Established as Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Geowissenschaftliche Reihe in 1998, the journal welcomed its 25th birthday last year, and today celebrates ten years of Open Access (OA) publishing. Unlike its sister journals, