Osteometry of Duck Species in Northwestern Europe—A Reassessment of Woelfle's (1967) Dataset

This study revisits and expands upon Elisabeth Woelfle's (1967) foundational analysis of bone morphology and osteometry,which has long been a key reference for zooarcheological identification of duck species in northwestern Europe. By examiningWoelfle's unpublished measuring protocols and incorporating 523 newly measured specimens, we evaluate the reliability of traditionalskeletal measurements. Our results highlight significant inconsistencies in inter-andintra-observerreproducibility ofseveral commonly used metrics. We identify nine problematic measurements and propose revised definitions to improve standardizationand recommend abandoning poorly defined metrics. This revision aims to refine osteometric practices for ducks andpotentially other avian taxa, to ensure greater accuracy in zooarcheological identifications. All measurement data, including digitizedversions of Woelfle's original data, are made publicly available to support further morphological and comparative studies

First Iberian aspidothoracid megasecopteran insect and associated plants evidencing herbivory in a tropical Carboniferous forest from León, Spain

We describe Aspidothorax hispanicus sp. nov. from Gzhelian, Pennsylvanian strata of León, Spain, representing the first occurrence of Aspidothoracidae in the Iberian Peninsula. This discovery expands the paleogeographical range of the family, previously known only from the Russian Federation and France. The new insect is preserved in close association with foliar remains of medullosan (Alethopteris zeilleri) and callistophytalean (Pseudomariopteris cordato-ovata) seedferns whose environmental preferences suggest that the new insect species inhabited humid tropical forests. The fossil leaves bear six types of damage, probably produced by insects, belonging to three functional feeding groups: margin feeding, hole feeding, and piercing and sucking. This diversity of interactions highlights varied feeding strategies, including chewing, piercing and sucking behaviors, evidencing a more complex range of herbivory in the area than previously known. The stylet mouthparts of Megasecoptera make these insects strong candidates for producing the piercing and sucking damage on the associated plants. The presence of dark patches and spots on the fossil wing, probably represents a camouflage strategy against predators, such as Palaeodictyoptera and other active hunters. The dark wing apex might also reflect the presence of sexual dimorphism or courtship behavior. This new assemblage of insects, in addition to plants and plant-insect interactions, contributes to a broader paleoecological understanding of the Carboniferous forests of the La Magdalena Coalfield

Exploring the unusual occurrence, chemistry, and structural topology of åsgruvanite-(Ce), Ce16Ca5Al(SiO4)6(AsO3)8(CO3)2Cl3(ClF3)(OH)2 , a new rare earth element (REE) mineral from Västmanland, Sweden.

Åsgruvanite-(Ce), ideally Ce16Ca5Al(SiO4)6(AsO3)8(CO3)2Cl3(ClF3)(OH)2, is a new mineral species (IMA–CNMNC 2025-004), from the Åsgruvan Fe-skarn deposit, Norberg, Västmanland, Sweden, which is directly related to the Bastnäs-type of REE mineralisations in the Palaeoproterozoic Bergslagen ore province. Åsgruvanite-(Ce) occurs as anhedral, occasionally elongated grains up to 400 µm. It is greyish green to nearly colourless, with a white streak and a vitreous to greasy lustre. Cleavage is distinct on {001} and less so on {100}; the mineral is brittle, and its fracture is uneven. The calculated density is 4.79(1) g·cm⁻³. Åsgruvanite-(Ce) is optically uniaxial (+), with a refractive index above 1.8; the calculated average is 1.88 (Gladstone–Dale approach). Åsgruvanite-(Ce) crystallises in the trigonal system, space group P-3m1 (Z = 1), with the following unit-cell parameters: a = 10.5728(6) Å, c = 15.0899(11) Å. Åsgruvanite-(Ce) occurs in a magnetite–REE skarn, but its formation postdates the groundmass carbonate and skarn assemblage, and it is associated with late-stage calcite, dolomite, a dollaseite-like allanite-group mineral, gadolinite-(Y/Nd), and a fluorocarbonate related to bastnäsite-(Ce), with variable F contents. The structure was refined to R1 = 6.23% for 987 reflections. It is unique and consists of two alternating layers, A and B, along the c axis. Layer A (~8.4 Å) has the composition [(Ce12Ca3)AlSi6(C1.50S0.50)S2.00O30(OH)2]15+. Layer B (~6.7 Å) corresponds to the composition [(Ce4Ca2)As3+8O24Cl4F3]15–. These layers form tunnel-like features parallel to [100], which are partially occupied by Cl atoms. Spectroscopic data (infrared and micro-Raman) support the structural model

