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Centre for Taxonomy and Morphology

The majority of global biodiversity is insufficiently known. However, we need comprehensive and reliable data so that we can protect biodiversity in a targeted and comprehensive manner. Discovering, describing, distinguishing and characterising species is a prerequisite for understanding the evolution of life on Earth and recognising ecological relationships. Our researchers at the Centre for Taxonomy and Morphology (ztm) pursue these core tasks.

Collections as a store of knowledge

Using taxonomic-systematic, morphological and molecular analyses, they generate knowledge about biological diversity, which they interpret using objects from the collections. The scientific collections form the heart of the ztm and provide the information basis for understanding changes and formulating forecasts.

Digitised data accessible to all

The staff at the ztm are continuously developing this "library of life" and making it accessible to researchers from all over the world and to the public. At the ztm, scientists develop strategies for the expansion and digitisation of the collections. They pass on their knowledge of the species to schoolchildren, students, the interested public and members of international co-operation projects.

Sections | of 24

Prof. Dr. Mariella Herberstein

  • Head of Centre for Taxonomy & Morphology

E-Mail: m.herberstein@leibniz-lib.de

Contact for enquiries in Hamburg

Contact for enquiries in Bonn

Gizella Nett

  • Centre assistance

Phone: +49 228 9122 191
E-Mail: g.nett@leibniz-lib.de

Publications

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    2025

  • 2025/3

    Raeker, J., Lord, A., Herranz, M., Giribet, G., Worsaae, K., Schmidt-Rhaesa, A.

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    The big, the small and the weird: A phylogenomic analysis of extant Priapulida

    Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 204

  • 2025/3

    Moore, J., Garilao, C., Kerbl, A.

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    An annotated catalog of Annelida types at the Museum of Nature Hamburg, Zoology. Part I: Annelida: Errantia: Aciculata: Eunicida, Myzostomida, Aciculata incertae sedis, and Errantia: Protodriliformia

    Evolutionary Systematics, 1, 9

  • 2025/3

    CHÁVEZ-LÓPEZ, Y., ALVESTAD, T., Moore, J.

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    A review of Anobothrus Levinsen, 1884, restricted, with reinstatement of Anobothrella Hartman, 1967 and Melythasides Desbruyères, 1978, and redescription of seven species (Annelida, Ampharetidae)

    Zootaxa, 2, 5601

  • 2025/3

    HUANG, S., HORIE, K., MARTIN, G., ESPELAND, M.

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    Taxonomic notes on the genus Himantopterus Wesmael (Lepidoptera, Zygaenoidea, Himantopteridae) with descriptions of three new taxa

    Zootaxa, 2, 5601

  • 2025/3

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

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    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.

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

    PeerJ, 13

  • 2025/3

    Hausdorf, B.

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    Species Delimitation Using Genomic Data: Options and Limitations

    Molecular Ecology

  • 2025/3

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

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    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

    Möhring, J., Hüllen, S., Martin, S., Mokodongan, D.F., Wowor, D., Schwarzer, J., Herder, F.

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    Increased phenotypic diversity as a consequence of ecological opportunity in the island radiation of Sulawesi ricefishes (Teleostei: Adrianichthyidae)

    BMC Ecology and Evolution, 1, 25

  • 2025/3

    Moritz, L., Wipfler, B., Wesener, T.

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    Protosiphonorhinus patrickmuelleri gen. et sp. nov., the first fossil member of the sucking millipede family Siphonorhinidae (Colobognatha, Siphonophorida) described from Cretaceous Myanmar amber

    Evolutionary Systematics, 1, 9

  • 2025/3

    Martínez, A., Bonaglia, S., Di Domenico, M., Fonseca, G., Ingels, J., Jörger, K.M., Laumer, C., Leasi, F., Zeppilli, D., Baldrighi, E., Bik, H., Cepeda, D., Curini-Galletti, M., Cutter, A.D., dos Santos, G., Fattorini, S., Frisch, D., Gollner, S., Jondelius, U., Kerbl, A., Kocot, K.M., Majdi, N., Mammola, S., Martín-Durán, J.M., Menegotto, A., Montagna, P.A., Nascimento, F.J.A., Puillandre, N., Rognant, A., Sánchez, N., Santos, I.R., Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., Schratzberger, M., Semprucci, F., Shimabukuro, M., Sommerfield, P.J., Struck, T.H., Sørensen, M.V., Wallberg, A., Worsaae, K., Yamasaki, H., Fontaneto, D.

