Close-up of the head of a female Sphiximorpha oharai in dorsolateral view showing compound eyes and antennae
How much diversity is hidden in well-known insect groups? New work on hoverflies revises the genus Asemosyrphus and describes a new Sphiximorpha species - highlighting how much remains to be uncovered even in studied taxa. #LIBresearch
© Mengual et al., CC BY 4.0
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Dorsal view of a Ubristes mirabilissimus hoverfly with transparent wings and a dark, hairy body
How much insect diversity is still hidden? A new study describes insects that mimic stingless bees - revealing previously overlooked diversity and how resemblance helps them avoid predators. #LIBresearch
© Reemer et al., CC BY 4.0
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The Hungarian Meadow Viper, one of Europe’s rarest snakes. Thanks to the EU Life+ project and Bálint Halpern, 25 years of work has seen thousands of vipers bred and released into restored habitats!
Learn more about this conservation masterclass: rakosivipera.hu
#LIBresearch @leibnizlib.bsky.social
Close-up of a Patella rustica limpet shell with ridged texture on a rocky surface covered with barnacles
A new ERGA–Biodiversity Genomics Europe reference genome for the limpet Patella rustica provides a key resource to study how coastal species respond to global warming. #LIBresearch
© Faria R et al., CC BY 4.0
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Many “single species” actually turn out to be complexes of multiple, distinct species once studied in detail.
A great example of how taxonomy continues to reveal hidden biodiversity. #LIBresearch
Englisch: Map showing the Azores archipelago between North America, Europe, and Africa with a detailed satellite view of São Miguel Island highlighting the eastern area as the 136.5 km² extent of occurrence for the Azores Bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina) alongside a photo of the bird perched on a branch
A new reference genome for the Azores bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina) provides a powerful tool to study and conserve one of Europe’s rarest birds. High-quality genomic data help track genetic diversity and support targeted conservation efforts. #LIBresearch
© Lopes et al., CC BY 4.
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Close-up of insects trapped inside a cracked piece of amber
A newly discovered “monkey hopper” from mid-Cretaceous amber adds to our picture of ancient insect diversity. Fossils like these help trace the deep evolutionary history of grasshopper-like insects. #LIBresearch
Symbol picture: © Adobe Stock, Minakryn Ruslan
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Turning individual experience into shared community standards is key for large-scale genomics.
Great to see this collaborative effort highlighted! #LIBresearch
Science and museums have histories shaped by broader societal forces.
Important #LIBresearch highlighting how political dynamics influenced the development of Museum Koenig — and why reflecting on this matters today.
Congratulations! Jointly supervised by me @leibnizlib.bsky.social and Prof. Dr. Thomas Ziegler, Nils Ostrowski successfully defended his BSc thesis #LIBResearch! Analyzing the impact of thousands of parameter combinations, he was able to improve model parametrization in SDMs significantly.
Circular snail plot showing assembly statistics with 1,000 size-ordered bins representing 0.1% each of a 493 million base pair assembly, dark grey bars indicating sequence length distribution, concentric rings for scaffold count, scaffold length, longest scaffold, N50 and N90 lengths, a pie chart for BUSCO completeness, and a composition legend for GC, AT, and N content percentages.
High-quality genomes help us study evolutionary uniqueness, population history and conservation needs: A new ERGA–BGE reference genome for the Pyrenean “milky worm” sheds light on the evolution & conservation of little-known soil biodiversity. #LIBresearch
© Novo et al., CC BY 4.
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Closely related species living side by side — but using completely different ways to determine sex.
A fascinating example of how evolutionary mechanisms can help maintain species boundaries even when hybridisation occurs. #LIBresearch
Snail with a patterned shell crawling on a rough, textured surface
How do snails scrape algae off rocks — without destroying their own teeth? A new review explores the radula, the specialized feeding organ of mollusks, whose teeth are finely adapted to different diets and habitats. #LIBresearch
© Adobe Stock, Macronatura. es
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Diagram showing main drivers of insect biodiversity change with interconnected arrows between five labeled photos: invasive alien species with a sphecid wasp on a plant, land use change with agricultural machinery, natural resource extraction with a sandy landscape, climate change with clouds in the sky, and pollution with industrial smokestacks.
Why are insects declining — and what can we do about it? A new review synthesises current evidence: habitat loss, land-use change, climate change and pollutants are key drivers reshaping insect communities worldwide. #LIBresearch
© Scherber et al., CC BY 4.0 @cscherber.bsky.social
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A new contribution revisits the work of J.F.G. Umlauff and the historical infrastructures that shaped how natural history collections and information circulated. #LIBresearch
→ doi.org/10.3897/rio....
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Third day of the CBD expert meeting on the draft global guidance for sustainable wildlife management! Discussing revisions and streamlining the guideline, supported by #LIBResearch @leibnizlib.bsky.social
Great to see this work describing new species and revisiting known diversity — a reminder how much there is still to discover about insect–ant interactions. #LIBresearch
Fun Fact: Some beetles living with ants avoid detection by copying their hosts’ chemical signals.
A strong start to the CBD expert meeting on the draft global guidance for sustainable wildlife management! Day 1 featured rich, constructive discussions and valuable inputs from diverse perspectives, supported by #LIBResearch @leibnizlib.bsky.social Looking forward to continuing the review tomorrow.
Spannend zu sehen, wie LIB-Forschung auch außerhalb der Fachcommunity aufgegriffen wird — danke an RiffReporter für das Feature!
Ein gutes Beispiel dafür, wie Infrastruktur unbeabsichtigt Tierbewegungen beeinflussen kann. #LIBResearch
Fossil insects in amber can be preserved with lifelike detail.
Great to see these new elcanid species highlighted — offering rare insight into the deep evolutionary history of grasshoppers and their relatives. #LIBresearch
@leibnizlib.bsky.social #LIBresearch From Tiny Spines to Sticky Toes: What Cyrtodactylus Geckos Can Tell Us about the Evolution of Stickiness in Lizards
Read more:
www.anoleannals.org/2026/02/03/f...
Cobra snake with hood expanded hanging from metal bars of a train window overlooking green fields and railway tracks
Trains may be more than transport for people & goods — they might also be inadvertently moving vulnerable king cobras into habitats where they struggle to survive. #LIBresearch
© Parmar et al., CC BY 4.0 @droedder.bsky.social
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Amber can preserve insects almost as if they died yesterday — making it a powerful window into deep-time biodiversity and evolution. #LIBresearch #paleontology
Field with green wheat next to a strip of wildflowers including yellow, blue, and white blossoms
More plant species not only enrich ecosystems — they can make agriculture more productive with less reliance on synthetic pesticides. #LIBresearch
© Adobe Stock, Sonja
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Railways don’t just carry goods and people — they can also unintentionally move wildlife.
What other species might be using our transport networks to spread? 🚆🐍
#LIBresearch
📄 New paper @leibnizlib.bsky.social: Snakes on Trains!
Using 22 years of rescue data + SDMs, we show that railway infrastructure may facilitate accidental dispersal of Ophiophagus kaalinga into unsuitable habitats.
doi.org/10.1111/btp....
#Biogeography #ConservationBiology #Herpetology #LIBresearch
Horned mason bee pollinates flowers
What helps pollinators cope with human pressures? Supporting flower diversity in agricultural landscapes can benefit both pollinators and food production. #LIBresearch
© Adobe Stock, JuergenL
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@leibnizlib.bsky.social #LIBresearch: Iranian marsh crocodiles show unique head & neck scale patterns compared to the rest of Crocodylus palustris range. Could this mean Iran hosts a separate conservation unit?
Find out more:
wildlife-biodiversity.com/index.php/jw...
