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Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society Most Popular Articles
Browse the latest articles that have received online coverage.
Lucinda P Lawson and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 4, December 2024, zlae163, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae163
The Galapagos finches represent a rapid radiation of birds across the remote oceanic archipelago that vary morphologically, behaviourally, and genetically. The level of diversity and rapid rate of speciation have created taxonomic difficulties in resolving phylogenetic relationships. While much of the phylogeny has recently been clarified with modern genomic methods, some of the diversity has been overlooked by under-sampling across islands within presumed species.
Léo Laborieux
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 4, December 2024, zlae161, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae161
Venom is a metabolically expensive secretion used sparingly in a variety of ecological contexts, most notably predation and defence. Accordingly, few animals employ their toxins from a distance, and venom-squirting behaviour is only known from select taxa. In scorpions, species belonging to two genera are known to spray venom when threatened, and previous work in Parabuthus transvaalicus shows that venom delivery depends on perceived levels of threat.
Christophe Hendrickx and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 4, December 2024, zlae150, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae150
Noasaurus leali is a small (~2 m) carnivorous theropod and the nominal genus of the clade Noasauridae, one of the two radiations of abelisauroid ceratosaurs predominantly present in the Southern Hemisphere during the Mesozoic. This eponymous theropod from the Maastrichtian Lecho Formation of Salta, Argentina, is known from an incomplete skeleton of which the strongly curved manual ungual is the most peculiar element.
Georgios L Georgalis and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 3, November 2024, zlae133, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae133
We here describe Terastiodontosaurus marcelosanchezi, a new amphisbaenian genus and species from the Eocene of Chambi, Tunisia. Using micro-computed tomography (μCT), we document the peculiar anatomy of the new taxon, which is characterized by extreme dental morphology, including one massive tooth on the maxilla and dentary, flat cheek teeth, and an array of other diagnostic features that readily differentiate it from all other amphisbaenians.
Adam Rytel and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 3, November 2024, zlae126, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae126
The Triassic was a key period in the evolution of vertebrates, and reptiles in particular, giving rise to a plethora of successful lineages, some of which are still extant. One of the groups that flourished during the early Mesozoic were the tanysaurians (Archosauromorpha: Tanysauria). They had elongate neck vertebrae that in some genera reached extreme proportions.
Walter E Schargel and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 2, October 2024, zlae120, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae120
We describe a new species of miniaturized gecko (genus Pseudogonatodes) from the Peninsula de Paria in northeastern Venezuela. Externally, the new species resembles Pseudogonatodes furvus and Pseudogonatodes manessi, from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia and the Central Coastal Range in Venezuela, respectively; however, it differs from these species in terms of molecular genetic data (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and c-mos), osteological characters, and scale counts.
Tomasz Pyrcz and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 2, October 2024, zlae112, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae112
A new genus of satyrine butterflies, Nivaliodes gen. nov., is described for three species, all new: Nivaliodes negrobueno sp. nov., Nivaliodes viracocha sp. nov., and Nivaliodes puriq sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), with the support of molecular data and adult morphology.
Mauro B S Lacerda
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 2, October 2024, zlae109, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae109
The Kem Kem Group is a lowermost lithostratigraphic unit from the Upper Cretaceous that extends along the border between Algeria and Morocco, in the northern region of Africa. This geological unit has yielded several tetrapod fossils, including a well-represented assemblage of theropod dinosaurs, after more than eight decades of research.
Bruno F Melo and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 1, September 2024, zlae101, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae101
Neotropical tetras of the family Characidae form the largest and most taxonomically complex clade within the order Characiformes. Previous phylogenetic relationships concur on the recognition of four major subclades, whereas knowledge on intergeneric and interspecific relationships remains largely incomplete or nonexistent.
Piotr Minias and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 202, Issue 1, September 2024, zlae111, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae111
Many bird species have vaneless hair-like feathers in the frontal area of the head (facial bristles). Several alternative hypotheses on the functional significance of avian facial bristles have been proposed, including aid in insect capture, eye protection, and mechanosensory sensitivity.
Oliver W M Rauhut and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 201, Issue 4, August 2024, zlae090, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae090
Recent fieldwork in the late Middle Jurassic Balabansai Formation of Kyrgyzstan has yielded a partial skeleton of a large theropod dinosaur. The material includes a few bones of the skull (postorbital, quadratojugal), dorsal and sacral vertebrae, fragments of the pectoral girdle and forelimbs, and an almost complete pelvic girdle and hindlimbs.
Mark T Young and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 201, Issue 4, August 2024, zlae086, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae086
The Dodo and its extinct sister species, the Solitaire, are iconic exemplars of the destructive capabilities of humanity. These secondarily terrestrial columbids became extinct within a century of their first encounter with humanity. Their rapid extinction, with little material retained in natural history collections, led 18th and some early 19th century naturalists to believe that these aberrant birds were mythological.
Luciano S Vidal and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 201, Issue 3, July 2024, zlae087, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae087
Trigonosaurus pricei is a small to medium-sized sauropod dinosaur (Sauropoda: Titanosauria) from the Late Cretaceous Bauru Group of Brazil that is known from a significant amount of recovered axial elements [four cervical vertebrae, 10 dorsal vertebrae, sacrum (MCT 1488-R), and 10 caudal vertebrae (MCT 1719-R)]. In this biomechanical work, we approach the hypothesis of the cartilaginous neutral pose and the range of motion of the axial series of Trigonosaurus.
