Male genitalia, hierarchical homology, and the anatomy of the bullet ant (Paraponera clavata; Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

The male genitalia of insects are among the most variable, complex, and informative character systems for evolutionary analysis and taxonomic purposes. Because of these general properties, many generations of systematists have struggled to develop a theory of homology and alignment of parts. This struggle continues to the present day, where fundamentally different models and nomenclatures for the male genitalia of Hymenoptera, for example, are applied.

Ant evolution: Amber revelations of extinction, survival and recovery.

Ant fossils from the Cretaceous are rare but critical for understanding the early evolution of this incredibly successful group of animals. New amber fossils fill important gaps, revealing patterns of death, survival, and radiation around the end Cretaceous extinction.

Formalizing Invertebrate Morphological Data: A Descriptive Model for Cuticle-Based Skeleto-Muscular Systems, an Ontology for Insect Anatomy, and their Potential Applications in Biodiversity Research and Informatics.

The spectacular radiation of insects has produced a stunning diversity of phenotypes. During the past 250 years, research on insect systematics has generated hundreds of terms for naming and comparing them. In its current form, this terminological diversity is presented in natural language and lacks formalization, which prohibits computer-assisted comparison using semantic web technologies.

Genomic-Phenomic Reciprocal Illumination: gen. et sp. nov., an Exceptional Aneuretine-like Fossil Ant from Ethiopian Amber (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae).

Fossils are critical for understanding the evolutionary diversification, turnover, and morphological disparification of extant lineages. While fossils cannot be sequenced, phenome-scale data may be generated using micro-computed tomography (µ-CT), thus revealing hidden structures and internal anatomy, when preserved. Here, we adduce the male caste of a new fossil ant species from Miocene Ethiopian amber that resembles members of the Aneuretinae, matching the operational definition of the subfamily.

The ant abdomen: The skeletomuscular and soft tissue anatomy of Amblyopone australis workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

Recent studies of insect anatomy evince a trend towards a comprehensive and integrative investigation of individual traits and their evolutionary relationships. The abdomen of ants, however, remains critically understudied. To address this shortcoming, we describe the abdominal anatomy of Amblyopone australis Erichson, using a multimodal approach combining manual dissection, histology, and microcomputed tomography.

Anatomy and evolution of the head of Dorylus helvolus (Formicidae: Dorylinae): Patterns of sex- and caste-limited traits in the sausagefly and the driver ant.

Ants are highly polyphenic Hymenoptera, with at least three distinct adult forms in the vast majority of species. Their sexual dimorphism, however, is overlooked to the point of being a nearly forgotten phenomenon. Using a multimodal approach, we interrogate the near total head microanatomy of the male of Dorylus helvolus, the "sausagefly," and compare it with the conspecific or near-conspecific female castes, the "driver ants.

(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Arabian Peninsula with description of two new species, sp. n. and sp. n.

We present a revised and updated synoptic list of 44 Arabian species, including two new species of the species-group: , and We propose the following new synonyms: André (= Collingwood & Agosti ; Santschi (= Collingwood & Agosti , Collingwood & Agosti Collingwood & Agosti ; Emery (= Santschi ; Collingwood & Agosti (= Collingwood & Agosti ; Emery (= Collingwood & Agosti ; and Emery (= Collingwood & Agosti ). An illustrated key and distribution maps are presented for the treated species. Ecological and biological notes are given when available.

Insect morphometry is reproducible under average investigation standards.

Morphometric research is being applied to a growing number and variety of organisms. Discoveries achieved via morphometric approaches are often considered highly transferable, in contrast to the tacit and idiosyncratic interpretation of discrete character states. The reliability of morphometric workflows in insect systematics has never been a subject of focused research, but such studies are sorely needed.

† gen. nov., lost ant-wasp intermediates from the mid-Cretaceous (Hymenoptera, Formicoidea).

Fossils provide primary material evidence for the pattern and timing of evolution. The newly discovered "beast ants" from mid-Cretaceous Burmite, † , display an exceptional combination of plesiomorphies, including absence of the metapleural gland, and a series of unique apomorphies. Females and males, represented by † and † , differ in a number of features which suggest distinct sexual biologies.

A general theory of genital homologies for the Hexapoda (Pancrustacea) derived from skeletomuscular correspondences, with emphasis on the Endopterygota.

No consensus exists for the homology and terminology of the male genitalia of the Hexapoda despite over a century of debate. Based on dissections and the literature, genital skeletomusculature was compared across the Hexapoda and contrasted with the Remipedia, the closest pancrustacean outgroup. The pattern of origin and insertion for extrinsic and intrinsic genitalic musculature was found to be consistent among the Ectognatha, Protura, and the Remipedia, allowing for the inference of homologies given recent phylogenomic studies.

A taxonomic revision of the Meranoplus F. Smith of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) with keys to species and diagnosis of the males.

The species-level taxonomy of the ant genus Meranoplus F. Smith from Madagascar is revised. Two new species, M.

Central American ants of the genus Megalomyrmex Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): six new species and keys to workers and males.

Megalomyrmex Forel is a distinctive lineage of Neotropical ants, some of which are specialized parasites or predators of the fungus-growing ants Attini. Here we review and key the Central American fauna. Six new species are described from both female castes: M.

New species of Central American Rhopalothrix Mayr, 1870 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

The ant genus Rhopalothrix is a rare inhabitant of wet forest leaf litter and soil. We propose a monophyletic R. isthmica clade that is restricted to the Neotropics, contains most of the species in the genus, and has its center of abundance and diversity in Central America.