Congcong Wang, Limin Jiang, Hongbo Pan, Alan Warren, Xiaozhong Hu
{"title":"Insight into the diversity and phylogeny of the ciliate family Lynchellidae (Alveolata: Ciliophora), with the establishment of a new genus and two new species","authors":"Congcong Wang, Limin Jiang, Hongbo Pan, Alan Warren, Xiaozhong Hu","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf010","url":null,"abstract":"Two unusual algivorous ciliates, Paracoeloperix composita gen. nov., sp. nov. and Chlamydonella wangi sp. nov., were collected from marine habitats in China. Their morphology and molecular phylogeny were investigated using microscopical and ribosomal gene sequencing techniques. Paracoeloperix gen. nov. can be distinguished from its most closely related genus, Coeloperix, by its distinct trilinear oral ciliature and its small subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid (SSU rRNA) gene sequence divergence. Paracoeloperix composita gen. nov., sp. nov. is characterized by having trilinear perioral kineties, a complete cross-striated band, finger-like tentacles on the ventral side, and anterior and left terminal fragments. Chlamydonella wangi sp. nov. differs from its congeners by having a reniform body, four or five contractile vacuoles, 17–19 somatic kineties, and 2.6%–8.3% SSU rDNA sequence dissimilarity. The systematic placements of the family Lynchellidae and the genus Paracoeloperix gen. nov. remain elusive owing to their low support values in phylogenetic trees and the unstable topology of these trees. Furthermore, the present study rejects the monophyly of the genus Chlamydonella because Chlamydonella wangi sp. nov. is closely related to Chlamydonellopsis calkinsi. Additionally, an illustrated identification key of Lynchellidae genera and a conjecture based on mapping between morphological features and the SSU rDNA tree are provided.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144479242","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}
Philippe J R Kok, Antoine Fouquet, Omar Torres Carvajal, D Bruce Means, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues
{"title":"New insights into the molecular phylogenetic relationships of lizards in the Neotropical genus Arthrosaura (Reptilia: Gymnophthalmidae) reveal rampant ‘cryptic’ speciation in the Guiana Shield","authors":"Philippe J R Kok, Antoine Fouquet, Omar Torres Carvajal, D Bruce Means, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf045","url":null,"abstract":"The gymnophthalmid lizard genus Arthrosaura currently contains seven species distributed in the Amazonian lowlands and in the Pantepui region. The phylogenetic position and taxonomic status of most species in the genus are surrounded by considerable uncertainty. The type locality of the widespread Ar. reticulata (type species for the genus) is Canelos in Ecuador, but no specimen from Ecuador has ever been included in molecular phylogenies. Here we reassessed the molecular systematics and species’ diversity of Arthrosaura based on a multilocus analysis of a six-gene region matrix of an extensive dataset, including several species/populations that had never been sequenced previously, most from close to the type localities. Our results reveal a non-monophyletic Arthrosaura, with Ar. testigensis nested within Yanomamia, and Arthrosaura kockii recovered sister to all other Ecpleopodinae. Rampant ‘cryptic’ speciation is recovered in the Amazonian lowlands, with at least four undescribed species. The genus is particularly diverse in the Guiana Shield, which harbours nine of the 10 species recovered in our analyses (Ar. kockii excluded). Eight of these species are endemic to the Guiana Shield, four in the western part (west of the Essequibo River), four in the eastern part (east of the Essequibo River).","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144288647","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}
Eugenia Minghetti, Sara Itzel Montemayor, Pablo Matías Dellapé
{"title":"Phylogenetic revision of the Neella–Neoneella complex (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Bryocorinae), with description of five new genera","authors":"Eugenia Minghetti, Sara Itzel Montemayor, Pablo Matías Dellapé","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf043","url":null,"abstract":"Eccritotarsini, the largest tribe of Bryocorinae with 115 genera and more than 625 species worldwide, is most diverse in the New World, where most of its genera and species occur. Among these genera, Neella, Neoneella, Adneella, Paraneella, Proneella, and the recently described Egerocoris and Thomasomiris have been recognized as part of the ‘Neella–Neoneella complex’ by previous authors. In this contribution, the monophyly of the complex is tested and a phylogenetic analysis is carried out based on morphological characters. As a result, the genera Neella, Neoneella, Proneella, and Adneella are diagnosed and redescribed, the new genera Globicephalomirisgen. nov., Laterocavocorisgen. nov., Lelenagen. nov., Naellegen. nov., and Puncticollusgen. nov. are delimited and described, and the following new combinations are proposed: A. cuneatacomb. nov., A. decarloicomb. nov., A. explanatacomb. nov., A. frumentariacomb. nov., A. nigronotatacomb. nov., G. carmelitanacomb. nov., G. oaxacanacomb. nov., G. pallescenscomb. nov., G. veracruzanacomb. nov., Laterocavocoris lutescenscomb. nov., Lelena cinnamomeacomb. nov., Lelena guianacomb. nov., Lelena unicolorcomb. nov., Naelle ecuatorianacomb. nov., Naelle itacoaiensiscomb. nov., Puncticollus anduzeeicomb. nov., and Puncticollus rondoniacomb. nov. Several novel characters, mainly from male genitalia, are included in the generic diagnosis and descriptions.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144288262","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}
