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Herpetology, Bonn

Amphibians & Reptiles

The Herpetology Section specialises in amphibians and reptiles from all over the world, but mainly from Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East and South-East Asia.

Research focuses on taxonomy, diversity, auto-/synoecology, macro-ecology, species conservation, biogeography, species distribution modelling, evolution and phylogenetics.

The constantly growing scientific collection, which currently comprises > 110,000 specimens, is curated by PD Dr Dennis Rödder and Dr Claudia Koch.

Both curators are involved in university teaching and offer seminars, block modules, and excursions for the BSc Biology and OEP MSc degree programmes at the University of Bonn. Final theses (Bachelor/Master) and PhD theses are also supervised.

Innovative methods in morphology, taxonomy, and systematics

Every year, several hundred new amphibian and reptile species are described worldwide. The LIB makes an important contribution to this; since its foundation, type material of more than 700 taxa has been deposited in our section, including over 350 primary types (i.e. holo-, lecto-, and neotypes) and almost 100 syntypes. To identify new species, we use state-of-the-art molecular biology techniques (genetics, genomics, phylogenetics) as well as computer-aided imaging techniques such as µCT-based 3D reconstructions.

Computer-aided analyses in biogeography, evolutionary ecology, and conservation research

We investigate the effects of climate and land-use changes on different time scales, from currently observable distribution shifts and rather short-term distribution dynamics of (invasive) species (several years to decades) to evolutionary adaptations during speciation (several million years). Amphibians and reptiles are particularly suitable for this purpose, as they are highly dependent on environmental factors. Special attention has always been paid to the search for causal ecological mechanisms that determine distribution and abundance patterns in relation to environmental factors. We use the knowledge gained to make forecasts for the future and to become involved in international nature conservation.

Teaching programmes

Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
Supervision of project work and theses

Bachelor Biology  OEP Biology Master  PhD programme

  • OEP-A23 Advanced Bioinformatics in Phylogenetics, Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity research:

    • Introduction to Scientific Programming in R (seminar/exercise)

    • Introduction to GIS / species distribution modelling (seminar/exercise)

    OEP-B30 Advanced Course in Combining Field and Lab Techniques and Methods in Organismic Biology, Evolutionary Biology or Paleobiology

    OEP-C02 / WBIO-F-02: Zoogeography and ecology of marine organisms in tropical habitats (with an excursion to the Red Sea, Dahab/Egypt) (Seminar/Excursion)

    OEP-C07 Biodiversity of the Tropics, with a Field Trip to Ecuador (Seminar/Excursion)

    OEP-B16 Evolution, and Biodiversity of Lower Vertebrates (block course)

    OEP-B19 Patterns and Processes Shaping Biodiversity (Seminar)

    WBIO-E-01 Free practical courses for BSc Biology

Related collections

Contact person

Dr. Claudia Koch

  • Curator Herpetology
  • Radiation Protection Officer
  • Head of Animal Husbandry

Phone: +49 228 9122 234
E-Mail: c.koch@leibniz-lib.de

Contact person

PD Dr. Dennis Rödder

  • Head of Section Herpetology

Phone: +49 228 9122 252
E-Mail: d.roedder@leibniz-lib.de

["English"] WCH10
International networking: Members of Herpetology Bonn at the 10th World Congress of Herpetology in Borneo
["English"] Digitales Museum
We use big data and analyze evolutionary and biogeographical patterns
["English"] Polychrus peruvianus
Peruvian Bush Anole (Polychrus peruvianus)
["English"] Epictia antoniogarciai
The blind snake species Epictia antoniogarciai was discovered in 2015 in Cajamarca, Peru by researchers from the Museum Koenig
["English"] Liotyphlops beui
µCT scan of the head of a blind snake (Liotyphlops beui)
["English"] WCH10
International networking: Members of Herpetology Bonn at the 10th World Congress of Herpetology in Borneo
["English"] Digitales Museum
We use big data and analyze evolutionary and biogeographical patterns
["English"] Polychrus peruvianus
Peruvian Bush Anole (Polychrus peruvianus)
["English"] Epictia antoniogarciai
The blind snake species Epictia antoniogarciai was discovered in 2015 in Cajamarca, Peru by researchers from the Museum Koenig
["English"] Liotyphlops beui
µCT scan of the head of a blind snake (Liotyphlops beui)

Projects

Publications

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    2025

  • 2025/4

    Thapa, A., Baral, S., K. C., R.B., Paudel, R.P., Thapa, G.J., Basnet, H., G. C., R., Khanal, K., Dhakal, M., Jnawali, S.R., Thapa, K., Khanal, L.

    Show more...

    Differential vulnerability of key threatened mammals to climate and land cover changes in the Central Himalayas

    Ecosphere, 4, 16

  • 2025/3

    Böhme, W., Koppetsch, T., Trapp, B.

    Show more...

    Nutzen Würfelnattern, Natrix tessellata (Laurenti, 1768), ihre Zungen zu aggressiver Anlockmimikry? Do dice snakes, Natrix tessellata (Laurenti, 1768), use their tongues for aggressive lingual luring?

