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  Widespread concern about the “decline of taxonomy” has motivated calls to action to re-invigorate the field by enhancing taxonomic training, along with increasing taxonomy funding and positions, improving citation rates, and describing species more rapidly. Taxonomic training has historically been apprentice style, with individuals training for years under expert guidance. This approach offers a rich learning experience but inherently limits trainee number and relies on students’ earlier exposure to taxonomy. We describe a scaled-up taxonomic training model using a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) to provide early taxonomy research experience and broadly applicable scientific research skills. Results from a 45-student taxonomy-focused course conducted concurrently at 2 universities resulted in increased interest in taxonomic revisions and ability to explain taxonomic concepts, with one-third of students developing more interest in taxonomic careers. General science skill development was high when compared to a large sample of other CURE courses. The research focus of the course was taxonomic revision of the ant genus Nylanderia in Meso-America; students worked with instructors to delimit and describe new species. Here, we present 4 newly described species: Nylanderia ambulator, sp. nov. Nylanderia aurantia, sp. nov., Nylanderia collaborans, sp. nov., and Nylanderia maximon, sp. nov., with an additional 13 putative species noted for further revisionary work. This expanded taxonomic training model combines hands-on research experience with peer-learning and caters to students with minimal exposure to taxonomy. As a result, this approach broadens recruitment to more diverse audiences and results in enhanced awareness of and appreciation for taxonomy. 

Abstract Genital morphology, a cornerstone in taxonomy that predates Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae, is vital for species delimitation. However, the widely accepted paradigm that genitalia are taxonomically informative lacks robust testing between closely related species, and supporting evidence is often limited to taxonomic literature in which genitalia are assumed a priori to be species-specific. The cosmopolitan ant genus Nylanderia Emery includes 123 described species, with most in the Neotropics still undescribed. Workers are often morphologically cryptic, and males are rare in collections but required for morphological delimitation. Using Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs) from 236 samples, including 53 Neotropical Nylanderia species, we reconstructed a phylogenetic framework to compare the genitalia (gonopods) of males collected alongside workers. We used geometric morphometrics on images of slide-mounted genitalia from 16 species and nano-CT scans of Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) and Nylanderia pubens (Forel) genital capsules and interpreted results considering phylogeny under maximum likelihood and the multispecies coalescent. We found strong morphological and molecular support for 2 distantly related American clades, identifiable by gonopod shape, with significant differences observed among most species. Three previously reported COI clades of N. fulva were not supported as monophyletic, nor were their gonopods significantly different. However, N. pubens was supported as distinct by all phylogenetic and 3DGM results. Our findings emphasize the importance of male genitalia for delimiting species boundaries and revising Neotropical Nylanderia. Given their importance, particularly in morphologically cryptic taxa, we recommend a greater focus on linking male and worker phenotypes, which can be facilitated through comprehensive nest series collection. 

A new ant species,Paraparatrechina neelasp. nov., with a captivating metallic-blue color is described based on the worker caste from the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. This discovery signifies the first new species ofParaparatrechinain 121 years, since the description of the sole previously known species,P. aseta(Forel, 1902), in the Indian subcontinent. 

Organisms that have repeatedly evolved similar morphologies owing to the same selective pressures provide excellent cases in which to examine specific morphological changes and their relevance to the ecology and evolution of taxa. Hosts of permanent parasites act as an independent evolutionary experiment, as parasites on these hosts are thought to be undergoing similar selective pressures. Parasitic feather lice have repeatedly diversified into convergent ecomorphs in different microhabitats on their avian hosts. We quantified specific morphological characters to determine (i) which traits are associated with each ecomorph, (ii) the quantitative differences between these ecomorphs, and (iii) if there is evidence of displacement among co-occurring lice as might be expected under louse–louse competition on the host. We used nano-computed tomography scan data of 89 specimens, belonging to four repeatedly evolved ecomorphs, to examine their mandibular muscle volume, limb length and three-dimensional head shape data. Here, we find evidence that lice repeatedly evolve similar morphologies as a mechanism to escape host defences, but also diverge into different ecomorphs related to the way they escape these defences. Lice that co-occur with other genera on a host exhibit greater morphological divergence, indicating a potential role of competition in evolutionary divergence. 

Abstract The classification of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) has progressed in waves since the first 17 species were described by Linnaeus in the 1758 edition of Systema Naturae. Since then, over 18,000 species-rank names have accumulated for the global myrmecofauna, of which ~14,260 living and ~810 fossil species are valid. Here, we provide a synopsis of ant biodiversity and review the history and classification of the family, while highlighting the massive growth of the field in the new millennium. We observe that major transformation has occurred for ant classification due to advances in DNA sequencing technologies, model-based hypothesis testing, and imaging technologies. We therefore provide a revised and illustrated list of diagnostic character states for the higher clades of Formicidae, recognizing that vastly more work is to be done. To facilitate discussion and the systematic accumulation of evolutionary knowledge for the early evolution of the ants, we suggest an informal nomenclatural system for the higher clades of ants, based on names currently in use and a set of names that have been democratically selected by the authors. To guide future work on ant systematics, we summarize currently available databases and present perspectives on regions in need of biodiversity exploration, challenges facing the field, and the future of ant taxonomy.