Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

Vermeij, Geerat J

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae164

Most adaptive traits evolved multiple times independently, but the conditions of their evolution remain obscure. Here I examine the origins of columellar folds, spiral ridges on the axial wall of the interior of many gastropod shells, in both extant and fossil gastropods. Analyses indicate that these features arose at least 46 times, primarily in caenogastropods and heterobranchs. Columellar folds do not form in shells in which the coiling axis rises steeply above the apertural plane and in which the rim of the rounded aperture is a logarithmic spiral. More derived clades have shells with a low angle of elevation of the coiling axis, which permits the evolution of a non-circular aperture, a longer columella, and the formation of columellar folds. This architectural predisposition to form folds long preceded the realization of this potential. Functions of columellar folds include reducing apertural access to predators and preventing anteroposterior displacement of soft parts in the shell as parts of the body slide into and out of the shell. These benefits became important late in gastropod history as metabolic rates and activity levels of gastropods and the threat of predation by way of the aperture increased in the later Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.

Castro-Huertas, Valentina; Melo, María Cecilia

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae171

Saicini comprise 24 genera and 147 species worldwide. Here, we include additional taxa and characters to the morphological dataset of Castro-Huertas and Melo (2023) into a new one composed of 181 characters, which was analysed cladistically with 63 terminals, comprising 18 genera (75% of the generic diversity), 49 species of Saicini, and 12 outgroups. Saicini was recovered as monophyletic, with Carayonia orientalis (Visayanocorini) as its sister-species. Our hypotheses recovered two main clades within Saicini that we recognized as two new subtribes: Saicina subtrib. nov. and Tagalina subtrib. nov.; and the new tribe, Saiciretini trib. nov. of uncertain affinities within Emesinae. Additionally, the morphology and evolution of the scopula is explored. The scopula is a hairy attachment structure on the third tarsomere composed of a set of spatulate setae present on all legs of Saicini and on the meso- and metalegs of a few species of the tribes Emesini and Leistarchini (Emesinae). Scopula presence on all legs had been recovered as synapomorphy of the tribe Saicini. The reconstruction of the ancestral state of the hairy setae shows an emergence of this structure on the ventral region of the third tarsal segment of the protarsus in Saicini and its ancestor without scopula. The arrangement of the scopula is consistent with the recovered clades.

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae179

Ampuero, Andre; Sigwart, Julia D

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae168

Neopilina galatheae Lemche, 1957, first collected in the 1950s, was presented as a critical species for understanding animal evolution, particularly in the context of segmentation. Decades later, we have now revisited this iconic species using a newly collected specimen and modern micro-computed tomography (µCT). A comprehensive 3D digital model of the internal anatomy of N. galatheae revealed new complexities within the musculature, digestive, excretory, and reproductive structures, as well as insights to its feeding ecology. Although developmental data for monoplacophorans are still lacking, it has long been clear that the repeated anatomical elements of Neopilina are not true metamerism. Our new results show that the seventh muscle pair is an asymmetrical double muscle bundle, and there are independent pairs of kidneys without interconnections. Monoplacophorans remain a critical and contentious group for the phylogeny of conchiferan molluscs, though recent phylogenomic studies have shown consistency with traditional morphological hypotheses. Understanding body plan evolution in molluscs requires robust anatomical descriptions that can be compared among classes and between living and fossil species. Neopilina galatheae remains the iconic, textbook monoplacophoran; revisiting classic species with modern technology can challenge established views and contribute new perspectives on evolutionary processes.

Cherman, Mariana A; Basílio, Daniel S; Clarkson, Bruno; Mondaca, José; Bezděk, Aleš; Smith, Andrew B T; Almeida, Lúcia M

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae147

Liogenys is a neotropical genus widely distributed in South America and characterized by rhizophagous feeding habits. Taxonomy survey of Liogenys from Chile revealed a species complex consisting of L. palpalis, L. obesula and an undescribed morphotype. Morphological data alone are not sufficient to distinguish between them. The three-species hypothesis was tested using phylogenetic and preliminary phylogeographic analyses, as well as unilocus delimitation methods using mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear (ITS2) markers. The tree-based PTP method based on ITS2 considers both L. obesula and the undescribed morphotype to be variants of L. palpalis, a single, polymorphic species. Haplotypes from 12 localities along central Chile revealed four genetically structured populations, with statistical variance (54.34%) only within them. Isolated populations occur in Southern Santiagan Region and coastal desert. There are eight species of Liogenys in Chile. Diagnoses are provided for five species. Liogenys elguetai sp. nov. is described. Five synonyms are proposed for three species. Liogenys pubisternis, a new synonym of L. palpalis, is transferred from Diplotaxis. Lectotypes are provided for four names (L. castaneus, L. grandis, L. pubisternis, and Melolontha palpalis). Liogenys boliviensis is recorded for the first time from Chile and Peru, extending the distribution of Liogenys to northernmost Chile.