    SAURIA – Zeitschrift für Terraristik & Herpetologie, 1, 47

  • 2025/3

    Brito, J., Vega-Yánez, M.A., Guaya-Ramos, J.P., Polo, M., Koch, C., Tinoco, N., Pardiñas, U.F.J.

    Show more...

    Soft anatomy and morphological variation in Daptomys peruviensis (Rodentia, Cricetidae), a rare ichthyomyine from the northwestern Amazonian forests

    PeerJ, 13

  • 2025/3

    Shen, Y., Kaiser, C.M., Nishikawa, K., Sanamxay, D., Inthavong, P., Kaiser, H.

    Show more...

    First record of Trimerodytes praemaxillaris (Angel, 1929) from Xaisomboun Province, Laos, with additional comments on morphology, natural history, and the type locality

    Herpetology Notes, 18

  • 2025/3

    López‐Rojas, J.J., Santiago, D.H., Solé, M., Lourenço‐de‐Moraes, R.

    Show more...

    Amphibians and Reptiles Exhibit Different Ecological and Evolutionary Spatial Patterns in the Amazon Basin

    Ecology and Evolution, 3, 15

  • 2025/3

    Parmar, D.

    Show more...

    Beyond the ordinary: Thanatosis during shedding in Daboia russelii (Shaw and Nodder 1797) and a predator-prey interaction of Fowlea piscator (Schneider 1799), Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Daudin 1803), and Lissemys punctata (Lacépède 1788) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

    Reptiles&Amphibians, 1, 32

  • 2025/3

    Böhme, W., Bischoff, W., Scheidt, U.

    Show more...

    Zwei rumänische Herpetologen, die signifikant auch auf Deutsch publiziert haben: Ion Eduard Fuhn (1916 – 1987) und Bogdan Stugren (1928 – 1993)

    Sekretär, 1, 25

  • 2025/3

    Böhme, W.

    Show more...

    Ergänzende Notizen und Ikonographie zum ehemaligen Reptilienzoo „Vivarium Königswinter“ am Drachenfels bei Bonn

    Sekretär, 1, 25

  • 2025/3

    Böhme, W.

    Show more...

    Kletten als tödliche Falle für juvenile Laubfrösche

    Feldherpetologisches Magazin, 22

  • 2025/3

    Böhme, W.

    Show more...

    Ungewöhnliche Schuppen-Fehlbildung bei einer Schlingnatter

    Feldherpetologisches Magazin, 22

  • 2025/3

    Miguel, A.R., Conceição, E.D., Alfredo, C., Miguel, P.N., Kaiser, H.

    Show more...

    Snakebite in Nicoadala District, central Mozambique: a first assessment based on hospital records

    Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 3, 119

  • 2025/2

    Meyers, E.K.M., Faure, N., Jiménez-Alvarado, D., Barker, J., Toledo-Padilla, H., Tuya, F., Pike, C., Mead, L.R., Sealey, M.J., Belén Caro, M., Jacoby, D.M.P., Olivares, F.R., Bañeras, T., Guerra-Marrero, A., Espino-Ruano, A., Castro, J.J., Bousquet, C., Giovos, I., Rödder, D., Manel, S., Deter, J., Feldheim, K.A.

    Show more...

    Distinct management units for the Critically Endangered angelshark (Squatina squatina) revealed in the Canary Islands

    Conservation Genetics, 26

  • 2025/2

    Mutz, T., Böhme, W.

    Show more...

     Ichthyosaura as a generic nomen for the Alpine Newt (Caudata: Salamandridae): a doubtful case of literarian archeology

    Salamandra, 1, 61

  • 2025/2

    Entiauspe-Neto, O.M., Giraudo, A.R., Guedes, T.B., Tiutenko, A., Borges-Martins, M., Koch, C.

    Show more...

    Rediscovery of a rare and endangered Apostolepis (Serpentes: Dipsadidae): reassessing species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships using integrative approaches

    Salamandra, 1, 61

  • 2025/2

    Noori, S., Rödder, D., Yusefi, G.H., Hawlitschek, O., Wanke, D., Husemann, M., Rajaei, H.

    Show more...

    Biogeographic Patterns of Iranian Lepidoptera: A Framework for Conservation

    Diversity and Distributions

  • 2025/2

    Purser, W.A., Doughty, P., Rowley, J.L., Böhme, W., Donnellan, S.C., Anstis, M., Mitchell, N., Shea, G.M., Amey, A., Mitchell, B.A., Catullo, R.A.

    Show more...

    Systematics of the Little Red Tree Frog, Litoria rubella (Anura: Pelodryadidae), with the description of two new species from eastern Australia and arid Western Australia

    Zootaxa, 2, 5594

  • 2025/1

    da Silva Junior, M.B., Costa, R.N., Dias, I.R., Pendu, Y.L., Solé, M., Mira-Mendes, C.V.d., Orrico, V.G.D.

    Show more...

