Museum collections remain essential scientific resources, especially when revisited using modern analytical techniques. In an interdisciplinary study, we examined the overlooked amber collection of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832), polymath and pioneer of art and natural science. Using synchrotron-based…
London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature, 2026-01-22
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…
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…
Simple Summary: We describe a new species of extinct ants from Miocene-aged Ethiopian amber, based on males that resemble species of the relictual lineage Aneuretinae, but which effectively belong to the Ponerinae, as revealed by advanced 3D-imaging technology (synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography,…
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…
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…