Females of the insect order Strepsiptera are known to be traumatically inseminated. Traumatic insemination is the process of insemination by sperm transfer through a wound inflicted by the male in the female's integument, rather than by the male transferring sperm through the female's genital opening.…
ABSTRACT The study of ant morphology is advancing through parallel insights provided by phylogenomics—which provides a statistically robust basis for comparison and evolutionary inference—and phenomics via the application of microcomputed tomography (µ‐CT) for the efficient and precise documentation…
ABSTRACT Larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens , are currently intensively studied, owing to their potential importance in various fields such as waste bioconversion, forensic entomology, and food supply for humans and life stock. Despite the increased attention, a detailed anatomical documentation…
As the only direct records of the history of evolution, it is critical to determine the geological source of biota-bearing fossils. Through the application of synchrotron-radiation micro-computed tomography (SR-μ-CT), Fourier-transformed infrared-spectroscopy (FT-IR), visual evaluation of ultraviolet…
A new species of the order Zoraptera, Zorotypus komatsui Matsumura, Maruyama, Ntonifor & Beutel, sp. nov., is described from Cameroon. The female and male morphology of another species, Z. vinsoni, is re-described, and its new distribution in Madagascar is recorded. A particular focus is on the male…
The morphology of the adult free‐living females of Mengenilla moldrzyki and Eoxenos laboulbenei (Strepsiptera, Mengenillidae) was documented with µCT‐based 3D reconstructions and histological serial sections. External and internal features of both species are characterized by far‐reaching specialization…
The Coleoptera provides an excellent example of the value of fossils for understanding the evolutionary patterns of recent lineages. We reevaluate the morphology of the Early Permian †Tshekardocoleidae to test alternative phylogenetic hypotheses relating to the Palaeozoic evolution of the order. We discuss…
We document external and internal thoracic structures of the free‐living pselaphine beetle Pselaphus heisei (Pselaphitae) using a set of traditional and modern techniques. Like in the specialized myrmecophile Claviger testaceus (Clavigeritae), the skeletal elements of the pro‐ and pterothorax are highly…
Platypsyllus castoris is closely associated with beavers and displays a unique set of structural specializations. We document the morphology of adults with modern techniques, and interpret evolutionary changes linked with the specific life style. The small subfamily Platypsyllinae has evolved an entire…
Aims of the present study were: (1) a thorough morphological documentation of the head and thorax of selected representatives of two coleopteran families with subterranean species; (2) to analyze the effects of the environment based on comparisons of external and internal structural features of species…
Die vorliegende Dissertation mit dem Titel “Towards understanding of climbing, tip-over prevention and self-righting behaviors in Hexapoda” untersucht in drei Studien exemplarisch, wie (i) Wüstenameisen ihre Beine einsetzen um An- und Abstiege zu überwinden, wie (ii) Wüsten- und Waldameisen ein Umkippen…
Ants are the most speciose group of eusocial insects. Species of the family Formicidae are dominant in most terrestrial ecosystems and different ant species have widely different life habits. As diverse as ant lifestyles are also their body forms. This diversity is well documented in the systematic,…
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…
Adephaga is the second largest suborder of Coleoptera and contains aquatic and terrestrial groups that are sometimes classified as Hydradephaga and Geadephaga, respectively. The phylogenetic relationships of Adephaga have been studied intensively, but the relationships of the major subgroups of Geadephaga…
External and internal structures of the thorax of the myrmecophile beetle Claviger testaceus (Clavigeritae, Pselaphinae) were examined and documented with state-of-the-art visualization techniques. Following a general trend in the omaliine lineage (Staphylinidae), the skeletal elements of the pro- and…
Erhängen ist schon seit vielen Jahren in allen Altersgruppen (Wollner et al. 2015) die häufigste Suizidform (Doberentz et al. 2013, Wu Y 2020, Jarmusz et al. 2020). Bei der vorliegenden Arbeit handelt es sich um die erste Beobachtungsstudie in Deutschland, die diesen Todesumstand hinsichtlich der Verwesung…
Die forensische Entomologie befasst sich mit der Erforschung der Leichenfauna mit dem Ziel, Aussagen für die Bestimmung des minimalen postmortalen Intervalls (PMImin) treffen zu können. Die existierenden Vergleichsdaten, welche für die Bestimmung der PMImin herangezogen werden, basieren bisher jedoch…