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The higher classification of termites requires substantial revision as the Neoisoptera, the most diverse termite lineage, comprise many paraphyletic and polyphyletic higher taxa. Here, we produce an updated termite classification using genomic-scale analyses. We reconstruct phylogenies under diverse substitution models with ultraconserved elements analyzed as concatenated matrices or within the multi-species coalescence framework. Our classification is further supported by analyses controlling for rogue loci and taxa, and topological tests. We show that the Neoisoptera are composed of seven family-level monophyletic lineages, including the Heterotermitidae Froggatt, Psammotermitidae Holmgren, and Termitogetonidae Holmgren, raised from subfamilial rank. The species-rich Termitidae are composed of 18 subfamily-level monophyletic lineages, including the new subfamilies Crepititermitinae, Cylindrotermitinae, Forficulitermitinae, Neocapritermitinae, Protohamitermitinae, and Promirotermitinae; and the revived Amitermitinae Kemner, Microcerotermitinae Holmgren, and Mirocapritermitinae Kemner. Building an updated taxonomic classification on the foundation of unambiguously supported monophyletic lineages makes it highly resilient to potential destabilization caused by the future availability of novel phylogenetic markers and methods. The taxonomic stability is further guaranteed by the modularity of the new termite classification, designed to accommodate as-yet undescribed species with uncertain affinities to the herein delimited monophyletic lineages in the form of new families or subfamilies.
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Genómica , Isópteros , Filogenia , Isópteros/genética , Isópteros/clasificación , Animales , Genómica/métodos , Genoma de los InsectosRESUMEN
Swarming, as a special form of mating aggregation, is most noteworthy in insects of the orders Ephemeroptera, Diptera, and Trichoptera. Swarming in extant trichopterans is well understood in terms of sex composition, specific mating behaviors, and functional morphological specializations of adults, but an exploration of the evolution of such aggregative behaviors is hampered by the dearth of available examples from the fossil record as well as the ability to reliably distinguish the few gatherings as the result of swarming relative to other taphonomic or behavioral factors. Herein we describe five new fossil species of caddisflies preserved in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar, all preserved as large aggregations. Monospecific aggregations of these five new species can be positively identified as swarms based on morphological traits of wing shape, as well as the presence of particular forms of sexual dimorphism. Results of a phylogenetic reconstruction of both molecular and morphological data as well as ancestral-trait reconstructions and tip-dating analyses indicate that swarming was likely present in the Triassic as a feature of the trichopteran groundplan. Since most Mesozoic insectivorous predators were diurnal based on morphological evidence, largely nocturnal caddisflies would have been freed from such pressures. The phylogeny also shows a correlation between the rise of nocturnal bat predators from the Paleocene or early Eocene and the repeated loss of swarming from various clades of caddisflies, revealing the potential impact of bat predation on reshaping the behavioral landscape of Trichoptera during the Cenozoic.
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Studying insect fossils, particularly those preserved as compressions in sedimentary matrices, can be difficult due to the taphonomic processes that often result to poor preservation and contrast of structures compared to the embedding matrix. To address this, we propose a user-friendly and simple methodology based on UV-light to study insect fossils and select specimens of interest for more advanced imagery exploration. While UV-light imaging has been previously applied to compressions of arthropod fossils, it typically involved laser light sources. Our approach allows the investigation of fossils using an affordable, compact, and portable UV-light source, along with a simple and replicable low-cost protocol. â¢The methodology is based on UV-light induced natural fluorescence of sediment and fossil remains.â¢UV-light is effective on compression fossils to gain natural contrast and enhance observation of body structures like veins or setae on wings.â¢UV-light is effective to reveal palaeoecological information such as pollen grains preserved on specimens, especially near or on putative pollinator or pollen-eating taxa.
