Skip to content

Myriapoda, Bonn

Many feet and little known

With its focus on Myriapoda, the Myriapoda section of the LIB is currently unique in Germany. It deals with the millipedes (Diplopoda) and centipedes (Chilopoda), as well as the smaller groups of the dwarf-footed animals (Symphyla) and small-footed animals (Pauropoda). The 'classical' taxonomy is being researched here, as in many areas of the world more than 2/3 of the species and genera are still undescribed.

Diverse range of methods

Applied methods are morphology (light and electron microscopy, tomography and microcomputer tomography), as well as genetics (barcoding and phylogeny based on ribosomal genes). Geographically, research is focussed on Madagascar and India, as well as Northern Italy, Australia and South-East Asia.

Understanding biodiversity

The orders studied are giant millipedes (Sphaerotheriida), sap millipedes (Glomerida), sausage millipedes (Spirobolida) and proto-millipedes (Glomeridesmida [Limacomorpha]) - which are also the main focus of the collection. The collection is a record of the species occurring in an area. Our myriapod collection is fully digitised and, thanks to preservation in 96% ethanol, genetic studies are also possible in the future.

Related collections

Contact person

Dr. Thomas Wesener

  • Head of Section Myriapoda
  • Editor Bonn zoological Bulletin - Supplementum

Phone: +49 228 9122 425
E-Mail: t.wesener@leibniz-lib.de

Projects

All projects

Publications

| of

    2025

  • 2025/11

    Lehmitz, R., Hohberg, K., Husemann, M., Peters, R.S., Scheunemann, N., Bálint, M., Balke, M., Bieberich, J., Bista, I., Borsch, T., Bourlat, S.J., Bussmann, R.W., Damm, U., Dey, L., Flocco, C.G., Grossart, H., Haase, P., Höfer, H., Krashevska, V., Krogmann, L., Lücking, R., Arbizu, P.M., Meier, R., Mengual, X., Mercado-Salas, N.F., Moore, J.M., Orr, M.C., Otte, V., Overmann, J., Pauls, S.U., Pereira, R.J., Peters, J., Potapov, A., Printzen, C., Raub, F., Raupach, M.J., Rduch, V., Retter, A., von Reumont, B.M., Rossel, S., Schmelz, R.M., Schmitt, T., Scholler, M., Stolle, E., Thines, M., Vasilita, C., Wesener, T., Zahiri, R., Zaitsev, A., Zimmermann, J., Żyła, D., Misof, B., Tockner, K.

    Show more...

    Unknown Germany - An integrative biodiversity discovery program

    npj Biodiversity, 1, 4

  • 2025/03

    Wesener, T., Rühr, P.T.

    Show more...

    Internal gonopod reconstruction in an amber-preserved millipede from the Cretaceous: Laeviglyphiulus patrickmuelleri n. gen., n. sp. (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Cambalopsidae)

    Swiss Journal of Palaeontology, 1, 144

  • 2025/03

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

    Show more...

    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

Employees

All employees
Privacy Settings
This site uses cookies and third party elements to provide you with certain features and an optimal website experience. These include cookies that are strictly necessary for the operation of the site, cookies for anonymous statistical analysis/measurement, and the embedding of external services whose use you must consent to prior to use. You can find more information below in the notes on the individual functions and in detail in our privacy policy.
These cookies are necessary to enable the basic functions of our website.
This consent allows you to view external contents (via iframe).
This consent allows you to watch embedded videos.
Page views are recorded for anonymous statistical purposes using Matomo in order to constantly optimise our website. The visitor's IP address is anonymised.
Marketing cookies from Google/Meta are used to display personalised advertising. This is done by tracking visitors across websites.
Settings saved