{"title":"New species of capitellid polychaetes (Annelida: Sedentaria) add to the unique biodiversity of Indian Ocean hot vents","authors":"Yanan Sun, Qinghua Bao, Chong Chen, Xuwen Wu, Yuxue Ju, Shili Liao, Yadong Zhou","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf058","url":null,"abstract":"Capitellidae constitute an important family of polychaetes valued for their usefulness as indicators of environmental health in many ecosystems, yet their diversity at mid-ocean ridges remains largely unexplored. Here, we report three species of Capitellidae across three genera from Indian Ocean ridges and formally describe two of them, including Capitella longqiensis sp. nov. from the inactive zones near the active vents of the Longqi vent field on the Southwest Indian Ridge, Notomastus sp. TVG12 from organic matter-rich sediments on the same ridge, and Decamastus branchiatus sp. nov. collected on an active vent chimney in the Edmond vent field on the Central Indian Ridge. Phylogenetic analyses support their assignment to three different genera. Within Capitella, C. longqiensis and the whale-fall species Capitella iatapiuna fell in separate subclades, indicating two independent historical colonizations of chemosynthetic ecosystems. Decamastus branchiatus is sister to an undescribed capitellid from a Red Sea vent, and Notomastus sp. TVG12 was closely related to Notomastus from Pacific nodule fields, supporting a potential biogeographical linkage between these regions. These new capitellids add to the diversity of annelids in the Indian Ocean, underlining the need for further sampling efforts to understand in full the biodiversity at these vents eyed for deep-sea mining.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144288264","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}
Laura Torrent, Javier Juste, Inazio Garin, Joxerra Aihartza, Desiré L Dalton, Mnqobi Mamba, Iroro Tanshi, Luke L Powell, Sara Padidar, Juan Luis Garcia Mudarra, Leigh Richards, Ara Monadjem
{"title":"Taxonomic revision of African pipistrelle-like bats with a new species from the West Congolean rainforest","authors":"Laura Torrent, Javier Juste, Inazio Garin, Joxerra Aihartza, Desiré L Dalton, Mnqobi Mamba, Iroro Tanshi, Luke L Powell, Sara Padidar, Juan Luis Garcia Mudarra, Leigh Richards, Ara Monadjem","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf020","url":null,"abstract":"The taxonomic conundrum of pipistrelle-like or pipistrelloid bats remains one of the unsolved challenges posed by African Chiroptera. Historically, their cryptic morphology has led to a frequently confused classification and cast doubt on taxonomic arrangements at both genus and species levels. While molecular analyses and extensive reviews of specimens housed in collections worldwide have clarified many systematic relationships among pipistrelloid bats, some species still require validation, leaving gaps in our overall understanding of the systematics of the group. The Congo rainforest, one of Africa's least explored regions, remains underrepresented in systematic studies of pipistrelloid bats. In this study, we combine the use of two mitochondrial genes and cranial morphometric analyses to provide an updated perspective on African pipistrelloid bats, focusing on new material from Equatorial Guinea sampled over multiple years. We confirm the placement of Af. musciculus and Af. crassulus within the genus Afropipistrellus. The former was previously included in Hypsugo, while the latter lacked generic confirmation. Additionally, we describe a new species of Pipistrellus from Bioko Island, Central Africa, uncovered during systematic bat surveys in the region. Further surveys in the Congo rainforest are needed to unveil African bat diversity and its phylogenetic relationships fully.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144288263","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}
Chong Chen, Florence Pradillon, Coral Diaz-Recio Lorenzo, Joan Manel Alfaro-Lucas