Sergio Sánchez-Fenollosa and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlae074, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae074
Dacentrurus armatus was the first stegosaur described in the European Upper Jurassic at the end of the 19th century. The description of a second dacentrurine taxon, ‘Miragaia longicollum’, diagnosed from material non-comparable with the D. armatus holotype, has been controversial, and its validity has been challenged.
Jasmine A Croghan and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlae073, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae073
Extinct snake taxa are recognized primarily from isolated vertebrae. A new specimen from the early Oligocene of Wyoming provides a rare opportunity to examine four nearly complete and articulated fossil snakes.
Hady George and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlae065, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae065
Dicynodontia was an abundant, globally widespread clade of Permo-Triassic synapsids on the stem lineage of mammals. Although there is an extensive body of literature on dicynodont craniomandibular anatomy, only recently has the power of computed tomographic (CT) scanning been applied to this system.
Angelica C Dias and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlae053, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae053
The family Callichthyidae, which comprises the subfamilies Corydoradinae and Callichthyinae, represents one of the largest families within the Siluriformes. Corydoradinae, the largest subfamily of Callichthyidae, alone accounts for >200 valid species, with new species being described frequently.
Chong Chen and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, May 2024, zlae064, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae064
Neomphaloidean gastropods are endemic to chemosynthesis-based ecosystems ranging from hot vents to organic falls, and their diversity and evolutionary history remain poorly understood. In the southwestern Pacific, deep-sea hydrothermal vents on back-arc basins and volcanic arcs are found in three...
Paulo V L G C Pereira and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, May 2024, zlae054, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae054
Titanosaurs were the most diverse sauropod group during the Cretaceous period, with most of its diversity being found during the Late Cretaceous. In this work, Tiamat valdecii, gen. et sp. nov. is described, a new species of basal titanosaur prospected...
Nicolas J Rawlence and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, May 2024, zlae040, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae040
Mergansers are riverine and coastal piscivorous ducks that are widespread throughout North America and Eurasia but uncommon in the Southern Hemisphere. One species occurs in South America and at least two extinct species are known from New Zealand. It has...
Łukasz Czepiński and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, April 2024, zlae048, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae048
At the climax of their evolutionary history in the latest Cretaceous, ceratopsian dinosaurs were among the most dominant components of North American and Asian land ecosystems. In other continental landmasses, however, ceratopsians were extraordinarily rare and the affinities of their...
Alessio Capobianco and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, April 2024, zlae015, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae015
Osteoglossid bonytongues (arapaimas, arowanas, and relatives) are extant tropical freshwater fishes with a relatively abundant and diverse fossil record. Most osteoglossid fossils come from a 25-million-year interval in the early Palaeogene, when these fishes were distributed worldwide in both freshwater...
Calvin So and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, March 2024, zlae012, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae012
Amphibamiform temnospondyls are at the forefront of discourse surrounding modern amphibian evolutionary origins. Here we present a new amphibamiform, Kermitops gratus gen. et sp. Nov., from the Lower Clear Fork Formation of the Early Permian of Texas.
Sueny P Lima dos Santos and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, February 2024, zlad197, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad197
The mainly Mesoamerican cane toad, Rhinella horribilis, is the northernmost species in the Rhinella marina species group of giant or cane toads, occupying an extensive range west of the Andean Cordillera from Ecuador north to southern Texas.
Erik Isasmendi and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, February 2024, zlad193, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad193
A new member of Spinosauridae from the Enciso Group (uppermost Barremian-lower Aptian) from Igea (La Rioja, Spain) is here erected on the basis of axial, pelvic girdle, and hindlimb elements that exhibit a unique combination of characters.
Lucas J Legendre and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, February 2024, zlae001, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae001
The vocal organ of birds, the syrinx, represents a key innovation in the evolutionary history of vertebrate communication. Three major avian clades: passerines, parrots, and hummingbirds, independently acquired both specialized syringeal structures and vocal-production learning, between which a functional relationship has been proposed but remains poorly understood.
Justyna Słowiak and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, February 2024, zlad169, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad169
The Late Cretaceous Bagaraatan ostromi, described by Osmólska in 1996, is one of the most enigmatic theropod dinosaurs. The holotype possesses a peculiar combination of features, which Osmólska suggested were indicative of a primitive position among theropods that could not be resolved further. Other researchers have pointed to affinities with either derived bird-like coelurosaurs or tyrannosaurids.
Gregory F Funston and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, February 2024, zlae011, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae011
Oviraptorosaurs are among the most diverse and best-known extinct theropod groups. Their bizarre anatomy and their social and reproductive behaviour are now well understood.
Nicolas L M Brualla and others
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, January 2024, zlad180, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad180
Most of over 1400 extant bat species produce high-frequency pulses with their larynx for echolocation. However, the debate about the evolutionary origin of laryngeal echolocation in bats remains unresolved. The morphology of the larynx is known to reflect vocal adaptation and thus can potentially help in resolving this controversy.
