juvenile and adult suggest that this is an example of ontogenetic dietary niche partitioning, a common strategy for reducing intraspecific competition.
{"title":"Ontogenetic dietary partitioning in a Triassic sauropterygian: implications from a new juvenile specimen of Brevicaudosaurus jiyangshanensis (Reptilia: Diapsida)","authors":"Qiling Liu, Long Cheng, Thomas L Stubbs, Zichen Fang, Li Tian, Chunbo Yan, Michael J Benton","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf126","url":null,"abstract":"During the first 10 million years of the Triassic, sauropterygians diversified rapidly into a variety of marine predatory niches. Adults of the late Middle Triassic eosauropterygian Brevicaudosaurus jiyangshanensis from southern China exhibit fang-shaped premaxillary teeth that resemble those of some nothosaurids and are adapted for feeding on large prey. Here, we report a juvenile example of the species, about one-third the length of the adult. The new juvenile shares apomorphies of the adult, like the posteriorly constricted parietal table, broadened humeral mid-diaphysis and short tail. However, its juvenile status is confirmed by unfused contralateral neural arch halves and developing epiphyses of the humerus. The small, smooth, conical premaxillary teeth of the juvenile differ from the ornamented fangs of the adult. The differences in the tooth morphology between the juvenile and adult suggest that this is an example of ontogenetic dietary niche partitioning, a common strategy for reducing intraspecific competition.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145089574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf118
Georgios Kazanidis
Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae, which introduced the binominal nomenclature, is an unparalleled scientific achievement. Despite its global use over the past four centuries, the language roots of zoological taxa remain unknown. The lack of a standardized method for studying the etymology of scientific terms hinders a thorough understanding on the origin of zoological nomenclature. To address these gaps an interdisciplinary method bridging zoology, linguistics, and chronology of ancient texts has been established. All genera names in echinoderms, one of the most speciose animal phyla, were examined. Evidence highlights the leading contribution of the Greek language in zoological nomenclature. For the first time it is shown that zoological nomenclature is rooted in the 2nd millennium BC (Greek Linear B script) with one third of the elements being sourced in Ilias (the Iliad) and Odyssea (the Odyssey), the emblematic Greek epic poems dated in the 1st millennium BC. The study elucidates for first time the Greek 3400-year-old language roots of zoological nomenclature. Most language elements are sourced in poetic, philosophical, historic, and economic rather than biological texts unravelling the dispersal of language elements across remote human-knowledge fields for at least 3400 years. The established method is transferable serving much-needed interdisciplinary research on the language roots and evolution of modern scientific terminology.
{"title":"Discovering the ancient language roots of zoological nomenclature","authors":"Georgios Kazanidis","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf118","url":null,"abstract":"Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae, which introduced the binominal nomenclature, is an unparalleled scientific achievement. Despite its global use over the past four centuries, the language roots of zoological taxa remain unknown. The lack of a standardized method for studying the etymology of scientific terms hinders a thorough understanding on the origin of zoological nomenclature. To address these gaps an interdisciplinary method bridging zoology, linguistics, and chronology of ancient texts has been established. All genera names in echinoderms, one of the most speciose animal phyla, were examined. Evidence highlights the leading contribution of the Greek language in zoological nomenclature. For the first time it is shown that zoological nomenclature is rooted in the 2nd millennium BC (Greek Linear B script) with one third of the elements being sourced in Ilias (the Iliad) and Odyssea (the Odyssey), the emblematic Greek epic poems dated in the 1st millennium BC. The study elucidates for first time the Greek 3400-year-old language roots of zoological nomenclature. Most language elements are sourced in poetic, philosophical, historic, and economic rather than biological texts unravelling the dispersal of language elements across remote human-knowledge fields for at least 3400 years. The established method is transferable serving much-needed interdisciplinary research on the language roots and evolution of modern scientific terminology.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"54 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145089576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf122
Alfredo Mayorga, Changseob Lim, Koki Yano, Yeon Jae Bae
The superfamily Ephemeroidea is a diverse group of burrowing mayflies known for the morphological and behavioural uniqueness of their mandibular tusks during their larval stage. In this study, we investigated the functional morphology of mandibular tusks across all six tusked families of Ephemeroidea using 3D morphometrics from micro-computed tomography combined with an innovative method of automatic landmarking via point-cloud registration. Our findings quantitatively support and refine the hypothesis of Bae and McCafferty in 1995 revealing that curvature and robustness are functionally linked to tusk adaptations. A principal component analysis of the mandibular tusks and forelegs substantiated the grouping of the three dwelling morphotypes (interstitial, burrowing, and hard-substrate burrowing dwellers). Evolutionary trends based on the current Ephemeroidea phylogeny suggest that interstitial dwellers with flattened bodies might have evolved in the basal lineages of Potamanthidae and Euthyplociidae, whereas burrowing dwellers with cylindrical bodies, such as that in most basal lineages of Polymitarcyidae and Ephemeridae, as well as hard-substrate dwellers, such as Povilla—Ashenopus (Polymitarcyidae) and Cheirogenesia—Palingenia (Palingeniidae), appear to have evolved in parallel, with enhanced burrowing efficiency with the forelegs. These findings provide comprehensive insights into the functional and ecological adaptations of these unique structures among benthic macroinvertebrates.