{"title":"Integrative taxonomy of two new peltospirid gastropods from Mid-Atlantic Ridge hot vents, including a potentially symbiotic species","authors":"Chong Chen, Florence Pradillon, Coral Diaz-Recio Lorenzo, Joan Manel Alfaro-Lucas","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf055","url":null,"abstract":"Deep-sea hydrothermal vents host lush communities of animals relying on bacterial chemosynthetic primary production, where intimate symbioses often form. Peltospiridae are a family of gastropods endemic to hot vents, whose members exhibit a variety of feeding strategies ranging from bacterial grazing to total reliance on endosymbiosis. Here, we report and describe two new peltospirid snails, Peltospira gargantua sp. nov. and Lirapex pantagruel sp. nov., from two recently discovered vent fields on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Peltospira gargantua is clearly distinct from other congeners by its much larger size, differences in the number and arrangement of epipodial tentacles, and notably, a hypertrophied oesophageal gland. Lirapex pantagruel is also the largest known species in the genus, differing from other species also by shell shape and sculpture. Phylogenetic reconstructions using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene agree with their respective generic placements. An expanded oesophageal gland in peltospirids was known only from the endosymbiotic genera Chrysomallon and Gigantopelta, where it is used to host symbionts, indicating that P. gargantua is probably also endosymbiotic. This would represent another case of likely convergently acquired oesophageal endosymbiosis in the family, and the first record of endosymbiotic gastropod from Mid-Atlantic Ridge vents.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"247 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144218902","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}
{"title":"Expanding the Amiseginae: remarkable new Cretaceous-age fossils shed light on the early diversification of a highly specialized clade of cuckoo wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae)","authors":"Daercio A A Lucena, Gabriel A R Melo","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf054","url":null,"abstract":"The oldest representatives of the amisegine cuckoo wasps are described from inclusions in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Four monotypic new genera are described and illustrated: †Cenomanisega krombeinigen. et sp. nov., †Cretamisega mandibularisgen. et sp. nov., †Protognathosega depilisgen. et sp. nov., and †Telistosega intermediagen. et sp. nov. Additionally, †Miracorium amicasp. nov. is described and illustrated based on the discovery of the first female in the genus †Miracorium. We used Bayesian inference to establish the phylogenetic position of the new fossils within Chrysididae. The new fossils exhibit specialized modifications in the female mouthparts and apparatus for oviposition, which are consistent with the feeding and egg-laying habits observed in the modern Amiseginae. Our findings suggest that these traits evolved ≥100 Mya and might have been crucial in the early diversification of the clade as specialized parasitoids of walking stick eggs.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144218903","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}
Katherine O Montana, Franklyn Cala-Riquelme, Sarah C Crews, Jacob A Gorneau, Amin M Al-Jamal, Luigie D Alequín, Joseph C Spagna, Francesco Ballarin, Lauren A Esposito
{"title":"Tailor’s drawer no more: a reappraisal of the spider family Dictynidae O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 sensu lato","authors":"Katherine O Montana, Franklyn Cala-Riquelme, Sarah C Crews, Jacob A Gorneau, Amin M Al-Jamal, Luigie D Alequín, Joseph C Spagna, Francesco Ballarin, Lauren A Esposito","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf007","url":null,"abstract":"The mesh-web weaver family Dictynidae s.l. has been labelled a ‘tailor’s drawer’ family because it contains taxonomically unorganized and often evolutionarily distant species. Previous molecular phylogenetic studies using limited taxonomic sampling and legacy target genes involving representatives of the family have been consistent in: (i) exhibiting low branch support values and (ii) the recovery of genera and species currently classified as dictynids outside of Dictynidae. The genera within the family and the relationships among dictynid genera have never been rigorously tested using genomic-scale data. Here, we use exemplar dictynid species from the most currently recognized dictynid genera and ultraconserved elements (UCEs) recovered in silico from low-coverage, whole-genome sequencing plus Sanger data to resolve the phylogenetic placement and relationships of genera within the family Dictynidae s.l. The resulting phylogeny, along with morphological evidence, supports several taxonomic updates to the group: Argyronetidae stat. reinst., Lathyidae fam. n., and Dictynidae s.s. are included in Dictynoidea. Argyronetidae stat. reinst. include the genera Altella, Arctella, Argenna, Argyroneta, Chaerea, Devade, Hackmania, Iviella, Mizaga, Paratheuma, Saltonia, Tricholathys. The family Lathyidae fam. n. is proposed to include the genera Afrolathys gen. n. (Af. madagascariensis sp. n. and Af. tanzanica sp. n.), Analtella stat. reinst. (Analtella affinis comb. n., Analtella dentichelis comb. n., Analtella narbonensis