Centre for Taxonomy and Morphology (ztm)
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 25
Hamburg:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/8d1db1bf7f12230b649cfb639e3814e4.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Mammalogie_HH/170227-CeNak-Labor_62A4684-30Mp-Foto-UHH__RRZ_MCC__Mentz_EA52.jpg%3F1731483652)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesMammalogy - Hamburg
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesOrnithology - Hamburg
Hamburg:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/e211296c4d956aff7f2a31fa9ae072d7.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Herpetologie_HH/-_R_Haas_Malaysia_DSC2560.jpg%3F1731656543)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesHerpetologie - Hamburg
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesIchthyology - Hamburg
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesMammalogy - Bonn
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesOrnithology - Bonn
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesHerpetology - Bonn
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesIchthyology - Bonn
Bonn:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/b8df8d8c0b83f15485bbc8be03895b63.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Leibniz_Junior_Research_Group_Minnows_Conversation_Genomics_BN/me02_elritzen_6_gallerie_0.jpg%3F1731652583)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesLeibniz Junior Research Group Minnows - Conversation Genomics - Bonn
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
VertebratesAnimal husbandry - Bonn
Hamburg:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/e4c25a4e689781dea96809fc153ea915.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sammlungen/Hamburg/sml_Wirbellose/20200625_215842.jpg%3F1731395327)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates HamburgInvertebrates - Hamburg
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates HamburgMollusca - Hamburg
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates HamburgAnnelida - Hamburg
Hamburg:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/d068ae4ba937b60bb1843b3e56b9ae70.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Crustacea_HH/Copepoda_Euryte_Photo_Nancy_Mercado.jpg%3F1730889143)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates HamburgCrustacea - Hamburg
Hamburg:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/2eda47af47f4917d31b69f02859e1c38.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Arachnida_Myriapoda_HH/Spinne1.jpg%3F1730888327)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates HamburgArachnida & Myriapoda - Hamburg
Hamburg:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/f446d6636004604082d1e7d047bcf0e1.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Coleoptera_HH/Schwarzfl.Trapezruessler.C.melonogrannum-k-Hempelmann.jpg%3F1731661537)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates HamburgColeoptera - Hamburg
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Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates HamburgLepidoptera & Trichoptera - Hamburg
Bonn:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/b8df8d8c0b83f15485bbc8be03895b63.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Arachnida_BN/dscn2010_0.jpg%3F1730287466)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates BonnArachnida - Bonn
Bonn:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/b8df8d8c0b83f15485bbc8be03895b63.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Myriapoda_BN/dsc_1427_0.jpg%3F1730287210)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates BonnMyriapoda - Bonn
Bonn:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/b8df8d8c0b83f15485bbc8be03895b63.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Hymenoptera_BN/bees_collecting_pollen_2004-08-14_1_0.jpg%3F1730279846)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates BonnHymenoptera - Bonn
Bonn:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/b8df8d8c0b83f15485bbc8be03895b63.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Lepidoptera_Trichoptera_BN/FotoSchmetterling-2048x1365.jpg%3F1731394777)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates BonnLepidoptera & Trichoptera - Bonn
Bonn:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/b8df8d8c0b83f15485bbc8be03895b63.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Coleoptera_BN/cicindela_2_0.jpg%3F1730280033)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates BonnColeoptera - Bonn
Bonn:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/b8df8d8c0b83f15485bbc8be03895b63.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sektionen/ZTM/Diptera_BN/allograpta_rhinoprosopa_monteverde_cr_3654_0.jpg%3F1730287069)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Invertebrates BonnDiptera - Bonn
Hamburg:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/389ed7d8f57b246ae8afab591799dc2d.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/home/Bilder/LIB/Infrastruktur/2G3A1223.JPG%3F1737701883)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Central unitsMorphology laboratory - Hamburg
Bonn:watermark(leibniz-lib.de/typo3temp/assets/images/watermark-copyright/44f8ae59e1803225927a51183d3e7bc1.png,3,10,0)/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/home/Bilder/LIB/Infrastruktur/2G3A8140.JPG%3F1729704374)
Center for Taxonomy & Morphology (ztm)
Central unitsMorphology laboratory - Bonn
- Head of Centre for Taxonomy & Morphology
- Deputy Director General LIB at the Hamburg location
Phone: +49 40 238317 630
E-Mail: m.herberstein@leibniz-lib.de
Contact for enquiries in Hamburg
Contact for enquiries in Bonn
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Publications
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2026/01
Characterization of metal contaminants in the Critically Endangered angelshark (Squatina squatina): A first ecotoxicological insight
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 222
2025/12
New hoverfly records for Greece with the description of a new species of Cheilosia (Diptera, Syrphidae)
Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología/Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología/Suplementos del Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología, 3-4, 49
2025/11
A redescription of the Pacific Bounty hunter, Pacificana cockayni Hogg, 1904 and an attempt to reunite with its family.