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Most described Mesozoic ants belong to stem groups that existed only during the Cretaceous period. Previously, the earliest known crown ants were dated to the Turonian (Late Cretaceous, ca. 94-90 million years ago (Ma)) deposits found in the USA, Kazakhstan, and Botswana. However, the recent discovery of an alate male ant in Kachin amber from the earliest Cenomanian (ca. 99 Ma), representing a new genus and species, Antiquiformica alata, revises the narrative on ant diversification. Antiquiformica can be distinctly differentiated from all known male stem ants by its geniculate antennae with elongated scape, extending far beyond the occipital margin of the head and half the length of the funiculus, as well as its partly reduced forewing venation. Furthermore, the combination of a one-segmented waist with a well-developed node, elongated scape extending beyond the occipital margin, and reduced forewing venation, particularly the completely reduced m-cu and rs-m crossveins and absence of rm and mcu closed cells, firmly places the fossil within the extant subfamily Formicinae. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed that the amber containing Antiquiformica alata originated from the Kachin mines in Myanmar. This discovery significantly revises our understanding of the early evolution of Formicinae. The presence of Antiquiformica in Cenomanian amber indicates that the subfamily Formicinae emerged at least by the start of the Late Cretaceous, with crown ants likely originating earlier during the earliest Cretaceous or possibly the Late Jurassic, although paleontological evidence is lacking to support the latter hypothesis.
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Hormigas , Evolución Biológica , Fósiles , Animales , Hormigas/anatomía & histología , Hormigas/clasificación , Hormigas/fisiología , Fósiles/anatomía & histología , Masculino , Ámbar , FilogeniaRESUMEN
Clathrate hydrates are crystals formed by guest molecules that stabilize cages of hydrogen-bonded water molecules. Whereas thermodynamic equilibrium is well described via the van der Waals and Platteeuw approach, the increasing concerns with global warming and energy transition require extending the knowledge to non-equilibrium conditions in multiphase, sheared systems, in a multiscale framework. Potential macro-applications concern the storage of carbon dioxide in the form of clathrates, and the reduction of hydrate inhibition additives currently required in hydrocarbon production. We evidence porous mesomorphologies as key to bridging the molecular scales to macro-applications of low solubility guests. We discuss the coupling of molecular ordering with the mesoscales, including (i) the emergence of porous patterns as a combined factor from the walk over the free energy landscape and 3D competitive nucleation and growth and (ii) the role of molecular attachment rates in crystallization-diffusion models that allow predicting the timescale of pore sealing. This is a perspective study that discusses the use of discrete models (molecular dynamics) to build continuum models (phase field models, crystallization laws, and transport phenomena) to predict multiscale manifestations at a feasible computational cost. Several advances in correlated fields (ice, polymers, alloys, and nanoparticles) are discussed in the scenario of clathrate hydrates, as well as the challenges and necessary developments to push the field forward.
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We explore the potential of nanocrystals (a term used equivalently to nanoparticles) as building blocks for nanomaterials, and the current advances and open challenges for fundamental science developments and applications. Nanocrystal assemblies are inherently multiscale, and the generation of revolutionary material properties requires a precise understanding of the relationship between structure and function, the former being determined by classical effects and the latter often by quantum effects. With an emphasis on theory and computation, we discuss challenges that hamper current assembly strategies and to what extent nanocrystal assemblies represent thermodynamic equilibrium or kinetically trapped metastable states. We also examine dynamic effects and optimization of assembly protocols. Finally, we discuss promising material functions and examples of their realization with nanocrystal assemblies.
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OBJECTIVES: Surgical resection is a key component of the treatment of head and neck cancer and the achievement of free surgical margins are essential for the patients' outcome in terms of survival. While there is a general recommendation for a free resection range of 5 mm, up to date, there is a lack of investigations on the quality of tumor resection in dependence of affected subsite and tumor stage. In the presented study, predictors for the achieved resection margins in surgically treated oral squamous cell carcinomas were analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cohort of 567 patients was included in a retrospective analysis and resection status with exact margin ranges were analysed. Tumor stage, affected subsite and the results of the intraoperative frozen section analysis were assessed. Primary endpoint was the achieved resection margin in mm, secondary endpoints were overall and progression-free survival. RESULTS: The observed mean values of minimal resection margins differed significantly between the investigated subsites (p = 0.042),pathological tumor stages (p < 0.001) and in tumors which demonstrated perineural infiltration (Pn1, p = 0.002). Furthermore, there was a significant impact of the results of the intraoperative frozen section analysis on progression-free and overall survival (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our data clearly indicate that resection status differs between tumors of different subsites and tumor stages. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Clinical procedures should be adapted in order to achieve similar certainty in all resections, and, thus to improve patients' outcome.