comb. n., Analtella pygmaea comb. n., and Analtella teideensis comb. n.), Andronova gen. n. (Andronova alberta comb. n., Andronova annulata comb. n., Andronova. arabs comb. n., Andronova cambridgei comb. n., Andronova dihamata comb. n., Andronova lehtineni comb. n., Andronova maculosa comb. n., Andronova spasskyi comb. n., Andronova subalberta comb. n., Andronova subviridis comb. n., and Andronova sylvania comb. n.), Asialathys gen. n. (As. deltoidea comb. n., As. fibulata comb. n., As. huangyangjieensis comb. n., As. spiralis comb. n., and As. zhanfengi comb. n.), Bannaella (B. lhasana, B. sexoculata comb. n., B. sinuata, and B. tibialis), Denticulathys gen. n. (D. amaataaidoo sp. n.), Langlibaitiao (Langlibaitiao chishuiensis, Langlibaitiao inaffectus, Langlibaitiao insulanus comb. n., and Langlibaitiao zhangshun), Lathys s.s. (Lathys bin, Lathys borealis, Lathysbrevitibialis, Lathyscoralynae, Lathysdixiana, Lathysfoxi, Lathysheterophthalma, Lathyshumilis, Lathyshumilis meridionalis, Lathyslepida, Lathysmantarota, Lathys sexpustulata, Lathys spiralis, and Lathys subhumilis), Scotolathys s.s. (S. delicatula stat. reinst., S. immaculata stat. reinst., S. maculina stat. reinst., S. pallida stat. reinst., and S. simplex), Tolokonniella gen. n. Tolokonniella ankaraensis comb. n., Tolokonniella mallorcensis comb. n., Tolokonniella maura comb. n., Tolokonniella stigmatisata comb. n., and Tolokonniella truncata comb. n.). Finally, Dictynidae s.s","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144218904","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}
Daria Bajerlein, Anna Maria Kubicka, Zbigniew Adamski, Jenny Hein, Marcus Zuber, Julian Katzke, Thomas van de Kamp
{"title":"Morphology of mandibles of clown beetles (Coleoptera: Histeridae): hidden diversity, sexual dimorphism, and implications for prey range","authors":"Daria Bajerlein, Anna Maria Kubicka, Zbigniew Adamski, Jenny Hein, Marcus Zuber, Julian Katzke, Thomas van de Kamp","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf038","url":null,"abstract":"Clown beetles (Histeridae) are stable components of carrion communities, but their prey range is poorly recognised. An indirect way to deduce species’ diet is to study the functional morphology of their mandibles. The use of a multimodal approach in the study of Margarinotus brunneus, Margarinotus striola succicola, Saprinus semistriatus, and Saprinus planiusculus revealed a hidden morphological diversity in their mandibles. Geometric morphometric analysis showed inter- and sex-specific differences in their shape. Synchrotron X-ray microtomography revealed variability in musculature between genera and the presence of a joint-like structure at the basal margins in the Saprinus species. Scanning electron microscopy showed variation in the surface of inner margins. Traditional morphometrics revealed differences in mandibular arc according to beetle species, sex, and left and right body sides. All species retained a roughly 17° asymmetry, with the right mandible always having the higher arc. We conclude that Saprinus species are adapted for cutting and puncturing soft-bodied prey, whereas Margarinotus beetles also feed on hard-bodied prey. Future studies should consider our findings for better planning of prey-choice experiments. Emphasis should be placed on recognising whether subtle differences in mandible shape involve differences in diets. This will be critical to determine the role of species in carrion ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144210845","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}
Yuhui Zhuang, Corentin Jouault, Vincent Perrichot, Bo Wang, Yu Liu, Qingqing Zhang
{"title":"Unveiling the diversity of iron maiden ants: morphological insights from two new Cretaceous species","authors":"Yuhui Zhuang, Corentin Jouault, Vincent Perrichot, Bo Wang, Yu Liu, Qingqing Zhang","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf044","url":null,"abstract":"The genus Zigrasimecia, also known as the iron maiden ant, represents a peculiar lineage spanning most of the Cretaceous period and characterized by armed mouthparts. Despite recent publications that have contributed to our understanding of the past diversity within this genus, its true extent remains underestimated and its morphological variations poorly comprehended. In this study, we introduce two new species of iron maiden ant, Zigrasimecia bellator sp. nov. and Zigrasimecia sinusoidal sp. nov. Using micro-computed tomography scanning and three-dimensional reconstruction techniques, we highlight their distinctive morphological features, particularly certain setae and microstructures of the body. Additionally, we present an updated identification key tailored for Zigrasimecia workers. Through comparative morphology, we propose hypotheses regarding the predatory behaviour of iron maiden ants. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the morphological diversity within this fascinating ant genus.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144193333","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}