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 5, 52
2025/11
Contribution to the Neotropical Campylochetini: A review of Campylocheta Rondani, 1859 (Diptera: Tachinidae) with new synonyms, three new species and an identification key to Neotropical species
Austral Entomology, 4, 64
2025/11
Unknown Germany - An integrative biodiversity discovery program
npj Biodiversity, 1, 4
2025/11
What is revealed from a widely distributed species in Africa and Southwest Asia? The case of the Telescopus dhara–obtusus species complex (Squamata: Colubridae)
Zoological journal of the Linnean Society, 3, 205
2025/11
A new species of the Recent genus Amblyomma (Parasitiformes: Ixodidae) discovered in Dominican amber
Palaeoentomology, 6, 8
2025/11
Carl Hagenbeck’s Trade in Reptiles, His Historical Reptile Exhibitions, and His Herpetological Legacy
2025/11
Impact of Tusk Anomalies on the Long‐Term Foraging Ecology of Narwhals
Ecology and Evolution, 11, 15
2025/11
Comments on the retraction of an article by Faiz et al. (2017) on the putative occurrence of a King Cobra, Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836), in Pakistan
Herpetology Notes, 18
2025/11
Die Seeschlange Hydrophis lapemoides (Gray, 1849) (Serpentes: Elapidae: Hydrophiinae): erster dokumentierter Nachweis aus irakischen Küstengewässern / The Arabian Gulf Sea Snake Hydrophis lapemoides (Gray, 1849) (Serpentes: Elapidae: Hydrophiinae): first documented record from Iraqi marine waters
SAURIA – Zeitschrift für Terraristik & Herpetologie, 3, 47
2025/11
Neobiota in unserer Umwelt
2025/11
Beyond the asymptote: a near-complete reptile inventory in the Miombo woodland and on Mount Morué, Mocuba Municipality, with a major range extension for the lizard Nucras boulengeri Neumann, 1900
Herpetology Notes, 18
2025/11
Changing Views on Speciation
Molecular Ecology
2025/11
Description of two new spider species from Ecuadorian caves, along with a note on the distribution of Plato troglodita Coddington, 1986 (Araneae, Theridiosomatidae).
Zootaxa, 3, 5719
2025/10
The Bug‐Network (BugNet): A Global Experimental Network Testing the Effects of Invertebrate Herbivores and Fungal Pathogens on Plant Communities and Ecosystem Function in Open Ecosystems
Ecology and Evolution, 10, 15
2025/10
Landscape Heterogeneity and Changing Bioclimatic Parameters Link to Potential Expansion of Gazalina chrysolopha (Lepidoptera; Notodontidae) in Nepal: A Possible Bioagent for Seasonal Hyperacute Panuveitis (SHAPU) in South Asia
Ecology and Evolution, 10, 15
2025/10
Correction: Elemental analyses reveal distinct mineralization patterns in radular teeth of various molluscan taxa
Scientific reports, 1, 15
2025/10
A New Actinote Hübner (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae: Acraeini) from Northeastern Brazil
Neotropical Entomology, 1, 54
2025/10
Four new species of Neischnocolus (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae) from Western Ecuador
Zootaxa, 4, 5706
2025/10
Review of the genus Cheilosia Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the Caucasus, with the description of 14 new species
European Journal of Taxonomy, 1, 1023
2025/10
A hoverfly survey in the inner alpine municipality of Bergün-Filisur (Switzerland) by means of variable route sampling (Diptera, Syrphidae)
Alpine Entomology, 9
2025/10
Sticky Innovation, Limited Expansion: Biogeography and Evolutionary Ecology of Toepads in Geckos
Journal of Biogeography
2025/10
Noli tangere nomina probata! Taxonomists must prioritise stability and protection of well-established scientific names in herpetology
Salamandra, 4, 61
2025/10
Assessment of the threat status of bird species from Vietnam – Implementation of the One Plan Approach to conservation
Nature Conservation, 60
2025/10
Complementary approaches to measure predation pressure on butterfly populations in Australia
Royal Society Open Science, 10, 12
2025/10
The Leptopilina Förster, 1869 of the Western Palearctic, and an updated list of the world species (Hymenoptera, Figitidae, Eucoilinae)
Journal of Hymenoptera Research/Journal of Hymenoptera research, 98
2025/10
Alone no more—Integrative taxonomy of odd‐clawed spiders challenges the monotypy of Pianoa and Gradungula ( )
Systematic Entomology
2025/10
The Complex Interplay between Evolutionary Flexibility and Diversification in a Family of Spiders
Systematic Biology
2025/10
Morphological and biomechanical adaptations of larval mandibles in Trichoptera (Insecta)
Physiological Entomology
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