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Secciones por Congelación , Márgenes de Escisión , Neoplasias de la Boca , Estadificación de Neoplasias , Humanos , Estudios Retrospectivos , Neoplasias de la Boca/cirugía , Neoplasias de la Boca/patología , Femenino , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Anciano , Adulto , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/cirugía , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/patologíaRESUMEN
The rare bee genus Habrophorula Lieftinck, 1974 is recorded for the first time from Vietnam. The genus is represented by a new species, Habrophorulabelladeceptrix Tran, Engel & Nguyen, sp. nov., from Cao Bang Province and can be most easily confused with H.nigripes Wu from China. The species is most easily differentiated by the unique form of the male terminalia but can also be distinguished by differences in integumental and setal coloration. A revised key is provided to the species of the genus. Females of the new species were collected at flowers of Saurauiaroxburghii Wall. and Saurauianapaulensis DC. (Actinidiaceae); males were collected at flowers of Lantanacamara L. (Verbenaceae).
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OBJECTIVES: In the presented study, the occurrence rates of second primary oral carcinomas and their prognostic relevance were analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients with surgically treated oral squamous cell carcinomas within the years 2010 and 2022 in our department were included in this retrospective cohort study. Two groups were designed including patients with second primary carcinomas and patients with local tumor recurrences. Occurrence rates, tumor stages and applied therapies were assessed. Primary outcome was overall survival in dependence of the index tumor. Secondary outcomes were overall survival in dependence of local recurrences or second primary tumors. RESULTS: An overall number of 908 patients was included in the analysis. 98 patients (10.8%) developed a second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma. Patients with second primary tumors presented significantly (p < 0.001) better overall survival in dependence of the index tumor compared to patients suffering from local recurrences. There was no significant difference in overall survival (p = 0.4) in dependence of the date of second primary tumor or local recurrence. Patients with second primary tumors were more likely to receive surgery-based therapy compared to patients with local recurrences who more frequently received definitive radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Our data indicates different clinical courses in terms of therapy and survival of patients suffering from second primary tumors compared to patients with local tumor recurrences. This may be due to a more aggressive biology of local recurrences and earlier detection of second primaries due to oncological follow-up of the index tumor. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The differentiation of local tumor recurrences and second primary tumors is of clinical relevance, as applicable therapies and resulting prognosis may differ significantly.
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Carcinoma de Células Escamosas , Neoplasias de Cabeza y Cuello , Neoplasias de la Boca , Neoplasias Primarias Secundarias , Humanos , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/patología , Neoplasias de la Boca/patología , Estudios Retrospectivos , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas de Cabeza y Cuello , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Amber preserves an exceptional record of tiny, soft-bodied organisms and chemical environmental signatures, elucidating the evolution of arthropod lineages and the diversity, ecology, and biogeochemistry of ancient ecosystems. However, globally, fossiliferous amber deposits are rare in the latest Cretaceous and surrounding the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction.1,2,3,4,5 This faunal gap limits our understanding of arthropod diversity and survival across the extinction boundary.2,6 Contrasting hypotheses propose that arthropods were either relatively unaffected by the K-Pg extinction or experienced a steady decline in diversity before the extinction event followed by rapid diversification in the Cenozoic.2,6 These hypotheses are primarily based on arthropod feeding traces on fossil leaves and time-calibrated molecular phylogenies, not direct observation of the fossil record.2,7 Here, we report a diverse amber assemblage from the Late Cretaceous (67.04 ± 0.16 Ma) of the Big Muddy Badlands, Canada. The new deposit fills a critical 16-million-year gap in the arthropod fossil record spanning the K-Pg mass extinction. Seven arthropod orders and at least 11 insect families have been recovered, making the Big Muddy amber deposit the most diverse arthropod assemblage near the K-Pg extinction. Amber chemistry and stable isotopes suggest the amber was produced by coniferous (Cupressaceae) trees in a subtropical swamp near remnants of the Western Interior Seaway. The unexpected abundance of ants from extant families and the virtual absence of arthropods from common, exclusively Cretaceous families suggests that Big Muddy amber may represent a yet unsampled Late Cretaceous environment and provides evidence of a faunal transition before the end of the Cretaceous.
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Ámbar , Artrópodos , Extinción Biológica , Fósiles , Fósiles/anatomía & histología , Animales , Artrópodos/anatomía & histología , Artrópodos/clasificación , Evolución Biológica , Biodiversidad , CanadáRESUMEN
Hitherto, only two species of the thysanopteran suborder Terebrantia have been reported from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Myanmar). This is here expanded through the discovery of two new genera and species, described and figured as Parallelothripsseparatusgen. et sp. nov. and Didymothripsabdominalisgen. et sp. nov., both of the family Stenurothripidae. Both taxa have key apomorphies of the Stenurothripidae, allowing for a confident assignment as to family. Both species have characteristic comb-like anteromarginal setae, which are discussed along with structural differences between the two sexes. Cycad pollen was found on the thrips' bodies, providing further evidence that Thysanoptera were pollinators of gymnosperms during the mid-Cretaceous.
