Phenotypic polymorphism can constitute an inherent challenge for species delimitation. This issue is exemplified in bumble bees (Bombus), where species can exhibit high colour variation across their range, but otherwise exhibit little morphological variation to distinguish them from close relatives. We examine the species status of one of the most abundant North American bumble bees, Bombus bifarius Cresson, which historically comprised two major taxa, bifarius s.s. and nearcticus. These lineages are recognized primarily by red and black variation in their mid-abdominal coloration; however, a continuum from black (nearcticus) to red (bifarius s.s.) variation has led to their historic synonymization. Integrating mitochondrial and nuclear data and whole-genome sequencing, we reveal a high level of both mitochondrial and nuclear divergence delimiting two morphologically cryptic species -the red bifarius s.s. and the colour-variable (black to red) nearcticus. Population genomic analysis supports an absence of recent genomic admixture and a strong population structure between the two clades, even in sympatry. Species distribution models predict partially differentiated niches between the genetically inferred clades with annual precipitation being a leading differentiating variable. The bifarius s.s. lineage also occupies significantly higher elevations, with regions of sympatry being among the highest elevations in nearcticus. Our data also support a subspecies-level divergence between the broadly distributed nearcticus and the island population vancouverensis. In this paper, we formally recognize the two species, Bombus bifarius Cresson and Bombus vancouverensis Cresson, the latter including the subspecies B. vancouverensis vancouverensis comb.n. and B. vancouverensis nearcticus comb.n., with vancouverensis the name bearer due to year priority.