Gardini, Pietro; Sabatelli, Simone; Taiti, Stefano; Audisio, Paolo

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae173

Defining species boundaries may result challenging and has been a widely debated issue in the last decades. In cases of cryptic or “pseudocryptic” species, molecular approaches can be a valuable tool to provide taxonomic hypotheses and significantly complement morphological taxonomy. Here, two mitochondrial and one nuclear markers were used to study the phylogenetic relationships within the genus Tiroloscia, paying particular attention to Tiroloscia exigua. Moreover, we used a molecular clock to define a time window for the diversification of the main lineages within the species and explore aspects of its evolutionary history. Finally, four species delimitation methods were applied to clarify taxonomy and validate species boundaries. We found strong evidence against the monophyly of Tiroloscia and a surprisingly high level of genetic diversity within Tiroloscia exigua, supported by morphology. Notably, five evolutionary lineages were identified within T. exigua, suggesting the presence of distinct taxonomic entities. Divergence time estimation places the onset of T. exigua diversification around the middle Miocene (~12.2 Mya). Based on phylogenetic and morphological results, we propose the resurrection of Tiroloscia squamuligera as a valid species. Our results underscore the importance of molecular approaches to uncover hidden diversity, particularly in terrestrial isopods which may hide still underestimated biodiversity.

da Costa-Silva, Vinícius; Strümpher, Werner P; Thyssen, Patricia J; Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae172

Among the five known Trogidae genera, Polynoncus is the only one endemic to South America. Although the systematics within Trogidae is well established, the evolutionary relationships among Polynoncus species remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis based on maximum parsimony, using the equal and implicit weighting algorithm with all characters, in TNT v.1.5 software. The assembled data matrix consisted of 98 morphological characters scored for 48 taxa. Our results corroborate the monophyletic status of Polynoncus and its sister-group relationship with the genus Omorgus, both within Omorginae. In Polynoncus, three main lineages were recovered: (i) clade ‘pedestris’, with four species occurring mostly in the Andes; (ii) clade ‘pilularius’, whose species have been most reported in the temperate zone of South America; and (iii) clade ‘brevicollis’, whose species are distributed from the arid zones of Argentina and Chile to Peru, following through the Andes. This is the first species-level phylogeny presented for Trogidae.

Song, Nan; Wang, Miaomiao; Zhai, Qing; Zhang, Huanhuan

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae174

Cerambycidae (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea) are a widely distributed group of insects with significant economic importance. Despite substantial efforts and some advancements in inferring the phylogeny of Cerambycidae, high-level phylogenetic relationships within the family, including subfamily and tribe-level classification, remain contentious. In this study, we performed whole-genome sequencing on a total of 65 species. We integrated these comprehensive genomic data with existing whole-genome and transcriptome data to conduct a phylogenetic analysis of Cerambycidae s.s. The results supported the monophyly of Lamiinae, Cerambycinae, and Spondylidinae, whereas Lepturinae and Prioninae were found to be non-monophyletic. Lamiinae were recovered as the sister group to all other Cerambycidae s.s. Spondylidinae were found to be sister to the clade comprising Lepturinae and Necydalinae, and Cerambycinae were identified as the sister group to the clade consisting of Prioninae and Parandrinae. Within Lamiinae, the tribes Mesosini, Saperdini, and Dorcaschematini were found to be monophyletic; however, Acanthocinini, Agapanthiini, Pogonocherini, Pteropliini, Lamiini, and Monochamini were non-monophyletic. This study supported the classification integrating the current Monochamini into Lamiini. Molecular dating analysis suggests that diversification within Cerambycidae s.s. began at the boundary between the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, ~145 Mya.

Kuzmin, Ivan T; Sichinava, Ekaterina A; Mazur, Evgeniia V; Gombolevskiy, Victor A; Sennikov, Andrey G; Skutschas, Pavel P

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae177

Neurocranial features appear to be phylogenetically informative and key in assessing the still contentious relationships within Crocodylomorpha. However, the braincases of many non-crocodylian taxa are incompletely studied precluding the assessment of evolutionary modifications at the base of Crocodylia. Here, we describe the braincase osteology and neuroanatomy of the paralligatorid crocodylomorph Paralligator from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia based on computed tomography (CT)-scanning, segmentation, and 3D modelling of several specimens. The anatomy of the brain endocast, nerves, and the paratympanic pneumatic cavities of Paralligator is consistent with its phylogenetic position close to or at the base of Eusuchia. Paralligator shares a suit of neuroanatomical features with basal eusuchians and crocodylians reflecting the plesiomorphic condition for Crocodylia. In addition, differences in the brain endocasts between the larger-sized individuals of Paralligator and Kansajsuchus and the smaller Shamosuchus are consistent with ontogenetic changes in extant crocodylians. This suggests that members of the more basal clade Paralligatoridae and the crown-group Crocodylia share similar brain modifications during ontogeny. We also review the distribution of the mesethmoid in Crocodylomorpha and show its presence in several clades including Paralligatoridae and Dyrosauridae.

Nekola, Jeffrey C; Brook, Fred J; Foon, Junn Kitt; Horsáková, Veronika; Ishii, Yasuto; Köhler, Frank; Líznarová, Eva; Nováková, Markéta; Saito, Takumi; Salvador, Rodrigo B; Horsák, Michal

2025 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae142

We reconsider the biodiversity and biogeography of Paralaoma servilis—believed to be one of the most globally invasive exotic land snails—through integrative empirical revision. Phylogenies obtained from nDNA (ELAV, ddRAD genomics) and mtDNA (COI) demonstrate that the current classification is in error, with there being at least five distinct species within P. servilis s.l. The P. servilis group as interpreted here thus includes: P. servilis, inferred to be native to south-western Pacific Rim with an adventive distribution minimally spanning North America, Europe, and the Macaronesian islands of the eastern Atlantic Ocean; P. amblygona (Reinhardt, 1877), native to Honshu, Japan; P. borealis (Pilsbry and Y. Hirase, 1905), native to Hokkaido, Japan along the Pacific Rim to the SW North American mountains; P. caputspinulae (Reeve, 1852), native to New Zealand and Lord Howe Island; and P. morti (J.C. Cox, 1864), native to south-eastern Australia. Within P. servilis, invasiveness appears limited to a single clade that may have arisen along the California coast. The work presented here is a reminder that taxonomic concepts that have not been subjected to empirical vetting can generate poor biodiversity perspectives and non-optimal conservation strategies when native species are treated as exotics.