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    Fundamental questions in meiofauna research highlight how small but ubiquitous animals can improve our understanding of Nature

    Communications Biology, 1, 8

  • 2025/2

    Wantania, L.L., Koppetsch, T., Möhring, J., Miesen, F.W., Wowor, D., Boneka, F., Herder, F.

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    Sulawesi stream fish communities depend on connectivity and habitat diversity

    Journal of Fish Biology, 106

  • 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.

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

    Conservation Genetics, 26

  • 2025/2

    Srikampha, K., Wesener, T., Likhitrakarn, N., Sutcharit, C., Srisonchai, R.

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    The millipede genus Sphaerobelum Verhoeff, 1924, in Thailand, with descriptions of three new species (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Zephroniidae)

    Zoosystematics and Evolution, 1, 101

  • 2025/2

    Mutz, T., Böhme, W.

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

    Salamandra, 1, 61

  • 2025/2

    Dharmarathne, C., McLean, D.J., Michalik, P., Herberstein, M.E.

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    Sperm Transfer Under Behavioral and Morphological Constraints in the Orb‐Web Spider Genus Argiope

    Integrative Zoology

  • 2025/2

    Moreno, C., Casari, S.A., Żyła, D.

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    New Species and a New Combination in Stenopholea Herman with the First Description of Dolicaonina Larva (Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Paederini)

    Neotropical Entomology, 1, 54

  • 2025/2

    Freitas, A.V.L., Brévignon, C., Silva-Brandão, K.L.

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    Disentangling the Taxonomy of Parides burchellanus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) and Related Taxa

    Neotropical Entomology, 1, 54

  • 2025/2

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

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

    Salamandra, 1, 61

  • 2025/2

    Möhring, J., Mokodongan, D.F., Gani, A., Wowor, D., Annawaty, ., Böhne, A., Herder, F.

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    A New and Unique Species of Ricefish (Teleostei: Adrianichthyidae: Oryzias) from the Lariang River Basin, Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the First Known Sympatric Ricefish Species Pair from Sulawesi Rivers

    Ichthyology & Herpetology, 1, 113

  • 2025/2

    Becher, E., Bamberger, S., Hausdorf, B.

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    Phylogeny and species delimitation in Albinaria from western Crete (Gastropoda: Clausiliidae)

    Zoological journal of the Linnean Society, 2, 203

  • 2025/2

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

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    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.

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    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

  • 2025/2

    Krings, W., Riesel, T., Kaiser, T.M., Daasch, A., Schulz-Kornas, E., Gorb, S.N.

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    The Influence of the Collective Effect of Tooth–tooth Interaction on the Feeding Efficiency of Gastropods: A Biomimetic Approach

    Journal of bionic engineering/Journal of Bionics Engineering

  • 2025/2

    Stefen, C., Jentke, T., Birkwald, T., Chmieleski, J., Decher, J., Kaus-Thiel, A., Morkel, C., Thielen, J., Goldberg, R., Jakobitz, J., Atzig, H., Müller, A., Krause, R., Fichter, E., Wolfram, E., Twietmeyer, S., Stuckas, H.

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    Large scale monitoring of terrestrial small mammals using noninvasive sampling and COI barcoding

    Mammal Research

  • 2025/1

    Oriowo, T.O., Chrysostomakis, I., Martin, S., Kukowka, S., Brown, T., Winkler, S., Myers, E.W., Boehne, A., Stange, M.

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    A chromosome-level, haplotype-resolved genome assembly and annotation for the Eurasian minnow (Leuciscidae: Phoxinus phoxinus) provide evidence of haplotype diversity

    Gigascience, 14

  • 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.

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    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.

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    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.

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

    Journal of Biogeography

  • 2025/1

    Mozer, A., Di‐Nizo, C.B., Consul, A., Huettel, B., Jäger, R., Akintayo, A., Erhardt, C., Fenner, L., Fischer, D., Forat, S., Gimnich, F., Grobe, P., Martin, S., Nathan, V., Saeed, A., von der Mark, L., Woehle, C., Olek, K., Misof, B., Astrin, J.J.

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    FOGS: A SNPSTR Marker Database to Combat Wildlife Trafficking and a Cell Culture Bank for Ex‐Situ Conservation

    Molecular Ecology resources

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