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Fossils encompassing multiple individuals provide rare direct evidence of behavioral interactions among extinct organisms. However, the fossilization process can alter the spatial relationship between individuals and hinder behavioral reconstruction. Here, we report a Baltic amber inclusion preserving a female-male pair of the extinct termite species Electrotermes affinis. The head-to-abdomen contact in the fossilized pair resembles the tandem courtship behavior of extant termites, although their parallel body alignment differs from the linear alignment typical of tandem runs. To solve this inconsistency, we simulated the first stage of amber formation, the immobilization of captured organisms, by exposing living termite tandems to sticky surfaces. We found that the posture of the fossilized pair matches trapped tandems and differs from untrapped tandems. Thus, the fossilized pair likely is a tandem running pair, representing the direct evidence of the mating behavior of extinct termites. Furthermore, by comparing the postures of partners on a sticky surface and in the amber inclusion, we estimated that the male likely performed the leader role in the fossilized tandem. Our results demonstrate that past behavioral interactions can be reconstructed despite the spatial distortion of body poses during fossilization. Our taphonomic approach demonstrates how certain behaviors can be inferred from fossil occurrences.
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Isópteros , Humanos , Femenino , Masculino , Animales , Ámbar , Extinción Psicológica , Fósiles , PosturaRESUMEN
Quasicrystals and their periodic approximants are complex crystalline phases. They have now been observed in many metallic alloys, soft matter systems, and particle simulations. In recent experiments of thin-film perovskites on solid substrates, the type of complex phase was found to change depending on thermodynamic conditions and the type of substrate used. Here, we investigate the effect of a substrate on the relative thermodynamic stability of a two-dimensional model quasicrystal and its approximants. Our simulation model is particles interacting via the Lennard-Jones-Gauss potential. Our numerical methods are molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations that take into account phason flips explicitly. For substrates interacting weakly with the particles, we observe an incommensurate-commensurate transition, in which a continuous series of quasicrystal approximants locks into a small number of approximants. Interestingly, we observe that the 3/2 approximant exhibits phason mode fluctuations in thermodynamic equilibrium. Such fluctuations are reminiscent of random tiling and a phenomenon usually associated only with quasiperiodic order. For stronger substrates, we find an enhancement of the stability of the dodecagonal quasicrystal and variants of square lattices. We explain all observed phenomena by the interplay of the model system with the substrate. Our results demonstrate that designing novel complex periodic and quasiperiodic structures by choice of suitable substrates is a promising strategy.
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The large abundance of termites is partially achieved by their defensive abilities. Stylotermitidae represented by a single extant genus, Stylotermes, is a member of a termite group Neoisoptera that encompasses 83% of termite species and 94% of termite genera and is characterized by the presence of the frontal gland. Within Neoisoptera, Stylotermitidae represents a species-poor sister lineage of all other groups. We studied the structure of the frontal, labral and labial glands in soldiers and workers of Stylotermes faveolus, and the composition of the frontal gland secretion in S. faveolus and Stylotermes halumicus. We show that the frontal gland is a small active secretory organ in soldiers and workers. It produces a cocktail of monoterpenes in soldiers, and some of these monoterpenes and unidentified proteins in workers. The labral and labial glands are developed similarly to other termite species and contribute to defensive activities (labral in both castes, labial in soldiers) or to the production of digestive enzymes (labial in workers). Our results support the importance of the frontal gland in the evolution of Neoisoptera. Toxic, irritating and detectable monoterpenes play defensive and pheromonal functions and are likely critical novelties contributing to the ecological success of these termites.
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Cucarachas , Isópteros , Animales , Feromonas/metabolismo , Monoterpenos/metabolismoRESUMEN
A critical study of type material for Trigona lacteipennis Friese, 1900 and allied species is presented along with a discussion of literature data. This work reveals that T. lacteipennis is a junior subjective synonym of Melipona paupera Provancher, 1889 (new synonymy), a species currently classified placed in the genus Frieseomelitta. Similarly, T. lehmanni Friese, 1901 and T. parastigma Cockerell, 1918 are also junior subjective synonyms of Melipona paupera (new synonymies). Morphological characters, photographic illustrations of type specimens, and data on distribution are provided for Frieseomelitta paupera. Also, we describe a new species of Trigona cilipes species group, Trigona (Aphaneuropsis) silveirai sp. nov., which is very similar to the former and had been misidentified with it.
