Department of Natural History
Recent Submissions
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Remarkable occurrence of a two-mouthed Beroe in the White Sea
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024) -
A new species of holothuroid from the Labrador Sea (eastern Canada): Pseudothyone labradorensis sp. nov. (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea, Dendrochirotida, Sclerodactylidae)
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)A new species of holothuroid, Pseudothyone labradorensis sp. nov. (order Dendrochirotida and family Sclerodactylidae), was discovered off the coast of Labrador (eastern Canada) at a depth of 740–969 m. Two specimens were ... -
A new deep-sea species of Halirages Boeck, 1871 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Calliopiidae) inhabiting sponges
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)In the vast abyssal plains northwest of Iceland, white glass sponges of the genus Caulophacus Schulze, 1886 were inhabited by reddish Bythocaris G.O. Sars, 1870 shrimps and pinkish amphipods. After in situ observations at ... -
Ocean Species Discoveries 1–12 — A primer for accelerating marine invertebrate taxonomy
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Discoveries of new species often depend on one or a few specimens, leading to delays as researchers wait for additional context, sometimes for decades. There is currently little professional incentive for a single expert ... -
A revised, annotated checklist of Mexican non-biting midges (Diptera, Chironomidae)
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)An updated checklist of Mexican non-biting midges (Chironomidae) is presented. A total of 110 species of Chironomidae are known for Mexico: 52 species in 25 genera belong to the subfamily Chironominae, 30 species in 13 ... -
Shark genome size evolution and its relationship with cellular, life-history, ecological, and diversity traits
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Among vertebrates, sharks exhibit both large and heterogeneous genome sizes ranging from 2.86 to 17.05 pg. Aiming for a better understanding of the patterns and causalities of shark genome size evolution, we applied ... -
Avian hatching failure rates did not increase during the last century, although species of high conservation concern appear particularly susceptible to factors leading to reproductive failure
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Increasing levels of global environmental change may have negative impacts on fertility and embryo viability in animals that could explain a recently reported increase in hatching failure in bird eggs across the globe. ... -
Redefining the megagenus Erica L. (Ericaceae): the contributions of E. G. H. Oliver and I. M. Oliver (née Nitzsche) to taxonomy and nomenclature
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)The megagenus Erica L. (Ericaceae), as it is recognised today, includes 851 species of evergreen shrubs or small trees, the majority of which are endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. From the first ... -
Late Palaeozoic structural evolution of the Patch Bank Ridge and Utsira High, northern North Sea
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)This study focuses on the Late Palaeozoic development of the area east of Utsira High in the North Sea, where the stratigraphic section below the late Permian Rotliegend Group is undrilled. We use regional 3D seismic data ... -
Spatial decoupling of taxon richness, phylogenetic diversity and threat status in the megagenus Erica (Ericaceae)
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Estimates of the number of vascular plant species currently under threat of extinction are shockingly high, with the highest extinction rates reported for narrow-range, woody plants, especially in biodiversity hotspots ... -
First occurrence of the genus Pleurobranchaea Leue, 1813 (Pleurobranchida, Nudipleura, Heterobranchia) in British waters, with the description of a new species
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)In the north-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, the pleurobranchid genus Pleurobranchaea Leue, 1813 is represented by two species, Pleurobranchaea meckeli (Blainville, 1825) and Pleurobranchaea morosa (Bergh, 1892). ... -
A new deep-sea species of golden gorgonian (Octocorallia: Scleralcyonacea: Chrysogorgiidae) from Antarctic waters
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)The Southern Ocean harbours rich deep-sea ecosystems with local hotspots of benthic biodiversity. Still, many species, including deep-water octocorals, remain undescribed despite the fact that the exploration of the deep-sea ... -
Release the confetti! A new genus and species of Indo-West Pacific bubble snails (Cephalaspidea: Haminoeidae)
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)The bubble snail family Haminoeidae has traditionally been the richest in genera within Cephalaspidea; however, most of these genera were erected based on only the characteristics of the shell or external morphology. The ... -
The North Sea rift basement records extensional collapse of the Caledonian orogen
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Our knowledge of crystalline basement rocks flooring continental rift basins, rifted margin deposits, and foreland basins is poor, yet important for understanding basin evolution, crustal heat production, petroleum maturation, ... -
PyNCBIminer: A platform for assembling phylogenetic data sets via GenBank datamining
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2025)Large phylogenies derived from publicly available genetic sequences are becoming a popular and indispensable tool in addressing core questions in ecology and evolution, as well as in tackling challenging conservation issues. ... -
Bringing light into deep-sea biodiversity: a systematic revision and molecular phylogeny of the genus Scaphander Montfort, 1810 (Gastropoda: Cephalaspidea), with a focus on the Indo-Pacific
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Scaphander is a genus of mostly deep-sea, soft-bottom gastropods distributed nearly worldwide. Its taxonomic history is complex, with 32 species currently accepted, most based on shells only. In this work, we revise the ... -
Morphometric differences between sexes and populations in Norwegian Dunlins Calidris alpina
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Capsule The sex of Dunlins from two widely separated Norwegian breeding populations can be determined using morphometrics, with the Dunlins’ sizes differing between populations. Aims We aimed to understand the Dunlin’s ... -
Phylogeny of the genus Loxospora s.l. (Sarrameanales, Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota), with Chicitaea gen. nov. and five new combinations in Chicitaea and Loxospora
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Loxospora is a genus of crustose lichens containing 13 accepted species that can be separated into two groups, based on differences in secondary chemistry that correlate with differences in characters of the sexual ... -
Plants in a world of changing seasons
(Chapter; Peer reviewed, 2024) -
Magic for the blind: are auditory tricks impossible?
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Many magic tricks rely solely on vision, but there are few, if any, that rely on auditory perception alone. Here, we question why this is so and argue that research focusing on this issue could provide deeper theoretical ...