    Toxicity of the Herbicide Roundup Original DI® in Tadpoles of Physalaemus erikae and Physalaemus cicada (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

    Toxics, 1, 13

  • 2025/1

    Dufresnes, C., Jablonski, D., Ambu, J., Prasad, V.K., Bala Gautam, K., Kamei, R.G., Mahony, S., Hofmann, S., Masroor, R., Alard, B., Crottini, A., Edmonds, D., Ohler, A., Jiang, J., Khatiwada, J.R., Gupta, S.K., Borzée, A., Borkin, L.J., Skorinov, D.V., Melnikov, D.A., Milto, K.D., Konstantinov, E.L., Künzel, S., Suchan, T., Arkhipov, D.V., Trofimets, A.V., Nguyen, T.V., Suwannapoom, C., Litvinchuk, S.N., Poyarkov, N.A.

    Show more...

    Speciation and historical invasions of the Asian black-spined toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus)

    Nature communications, 1, 16

  • 2025/1

    Reilly, S.B., Kaiser, H., Karin, B.R., Arifin, U., Stubbs, A.L., Arida, E., Hamidy, A., Iskandar, D.T., McGuire, J.A.

    Show more...

    Rampant Dispersal Without Gene‐Flow: Reproductively and Geographically Isolated Lineages of the Supertramp Lizard Permeate the Lesser Sunda Archipelago

    Journal of Biogeography

  • 2025/1

    Amphibians of Yemen

    11

  • 2025/1

    De la Quintana, P., Solé, M.

    Show more...

    Unsuccessful predation of Ameiva ameiva (Linnaeus, 1758) causes the death of a juvenile snake, Oxyrhopus trigeminus Duméril et al., 1854, in Bahia, northeastern Brazil

    Herpetology Notes, 18

  • 2024

  • 2024/12

    Hamdan, B., Bonatto, S.L., Seixas, V.C., Santos, R.M.F., Santana, D.J., Machado, L.G., Kleiz-Ferreira, J.M., Freitas, M.A.d., Gonzalez, R.C., Cavalcante, T., Barbosa de Souza, M., Régis, C.B., Fernandes, D.S., Fernandes-Ferreira, H., Zingali, R.B., Rödder, D.

    Show more...

    When a name changes everything: taxonomy and conservation of the Atlantic bushmaster ( Lachesis Daudin, 1803) (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae)

    Systematics and biodiversity, 1, 22

  • 2024/12

    Zaher, H., Trusz, C., Koch, C., Entiauspe-Neto, O.M., Battilana, J., Grazziotin, F.G.

    Show more...

    Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the dwarf boas of the family Tropidophiidae (Serpentes: Alethinophidia)

    Systematics and biodiversity, 1, 22

  • 2024/12

    Baum, T.J., Barrio-Amorós, C.L., Kaiser, H.

    Show more...

    A reptile dysfunction: tail bifurcation in the Costa Rican Tropical Night Lizard, Lepidophyma reticulatum Taylor, 1955, a first for the family Xantusiidae

    Herpetology Notes, 17

  • 2024/12

    Aitken, W.M.I., de Mira-Mendes, C.V., Carilo Filho, L.M., Castro Santos, I.M., do Nascimento, M.S., Varela Rios, C.H., Medeiros, T.T., Batista, C.S., Menezes, V.Q., Argôlo, A.J.S., Solé, M., Dias, I.R.

    Show more...

    From sand to rocks: divergent diets in two populations of Pleurodema diplolister (Anura Leptodactylidae) in the semi-arid region of Bahia, Brazil

    Ethology Ecology & Evolution

Employees

  • Suraj Baral

    ztm Herpetology Bonn Doctoral candidate

    E-mail: s.baral@leibniz-lib.de

  • Michele Chiacchio

    ztm Herpetology Bonn Doctoral candidate

    E-mail: m.chiacchio@leibniz-lib.de

  • Dr. Rafaela França

    ztm Herpetology Bonn Postdoctoral researcher

    Phone: +49 228 9122 253
    E-mail: r.franca@leibniz-lib.de

  • Prof. Dr. Hinrich Kaiser

    ztm Herpetology Bonn Scientist, guest

    E-mail: h.kaiser@leibniz-lib.de

  • Paul Kornacker

    ztm Herpetology Bonn Volunteer employee

    E-mail: p.kornacker@leibniz-lib.de

  • Dikansh S. Parmar

    ztm Herpetology Bonn Doctoral candidate

    E-mail: d.parmar@leibniz-lib.de

  • Dr. Jendrian Riedel

    ztm Herpetology Bonn Postdoctoral researcher

    E-mail: j.riedel@leibniz-lib.de

MSc candidates

Elán Pérez García
One plan approach conservation strategies

Sydney Nelson
Is the geogaphic location of hybrid zones environmentally dependent in Triturus ssp.?

Anna Rose
Predicting the potential distribution of Laonastes aenigmamus under current and future climate (Univ. Cologne)

Nina J. Wirges
Niche evolution in Hemidactylus: correlative vs. mechanistic approaches

BSc candidates

Marielle Hilmer
Developing conservation strategies for Goniurosaurus in Vietnam

Nils Ostrowski
New strategies for optimizing SDMs - a simulation approach (Univ. Cologne)

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