{"title":"Revisiting the functional morphology of mandibular tusks in burrowing mayfly larvae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera): analysis using micro-computed tomography and 3D morphometrics","authors":"Alfredo Mayorga, Changseob Lim, Koki Yano, Yeon Jae Bae","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf122","url":null,"abstract":"The superfamily Ephemeroidea is a diverse group of burrowing mayflies known for the morphological and behavioural uniqueness of their mandibular tusks during their larval stage. In this study, we investigated the functional morphology of mandibular tusks across all six tusked families of Ephemeroidea using 3D morphometrics from micro-computed tomography combined with an innovative method of automatic landmarking via point-cloud registration. Our findings quantitatively support and refine the hypothesis of Bae and McCafferty in 1995 revealing that curvature and robustness are functionally linked to tusk adaptations. A principal component analysis of the mandibular tusks and forelegs substantiated the grouping of the three dwelling morphotypes (interstitial, burrowing, and hard-substrate burrowing dwellers). Evolutionary trends based on the current Ephemeroidea phylogeny suggest that interstitial dwellers with flattened bodies might have evolved in the basal lineages of Potamanthidae and Euthyplociidae, whereas burrowing dwellers with cylindrical bodies, such as that in most basal lineages of Polymitarcyidae and Ephemeridae, as well as hard-substrate dwellers, such as Povilla—Ashenopus (Polymitarcyidae) and Cheirogenesia—Palingenia (Palingeniidae), appear to have evolved in parallel, with enhanced burrowing efficiency with the forelegs. These findings provide comprehensive insights into the functional and ecological adaptations of these unique structures among benthic macroinvertebrates.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145089575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf112
Javier Lobón-Rovira, Pedro Vaz Pinto, Chad Keates, Edward L Stanley
Species delimitation and the process of speciation are central themes in evolutionary biology and taxonomy. Modern molecular techniques have challenged the dogmatic assumption that speciation represents a simple bifurcating process, revealing complex evolutionary dynamics, such as incomplete lineage sorting and reticulated speciation. The diverse topography of Angola, which includes coastal savannahs and high-elevation grasslands, fosters intricate evolutionary processes across a broad range of faunal taxa. Recent studies on Angolan species, such as Cordylus or Afroedura lizards, have provided evidence for these complex patterns of diversification and introgression between populations from different regions. We investigate these processes by revisiting the Angolan Cordylus to gain a better understanding of their diversity, biogeographical patterns, and the evolutionary forces driving their speciation. To investigate this, we conducted a broad geographical survey and performed a detailed examination of molecular and morphological (both internal and external) data. Our results necessitate the description of a new species from the central highlands, Cordylus cultratus sp. nov., and have identified mito-nuclear discordance, which challenges the taxonomic stability of the Cordylus machadoi group. However, this inconsistency might be explained by incomplete lineage sorting, introgression, and/or taxonomic inflation, thus hindering any taxonomic actions within this group.
