The cephalic anatomy of workers of the ant species Wasmannia affinis (Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta) and its evolutionary implications

Despite the ecological significance of ants and the intensive research attention they have received, thorough treatments of ant anatomy and functional morphology are still scarce. In this study we document the head morphology of workers of the myrmicine Wasmannia affinis with optical microscopy, µ-computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy, and 3D reconstruction, providing the first complete anatomical treatment of an ant head with a broad array of modern techniques. We discuss the potential of the applied methods to generate detailed and well-documented morphological data sets with increased efficiency. We also address homology problems, particularly in the context of the cephalic digestive tract. According to our analyses the “pharynx” of previous ant studies is homologous to the prepharynx of other insects. We also discuss the phylogenetic potential and functional significance of the observed characters, with internal features such as tentorium and musculature discussed for th...尽管蚂蚁具备重要的生态意义且已受到广泛研究关注，但针对蚂蚁解剖学与功能形态学的系统性详尽阐述仍较为匮乏。本研究采用光学显微镜、µ-计算机断层扫描（µ-computed tomography）、扫描电子显微镜（scanning electron microscopy）与三维重建（3D reconstruction）技术，对切叶蚁亚科（Myrmicinae）沃蚁属（Wasmannia）近缘种（Wasmannia affinis）的工蚁头部形态进行了完整记录，为首度运用多类现代技术对蚂蚁头部开展完整解剖学阐释的研究。本研究探讨了所采用方法在高效生成详实且有据可查的形态学数据集方面的应用潜力。此外，我们还针对同源性问题展开讨论，尤其聚焦于头部消化道相关研究范畴。根据本次分析结果，过往蚂蚁研究中提及的‘咽’与其他昆虫的前咽（prepharynx）为同源结构。我们同时讨论了所观察到的各类特征的系统发育潜力与功能意义，其中涵盖幕骨（tentorium）和肌肉系统等内部结构……