This catalogue includes all valid family-group (six subtribes), genus-group (55 genera, 33 subgenera), and species-group names (1009 species and subspecies) of Sepidiini darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae), and their available synonyms. For each name, the author, year, and page number of the description are provided, with additional information (e.g., type species for genus-group names, author of synonymies for invalid taxa, notes) depending on the taxon rank. Verified distributional records (loci typici and data acquired from revisionary publications) for all the species are gathered. Distribution of the subtribes is illustrated and discussed. Several new nomenclatural acts are included. The generic names Phanerotomea Koch, 1958 [= Ocnodes Fåhraeus, 1870] and Parmularia Koch, 1955 [= Psammodes Kirby, 1819] are new synonyms (valid names in square brackets). The following new combinations are proposed: Ocnodesacuductusacuductus (Ancey, 1883), O. acuductusufipanus (Koch, 1952), O. adamantinus (Koch, 1952), O. argenteofasciatus (Koch, 1953), O. arnoldiarnoldi (Koch, 1952), O. arnoldisabianus (Koch, 1952), O.barbosai (Koch, 1952), O.basilewskyi (Koch, 1952), O.bellmarleyi (Koch, 1952), O. benguelensis (Koch, 1952), O. bertolonii (Guérin-Méneville, 1844), O. blandus (Koch, 1952), O. brevicornis (Haag-Rutenberg, 1875), O. brunnescensbrunnescens (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. brunnescensmolestus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1875), O. buccinator (Koch, 1952), O. bushmanicus (Koch, 1952), O. carbonarius (Gerstaecker, 1854), O. cardiopterus (Fairmaire, 1888), O. cataractus (Koch, 1952), O. cinerarius (Koch, 1952), O. complanatus (Koch, 1952), O. confertus (Koch, 1952), O. congruens (Péringuey, 1899), O. cordiventris (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. crocodilinus (Koch, 1952), O. dimorphus (Koch, 1952), O. distinctus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. dolosus (Péringuey, 1899), O. dorsocostatus (Gebien, 1910), O. dubiosus (Péringuey, 1899), O. ejectus (Koch, 1952), O. epronoticus (Koch, 1952), O. erichsoni (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. ferreiraeferreirae (Koch, 1952), O. ferreiraezulu (Koch, 1952), O. fettingi (Haag-Rutenberg, 1875), O. fistucans (Koch, 1952), O. fraternus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1875), O. freyi (Koch, 1952), O. freudei (Koch, 1952), O. fulgidus (Koch, 1952), O. funestus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. gemmeulus (Koch, 1952), O. gibberosulus (Péringuey, 1908), O. gibbus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1879), O. globosus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. granisterna (Koch, 1952), O. granulosicollis (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O.gridellii (Koch, 1960), O. gueriniguerini (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. guerinilawrencii (Koch, 1954), O. guerinimancus (Koch 1954), O. haemorrhoidalishaemorrhoidalis (Koch, 1952), O. haemorrhoidalissalubris (Koch, 1952), O. heydeni (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. humeralis (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. humerangula (Koch, 1952), O. imbricatus (Koch, 1952), O.imitatorimitator (Péringuey, 1899), O. imitatorinvadens (Koch, 1952), O. inflatus (Koch, 1952), O. janssensi (Koch, 1952), O. javeti (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. junodi (Péringuey, 1899), O. kulzeri (Koch, 1952), O. lacustris (Koch, 1952), O. laevigatus (Olivier, 1795), O. lanceolatus (Koch, 1953), O. licitus (Peringey, 1899), O. luctuosus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. luxurosus (Koch, 1952), O. maputoensis (Koch, 1952), O. marginicollis (Koch, 1952), O. martinsi (Koch, 1952), O. melleus (Koch, 1952), O. mendicusestermanni (Koch, 1952), O. mendicusmendicus (Péringuey, 1899), O. miles (Péringuey, 1908), O. mimeticus (Koch, 1952), O. misolampoides (Fairmaire, 1888), O. mixtus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. monacha (Koch, 1952), O. montanus (Koch, 1952), O. mozambicus (Koch, 1952), O. muliebriscurtus (Koch, 1952), O. muliebrismuliebris (Koch, 1952), O. muliebrissilvestris (Koch, 1952), O. nervosus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O.notatum (Thunberg, 1787), O. notaticollis (Koch, 1952), O. odorans (Koch, 1952), O. opacus (Solier, 1843), O. osbecki (Billberg, 1815), O. overlaeti (Koch, 1952), O. ovulus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. pachysomaornata (Koch, 1952), O. pachysomapachysoma (Péringuey, 1892), O. papillosus (Koch, 1952), O. pedator (Fairmaire, 1888), O. perlucidus (Koch, 1952), O. planus (Koch, 1952), O. pretorianus (Koch, 1952), O. procursus (Péringuey, 1899), O. protectus (Koch, 1952), O. punctatissimus (Koch, 1952), O. puncticollis (Koch, 1952), O. punctipennisplanisculptus (Koch, 1952), O. punctipennispunctipennis (Harold, 1878), O. punctipleura (Koch, 1952), O. rhodesianus (Koch, 1952), O. roriferus (Koch, 1952), O. rufipes (Harold, 1878), O. saltuarius (Koch, 1952), O.scabricollis (Gerstaecker, 1854), O. scopulipes (Koch, 1952), O. scrobicollisgriqua (Koch, 1952), O. scrobicollissimulans (Koch, 1952), O. semirasus (Koch, 1952), O. semiscabrum (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. sericicollis (Koch, 1952), O.similis (Péringuey, 1899), O. sjoestedti (Gebien, 1910), O. spatulipes (Koch, 1952), O. specularis (Péringuey, 1899), O. spinigerus (Koch, 1952), O. stevensoni (Koch, 1952), O. tarsocnoides (Koch, 1952), O. temulentus (Koch, 1952), O. tenebrosusmelanarius (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. tenebrosustenebrosus (Erichson, 1843), O. tibialis (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. torosus (Koch, 1952), O. transversicollis (Haag-Rutenberg, 1879), O. tumidus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1871), O. umvumanus (Koch, 1952), O. vagus (Péringuey, 1899), O. vaticinus (Péringuey, 1899), O. verecundus (Péringuey, 1899), O. vetustus (Koch, 1952), O. vexator (Péringuey, 1899), O. virago (Koch, 1952), O. warmeloi (Koch, 1953), O. zanzibaricus (Haag-Rutenberg, 1875), Psammophanesantinorii (Gridelli, 1939), and P.mirei (Pierre, 1979). The type species [placed in square brackets] of the following genus-group taxa are designated for the first time, Ocnodes Fåhraeus, 1870 [Ocnodesscrobicollis Fåhraeus, 1870], Psammodophysis Péringuey, 1899 [Psammodophysisprobes Péringuey, 1899], and Trachynotidus Péringuey, 1899 [Psammodesthoreyi Haag-Rutenberg, 1871]. A lectotype is designated for Histrionotusomercooperi Koch, 1955 in order to fix its taxonomic status. Ulamus Kamiński is introduced here as a replacement name for Echinotus Marwick, 1935 [Type species.Aviculaechinata Smith, 1817] (Mollusca: Pteriidae) to avoid homonymy with Echinotus Solier, 1843 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