{"title":"Ancient polymorphism, secondary contact, taxonomic inflation or all of them together? Mito-nuclear discordance in the Angolan girdled lizard (Cordylidae: Cordylus), with the description of a new species from the central highlands","authors":"Javier Lobón-Rovira, Pedro Vaz Pinto, Chad Keates, Edward L Stanley","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf112","url":null,"abstract":"Species delimitation and the process of speciation are central themes in evolutionary biology and taxonomy. Modern molecular techniques have challenged the dogmatic assumption that speciation represents a simple bifurcating process, revealing complex evolutionary dynamics, such as incomplete lineage sorting and reticulated speciation. The diverse topography of Angola, which includes coastal savannahs and high-elevation grasslands, fosters intricate evolutionary processes across a broad range of faunal taxa. Recent studies on Angolan species, such as Cordylus or Afroedura lizards, have provided evidence for these complex patterns of diversification and introgression between populations from different regions. We investigate these processes by revisiting the Angolan Cordylus to gain a better understanding of their diversity, biogeographical patterns, and the evolutionary forces driving their speciation. To investigate this, we conducted a broad geographical survey and performed a detailed examination of molecular and morphological (both internal and external) data. Our results necessitate the description of a new species from the central highlands, Cordylus cultratus sp. nov., and have identified mito-nuclear discordance, which challenges the taxonomic stability of the Cordylus machadoi group. However, this inconsistency might be explained by incomplete lineage sorting, introgression, and/or taxonomic inflation, thus hindering any taxonomic actions within this group.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"195 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145089577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-11DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf116
Shi-Qi Wang, Chunxiao Li, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Yongtao Quan
Amebelodontidae, a group of proboscideans with distinctive shovel-like mandibular symphysis and tusks, have been the subject of contentious classification due to ambiguous morphological traits. We construct a comprehensive character matrix for longirostrine elephantiform species and conduct a cladistic analysis using the most-parsimonious approach. Our results strongly support the monophyly of Amebelodontidae but necessitate taxonomic revisions. Notably, we propose a new genus, Saegusaia, for Chinese specimens previously classified as Protanancus, which represent a more basal lineage than true Protanancus found in Africa and South Asia. We identify two monophyletic subfamilies within Amebelodontidae: Platybelodontinae and Amebelodontinae. Megabelodon and Eubelodon, traditionally considered aberrant gomphotheres lacking mandibular tusks, are now placed within the Amebelodontinae based on their cheek teeth similarity to other amebelodontines. Additionally, our re-evaluation suggests that Konobelodon britti may be a junior synonym of Torynobelodon campester, restricted to North America. Eurasian forms attributed to ‘Konobelodon’ are stem elephantoids rather than members of Amebelodontidae. These revised classifications enhance our understanding of Amebelodontidae and other longirostrine elephantiforms, highlighting their importance in the broader context of proboscidean evolution. They represent a critical stage in the diversification and adaptation of early elephants and their relatives.
{"title":"A new genus of amebelodonts from the Miocene of China and a re-examination of the phylogeny of the Amebelodontidae","authors":"Shi-Qi Wang, Chunxiao Li, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Yongtao Quan","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf116","url":null,"abstract":"Amebelodontidae, a group of proboscideans with distinctive shovel-like mandibular symphysis and tusks, have been the subject of contentious classification due to ambiguous morphological traits. We construct a comprehensive character matrix for longirostrine elephantiform species and conduct a cladistic analysis using the most-parsimonious approach. Our results strongly support the monophyly of Amebelodontidae but necessitate taxonomic revisions. Notably, we propose a new genus, Saegusaia, for Chinese specimens previously classified as Protanancus, which represent a more basal lineage than true Protanancus found in Africa and South Asia. We identify two monophyletic subfamilies within Amebelodontidae: Platybelodontinae and Amebelodontinae. Megabelodon and Eubelodon, traditionally considered aberrant gomphotheres lacking mandibular tusks, are now placed within the Amebelodontinae based on their cheek teeth similarity to other amebelodontines. Additionally, our re-evaluation suggests that Konobelodon britti may be a junior synonym of Torynobelodon campester, restricted to North America. Eurasian forms attributed to ‘Konobelodon’ are stem elephantoids rather than members of Amebelodontidae. These revised classifications enhance our understanding of Amebelodontidae and other longirostrine elephantiforms, highlighting their importance in the broader context of proboscidean evolution. They represent a critical stage in the diversification and adaptation of early elephants and their relatives.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145035263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-06DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf100
André O Fonseca, Fabiula P Bem, Rodrigo T Müller
Known from exquisitely preserved specimens from early Norian beds of southern Brazil, Macrocollum itaquii is a crucial taxon for understanding sauropodomorph evolution. This species provides a glimpse at the transition between the earliest sauropodomorphs and the classic ‘prosauropods’. To date, the appendicular anatomy of this taxon has not been described in detail. Therefore, in this contribution we present a detailed description of its appendicular skeleton. As expected from its chronostratigraphic position, the limbs of M. itaquii exhibit a combination of plesiomorphic (e.g. absence of a radial fossa, ossified proximal carpals, iliac acetabular wall not fully open) and derived traits (e.g. metacarpal I inset into the carpus, sub-triangular preacetabular process, straight femur). Phylogenetic analyses support the classification of this taxon, along with two or three other Norian taxa, as members of Unaysauridae, an early radiation of plateosaurian sauropodomorphs. An articulated wrist offers rare insights into this region, confirming that sauropodomorphs (like other dinosaur groups) ancestrally possessed at least nine carpals. This finding enhances our understanding of carpal morphology and evolution within sauropodomorphs. Macrocollum itaquii reveals the presence of a unique third phalanx of manual digit V, raising questions about the confidence we can infer the phalangeal counts of the outermost digits.
