Eco-Evolutionary Trends in Sensillar Architecture Across three distinct lineages of Anochetus, the trap jaw ants

Eco-Evolutionary Trends in Sensillar Architecture Across three distinct lineages of Anochetus, the trap jaw ants | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Eco-Evolutionary Trends in Sensillar Architecture Across three distinct lineages of Anochetus, the trap jaw ants Harmanbir Kaur Randhawa, Meenakshi Bharti, Himender Bharti This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7526186/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Antennal sensilla are critical sensory structures in ants, mediating chemical, tactile, and environmental perception. The study provides a comprehensive and comparative analysis of antennal sensillar morphology and distribution across three Anochetus species— Anochetus myops , A. graeffei , and A. obscurior which belong to three distinct species groups ( longifossatus , graeffei , and sedilloti , respectively). Using scanning electron microscopy and morphometric analysis, we quantified and mapped the types and abundance of sensilla on the apical antennal segments, while correlating these with size of eye. Results reveal clear interspecific variation in both sensillar complexity and density. A. myops , a small-eyed member of the longifossatus group, exhibited the least sensillar diversity and a pronounced apical protuberance studded with a pair of sensilla placodea, reported for the first time in ants. A. graeffei manifests intermediate complexity, with expanded sensillar arrangements. In contrast, A. obscurior , with large eyes displays the highest number and diversity of sensilla types, including novel trichoid forms and multiple coeloconic variants. Our findings highlight functional morphological diversification of antennal sensory systems in Anochetus and suggest a correlation of sensillar complexity in ecological and evolutionary contexts. Anochetus Antennal sensilla Morphometrics Scanning Electron Microscopy Sensillar diversity Ecology Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7526186","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":512393267,"identity":"f9c34bf6-7aeb-41c7-84ec-938bc2c4264f","order_by":0,"name":"Harmanbir Kaur Randhawa","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA7ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAwj5j4GxAUgnVAAJZuYGIrQUHIBqOQPSwkiMlg8HIDzGNjCJX4u59Om0BwwGdxiYZ6Rfe/BwXm00fztQy4+KbTi1WPblbjdgMHjGwDgjp9wgcdvx3BmHGRsYe87cxu2wM7zbJBgMmEFa0iQStx3LbQBqYWZsI1rLnGO584nUchioJf2YRGJDTe4GorQkGKTxMPa8YZNIOHYgdyNQy0GCfvnwx0bOsD39meSPmrrceecPH3zwowK3FjBIYGDgMWzgAcXRYbDAAfzqoUCegf0BkKojSvEoGAWjYBSMLAAA4hZbPNGiS5UAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7774-2691","institution":"Punjabi University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Harmanbir","middleName":"Kaur","lastName":"Randhawa","suffix":""},{"id":512393268,"identity":"9b7ab060-5a60-4198-b124-183e516cb8bd","order_by":1,"name":"Meenakshi Bharti","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Punjabi University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Meenakshi","middleName":"","lastName":"Bharti","suffix":""},{"id":512393269,"identity":"73ef705c-654c-48db-bdd6-5697d3fa0837","order_by":2,"name":"Himender Bharti","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5996-1808","institution":"Punjabi University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Himender","middleName":"","lastName":"Bharti","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-03 10:55:47","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7526186/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7526186/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":94471339,"identity":"766b1dac-0b03-43c6-b9c5-7c8cf06eeeb7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-27 15:36:26","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1516561,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"CompletewithfiguresandtablesAnochetus1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7526186/v1_covered_6f442434-b680-44bc-95ba-1194db8e1129.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Eco-Evolutionary Trends in Sensillar Architecture Across three distinct lineages of Anochetus, the trap jaw ants","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Anochetus, Antennal sensilla, Morphometrics, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Sensillar diversity, Ecology","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7526186/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7526186/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAntennal sensilla are critical sensory structures in ants, mediating chemical, tactile, and environmental perception. 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