Genome Skimming of Thysanoptera (Arthropoda, Insecta) and Its Taxonomic and Systematic Applications

High-throughput sequencing has transformed molecular systematics. This study presents a semi-automated pipeline for genome skimming in Thysanoptera, an insect order known for challenging species identification and cryptic relationships. By efficiently obtaining mitochondrial genomes and nuclear genes from multiple thrips specimens, the study evaluates the limitations of traditional barcoding and the data required for accurate species delimitation. The results highlight the importance of the sequencing data volume and this pipeline in reconstructing Thysanoptera phylogeny. This research also showcases the potential of advanced sequencing techniques for species delimitation and phylogenetics

New insights into two poorly known monogeneans (Platyhelminthes), gill parasites of the European barracuda Sphyraena sphyraena (Teleostei, Sphyraenidae) with notes on Chauhanea Ramalingam, 1953 and closely related genera

Two poorly known parasitic Platyhelminthes were collected from the gills of the European barracuda Sphyraena sphyraena in the western Mediterranean. Specimens of Chauhanea mediterranea Euzet & Trilles, 1960 and Rhinecotyle crepitacula Euzet & Trilles, 1960 (Polyopisthocotyla) are redescribed based on newly collected material. A careful examination of Ch. mediterranea revealed inaccuracies in previous interpretations of the female openings. The midventral opening, previously referred to as the ‘vaginal opening’ in Pseudochauhanea Yamaguti, 1965 and used to distinguish this genus from Chauhanea Ramalingam, 1953, is demonstrated to be the uterus, as confirmed by the presence of eggs in the thin-walled duct associated with this opening. The lateral position of the cirrus and vagina is also confirmed. Consequently, Pseudochauhanea is synonymized with Chauhanea, resulting in the following new combinations: Ch. elegans Fuentes-Zambrano, 1997 n. comb.; Ch. elongata Kritsky, Bilqees & Leiby, 1972 n. comb.; Ch. macrorchis Lin, Liu & Zhang in Zhang, Yang & Liu, 2001 n. comb.; Ch. mexicana Lamothe, 1967 n. comb.; Ch. sphyraenae Yamaguti, 1965 n. comb. A detailed investigation of the clamp sclerites of Ch. mediterranea indicates that both Chauhanea and Cotyloatlantica Bravo-Hollis, 1984 share the subdivision of the basal oblique sclerite, which is a continuation of the marginal sclerite in the anterior jaw, a key feature used to distinguish these genera. As a result, Cotyloatlantica is also synonymized with Chauhanea, and its species are transferred as follows: Ch. pretiosa (Bravo-Hollis, 1984) n. comb. The reinstatement of Ch. mediterranea Euzet & Trilles, 1960 as a valid name is supported, and an amended diagnosis of Chauhanea is provided. Additionally, R. crepitacula is accurately redescribed, with a new geographical locality record and an assessment of morphometrical and anatomical variations between Mediterranean and oceanic specimens.Systematics and integrative taxonomy of Monogenea parasitizing fishes of Swede

A parasite through time: Revisiting Trypanosoma rajae Laveran and Mesnil, 1902 with new molecular and morphological insights from the blood of Rajidae in the western Mediterranean