No abstract

Thickened femora of insects are correlated to enlarged muscle masses and serve two basic purposes: jumping/kicking and grasping/holding. Modifications on the ventral femoral wall and the tibial flexor tendon that are possibly involved in catch mechanisms have been described in multiple insect taxa with both jumping and grasping legs. Our comparative study aims to explore the functional and structural similarities of these modification in jumping and grasping leg types from Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Orthoptera with the combination of cutting edge, noninvasive imaging methods, and classical dissections techniques. Our data indicate that locking mechanisms are present in the jumping and grasping legs of insects. We describe three femoro-tibial lock types based on the location of the interacting sclerites relative to the site of origin of the tibial flexor tendon. All of the three types can be found in jumping insect legs, whereas only one type is present in grasping legs. The locking mechanism might aid in keeping the femoro-tibial joint in a flexed position for an extended period of time. Our data indicate that morphologically similar modifications in the femoro-tibial joint are involved in energy-saving mechanisms both in jumping and grasping legs in insects.

The Waterston’s evaporatorium (=Waterston’s organ), a cuticular modification surrounding the opening of an exocrine gland located on metasomal tergite 6, is characterized and examined for taxonomic significance within the parasitoid wasp family Ceraphronidae. Modification of the abdominal musculature and the dorsal vessel are also broadly discussed for the superfamily Ceraphronoidea, with a novel abdominal pulsatory organ for Apocrita being discovered and described for the first time. Cuticular modification of T6, due to the presence of the Waterston’s evaporatorium, provides a character complex that allows for genus- and species-level delimitation in Ceraphronidae. The matching of males and females of a species using morphology, a long standing challenge for the group, is also resolved with this new character set. Phylogenetic analysis including 19 Waterston’s evaporatorium related characters provides support for current generic groupings within the Ceraphronidae and elaborates on previously suggested synapomorphies. Potential function of the Waterston’s organ and its effects on the dorsal vessel are discussed.

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Ceraphronoids are some of the most commonly collected hymenopterans, yet they remain rare in the fossil record. Conostigmus talamasi Mikó and Trietsch, sp. nov. from Baltic amber represents an intermediate form between the type genus, Megaspilus, and one of the most species-rich megaspilid genera, Conostigmus. We describe the new species using 3D data collected with synchrotron-based micro-CT equipment. This non-invasive technique allows for quick data collection in unusually high resolution, revealing morphological traits that are otherwise obscured by the amber. In describing this new species, we revise the diagnostic characters for Ceraphronoidea and discuss possible reasons why minute wasps with a pterostigma are often misidentified as ceraphronoids. Based on the lack of ceraphronoid characteristics, we remove Dendrocerus dubitatus Brues, 1937, Stigmaphronidae, and Radiophronidae from Ceraphronoidea and consider them as incertae sedis. We also provide some guidance for their future classification.

BackgroundMale genitalia phenotypes of Ceraphron (Jurine, 1807) are informative for species delimitation, but due to their minute size, these characters have not been used extensively. Recent developments in visualisation techniques, e.g. confocal laser scanning microscopy and high resolution bright field imaging, allow for more thorough examination of these minute anatomical structures and the development of a robust, male genitalia-based taxonomic system. We also establish a character set, a template, that will facilitate future revisions of these wasps.New informationCeraphron krogmanni sp. nov. is described with outsized male genitalia and multiple diagnostic traits that are unique amongst Ceraphron species.