{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T09:00:43Z","timestamp":1790326843642,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789430400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":14,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788220800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["24K18174"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["24K18174"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["24K01785"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["24K01785"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["24K17904"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["24K17904"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001659","name":"Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["BU3169\/3\u20101"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BU3169\/3\u20101"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001659","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001659","name":"Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["DFG INST264\/185\u20101 FUGG"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DFG INST264\/185\u20101 FUGG"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001659","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Morphology"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    The insect stinger is one of the best\u2010known animal venom\u2010delivery structures. Although its internal structure is crucial for venom delivery, key components remain poorly understood. The valvilli are a pair of articulated structures within the valve chamber that act as \u2018flaps\u2019 and have often been overlooked or described only superficially. Here, using\n                    <jats:italic>Diacamma<\/jats:italic>\n                    nr.\n                    <jats:italic>indicum<\/jats:italic>\n                    as a model system, we combine high\u2010resolution micro\u2010computed tomography (micro\u2010CT), histological sectioning, serial block\u2010face scanning electron microscopy (SBF\u2010SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to characterise the fine\u2010scale morphology and cuticular material composition of ant valvilli. We report structural differentiation within the valvilli, including distinct cuticular zones that likely correspond to different functions. CLSM imaging particularly highlights variation in sclerotisation, resilin distribution and ultrastructure, indicating that the valvilli are not uniformly flexible elements but rather complex, only partially deformable structures. SBF\u2010SEM of the distal lobe margin corroborates this material differentiation at the ultrastructural level, revealing a laterally continuous sublayer of regularly spaced, circular domains with reduced electron density, consistent with a periodically organised transition in cuticle composition or architecture at the procuticle level. Furthermore, comparative micro\u2010CT scans of stingers fixed in different actuation states indicate the involvement of a non\u2010antiphasic pattern of valvilli movement during stinger deployment, challenging the current understanding of valvilli\u2010assisted pumping based on rhythmic, alternating movements, as inferred from European honeybees. These findings offer new anatomical insight into the architecture of the ant stinger and provide a refined morphological basis for future studies of venom delivery in Hymenoptera. By clarifying how such delivery systems have been fine\u2010tuned over the evolution of a hyper\u2010diverse insect group, they may also inform the design of bio\u2010inspired micro\u2010scale injection and pumping systems.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/jmor.70174","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T10:40:02Z","timestamp":1789468802000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Pumping Venom: Valvilli Architecture in\n                    <i>Diacamma<\/i>\n                    (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Implications for Stinger Functionality"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"287","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2977-8348","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandre","family":"Casadei\u2010Ferreira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University Onna Okinawa Japan"},{"name":"Department of Cytology and Evolutionary Biology Zoological Institute and Museum University of Greifswald Greifswald Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2392-7293","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Johan","family":"Billen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology Bioscience Centre, KULeuven Heverlee Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1657-7950","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sebastian","family":"B\u00fcsse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cytology and Evolutionary Biology Zoological Institute and Museum University of Greifswald Greifswald Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1447-9660","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julian","family":"Katzke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University Onna Okinawa Japan"},{"name":"Department of Entomology National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington DC USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7196-0194","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Riou","family":"Mizuno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University Onna Okinawa Japan"},{"name":"Faculty of Agriculture Kagawa University Miki Kagawa Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5627-2302","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adrian","family":"Richter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University Onna Okinawa Japan"},{"name":"Senckenberg Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research Frankfurt Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7402-0432","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Evan","family":"Economo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University Onna Okinawa Japan"},{"name":"Department of Entomology University of Maryland College Park Maryland USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_9_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1242\/jeb.187294"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1201\/9781420058215"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_4_1","volume-title":"The Science and Engineering of Cutting","author":"Atkins T.","year":"2009"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/9781118876114"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Betz O. 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