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Himenópteros , Abejas , Animales , Distribución AnimalRESUMEN
Female mosquitoes are among the most notorious blood-feeding insects, sometimes causing severe allergic responses or vectoring a variety of microbial pathogens.1,2 Hematophagy in insects is likely a feeding shift from plant fluids, with the piercing-sucking mouthparts serving as suitable exaptation for piercing vertebrates' skin. The origins of these habits are mired in an often-poor fossil record for many hematophagous lineages,3,4 particularly those of sufficient age, as to give insights into the paleoecological context in which blood feeding first appeared or even to arrive at gross estimates as to when such shifts have occurred. This is certainly the case for mosquitoes, a clade estimated molecularly to date back to the Jurassic.5 The known Mesozoic Culicidae are Late Cretaceous, assigned to the modern Anophelinae or to the extinct Burmaculicinae, sister to other Culicidae, all with mouthparts of a modern type. Here, we report the discovery, in Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon, of two conspecific male mosquitoes unexpectedly with piercing mouthparts, armed with denticulate sharp mandibles and laciniae. These male fossils were likely hematophagous. They represent a lineage that diverged earlier than Burmaculicinae, extending the definitive occurrence of the family into the Early Cretaceous and serving to narrow the ghost-lineage gap for mosquitoes.
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Culicidae , Fósiles , Animales , Filogenia , Insectos , Conducta Alimentaria , ÁmbarRESUMEN
Positional cranial deformities are a common finding in toddlers, yet differentiation from craniosynostosis can be challenging. The aim of this study was to train convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to classify craniofacial deformities based on 2D images generated using photogrammetry as a radiation-free imaging technique. A total of 487 patients with photogrammetry scans were included in this retrospective cohort study: children with craniosynostosis (n = 227), positional deformities (n = 206), and healthy children (n = 54). Three two-dimensional images were extracted from each photogrammetry scan. The datasets were divided into training, validation, and test sets. During the training, fine-tuned ResNet-152s were utilized. The performance was quantified using tenfold cross-validation. For the detection of craniosynostosis, sensitivity was at 0.94 with a specificity of 0.85. Regarding the differentiation of the five existing classes (trigonocephaly, scaphocephaly, positional plagiocephaly left, positional plagiocephaly right, and healthy), sensitivity ranged from 0.45 (positional plagiocephaly left) to 0.95 (scaphocephaly) and specificity ranged from 0.87 (positional plagiocephaly right) to 0.97 (scaphocephaly). We present a CNN-based approach to classify craniofacial deformities on two-dimensional images with promising results. A larger dataset would be required to identify rarer forms of craniosynostosis as well. The chosen 2D approach enables future applications for digital cameras or smartphones.
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BACKGROUND: Phasmatodea (stick and leaf insects) play a central role on the debate regarding wing reduction and loss, and its wings are putative reacquisition from secondarily wingless ancestors based solely on extant species. A pivotal taxon in this respect is the species-poor Timematodea, consisting of approximately 21 wingless extant species, which form the sister group of all remaining winged or wingless stick and leaf insects, the Euphasmatodea. RESULTS: Herein, the new fossils of Timematodea from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber are reported, with winged and wingless species co-occurring. The palaeogeographic distributions of all fossils of Holophasmatodea are summarized, showing their wide paleo-distributions. The phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters confirms the earliest-diverging lineage of winged Breviala cretacea gen. et sp. nov. in Timematodea, and the possible relationships among all families of Holophasmatodea. These are critical for the reconstruction of patterns of wing evolution in early Phasmatodea. CONCLUSIONS: The new fossils suggest that Timematodea once had wings, at least during the mid-Cretaceous. The palaeogeographic occurrences imply that Timematodea probably have been widely distributed since at least the Jurassic. The phylogenetic analysis with the ancestral-state reconstruction of wings indicates that the common ancestors of Holophasmatodea were winged, the reductions and losses of wings among Timematodea and Euphasmatodea have occurred independently since at least the Cretaceous, and the reduction or loss of the forewing earlier than the hind wings.