{"title":"Osteology of the appendicular skeleton of Macrocollum itaquii (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) sheds light on early dinosaur wrist evolution","authors":"André O Fonseca, Fabiula P Bem, Rodrigo T Müller","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf100","url":null,"abstract":"Known from exquisitely preserved specimens from early Norian beds of southern Brazil, Macrocollum itaquii is a crucial taxon for understanding sauropodomorph evolution. This species provides a glimpse at the transition between the earliest sauropodomorphs and the classic ‘prosauropods’. To date, the appendicular anatomy of this taxon has not been described in detail. Therefore, in this contribution we present a detailed description of its appendicular skeleton. As expected from its chronostratigraphic position, the limbs of M. itaquii exhibit a combination of plesiomorphic (e.g. absence of a radial fossa, ossified proximal carpals, iliac acetabular wall not fully open) and derived traits (e.g. metacarpal I inset into the carpus, sub-triangular preacetabular process, straight femur). Phylogenetic analyses support the classification of this taxon, along with two or three other Norian taxa, as members of Unaysauridae, an early radiation of plateosaurian sauropodomorphs. An articulated wrist offers rare insights into this region, confirming that sauropodomorphs (like other dinosaur groups) ancestrally possessed at least nine carpals. This finding enhances our understanding of carpal morphology and evolution within sauropodomorphs. Macrocollum itaquii reveals the presence of a unique third phalanx of manual digit V, raising questions about the confidence we can infer the phalangeal counts of the outermost digits.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145002938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf081
Svetlana A Kornienko, Valeriy Stakheev, Sargis A Aghayan, Alexander A Kirillov, Nadezhda Y Kirillova, Dmitry S Kornienko, Nikolai Е Dokuchaev
Morphological and genetic diversity of species of the cestode genus Neoskrjabinolepis, which parasitise Sorex shrews and are widespread in the Palaearctic, was studied. A set of morphological characteristics is presented. Because the type material of Neoskrjabinolepis schaldybini has been lost, a neotype from the type host Sorex araneus and from a region close to the type locality (Altai Republic, Russia) was designated. Host specificity and the geographical distribution of Neoskrjabinolepis species were analysed. Of the 17 species of Neoskrjabinolepis, four species parasitise hosts in the European part of the Palaearctic, 16 in the Asian part and two in the Nearctic. Neoskrjabinolepis cestodes in 16 species of Sorex have been recorded to date. High endemism (40%) and euryxeny of Neoskrjabinolepis were observed. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial sequences of the 28S rRNA gene and of the mitochondrial nad1 gene revealed significant genetic diversity of Neoskrjabinolepis species. The level of interspecific divergence was established at 0.2–1.7% for the 28S rRNA gene and 4.4–19.4% for the nad1 gene. The molecular data showed some genetic lineages that may represent separate species. Complicated genetic structure of N. schaldybini and N. merkushevae, primarily in the Caucasus, was demonstrated, suggesting that these species are composite taxa.
{"title":"Molecular phylogeny, morphological diversity, and species’ distribution of cestodes of the genus Neoskrjabinolepis Spassky, 1947 (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) in the Palaearctic","authors":"Svetlana A Kornienko, Valeriy Stakheev, Sargis A Aghayan, Alexander A Kirillov, Nadezhda Y Kirillova, Dmitry S Kornienko, Nikolai Е Dokuchaev","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf081","url":null,"abstract":"Morphological and genetic diversity of species of the cestode genus Neoskrjabinolepis, which parasitise Sorex shrews and are widespread in the Palaearctic, was studied. A set of morphological characteristics is presented. Because the type material of Neoskrjabinolepis schaldybini has been lost, a neotype from the type host Sorex araneus and from a region close to the type locality (Altai Republic, Russia) was designated. Host specificity and the geographical distribution of Neoskrjabinolepis species were analysed. Of the 17 species of Neoskrjabinolepis, four species parasitise hosts in the European part of the Palaearctic, 16 in the Asian part and two in the Nearctic. Neoskrjabinolepis cestodes in 16 species of Sorex have been recorded to date. High endemism (40%) and euryxeny of Neoskrjabinolepis were observed. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial sequences of the 28S rRNA gene and of the mitochondrial nad1 gene revealed significant genetic diversity of Neoskrjabinolepis species. The level of interspecific divergence was established at 0.2–1.7% for the 28S rRNA gene and 4.4–19.4% for the nad1 gene. The molecular data showed some genetic lineages that may represent separate species. Complicated genetic structure of N. schaldybini and N. merkushevae, primarily in the Caucasus, was demonstrated, suggesting that these species are composite taxa.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144928016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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