Trypanosomes are blood parasitic protozoa infecting Chordates, including the elasmobranch skates (Rajidae). Amongst, Trypanosoma rajae Laveran and Mesnil, 1902 is a century old parasite, first briefly described from the Mediterranean starry ray Raja asterias and the undulate ray R. undulata off Roscoff, France, Northeast Atlantic, for which illustrations and molecular data are still lacking. Herein, we investigate blood trypanosomes of R. asterias, type-host of T. rajae and of those from the blood of the brown ray R. miraletus, collected off the Algerian coast, Western Mediterranean. We describe these trypanosomes using an integrative taxonomic approach combining morphological characters and partial 18S rRNA gene sequencing, and we provide several morphological, morphometrical, anatomical and biological characteristics (division stages). Specific characteristics of Trypanosoma ex R. asterias such as granulations of the nucleus and cytoplasm; shape of the kinetoplast, nucleus and body; tip of the body; the undulating membrane, as well as the morphometric measurements were within the ranges given in the previous records of T. rajae, and we ascribe thus the newly collected trypanosomes from R. asterias to T. rajae. Algeria and the Western Mediterranean are new locality records for T. rajae. Trypanosomes ex R. miraletus differed from T. rajae ex R. asterias by some morphometrical data: posterior end to kinetoplast (PK), free flagellum length (FF), the kinetoplast index (KI), slenderness (Sle), flagellar index (FI), midnucleus to anterior end (NA) and parasite maximum body width at nucleus (BWN). Partial 18S rRNA gene sequences of T. rajae ex R. asterias and Trypanosoma sp. ex R. miraletus showed ~99.76 % similarity. We take a conservative position and refer to trypanosomes from R. miraletus as T. cf. rajae. Phylogenetic analysis using 18S rRNA gene sequences of other aquatic trypanosomes allowed positioning of T. rajae relative to the other trypanosome species, previously described, infecting marine and freshwater hosts worldwide. Some divisional stages were also observed on MGG-stained thin smears allowing a brief description of the division of this trypanosome in the blood of its host. This effort is the first study of T. rajae using integrative taxonomy combining morphology and DNA and we provide for the first time observations of dividing stages of this species in the host bloo

Exceptionally Preserved Setae: A Possible MorphologicalSynapomorphy of Cambrian Lophotrochozoans

Cambrian Lagerstätten yield exceptionally preserved fossils that have greatly improved our understanding of the origin andevolution of animal groups. Brachiopoda, a phylum of bivalved marine invertebrates nested firmly within the lophotrochozoanprotostomes, are widely recovered in such Lagerstätten. The marginal chitinous setae (or chaetae) of brachiopods are the mostcommonly described soft tissue and have been interpreted as performing a defensive and/or sensory role. Despite their relativelycommon appearance in Cambrian Lagerstätten, the origin, function, and evolution of setae in the Brachiopoda is poorly known.Here, we document exquisitely preserved setal structures from South China and Laurentia paleocontinents giving new insightsinto their formation, microstructure and preservation mode. New setae typically make their appearance within the follicle of aneighbouring older seta and then branches off laterally forming its own follicle. Setal microstructure is likely to be composed ofmany canals, highly comparable to setae of their recent counterparts. Moreover, setae recovered from these palaeo‐continentspresent different preservation: aside from the normal preservation of iron oxides and carbonaceous ingredients, some compositions of calcium are also detected in this originally chitinous organization. Investigating the evolutionary origins of chitinous setae, a specialized type found notably in lophotrochozoans such as brachiopods and annelids, reveals its presence inearly Cambrian stem groups. This character likely serves as a morphological synapomorphy in lophotrochozoan evolution.However, the dearth of morpho‐ultrastructure and comparative studies in Cambrian fossils presents a challenge in fullyunderstanding this evolutionary development.This contribution was funded by research projects from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFF0803601), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42302010, 42072003), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2023M732836), the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF (GZB20230590), Department of science and technology of Shaanxi Province 2022TD-11, and 111 Project (D17013). Research of L.E. Holmer is supported by the Swedish Research Council (VR2018-03390), and by a Zhongjian Yang Scholarship from the Department of Geology, Northwest University. Research of Topper T.P. is supported by the Swedish Research Council (VR2017-05183 and VR2021-04295).</p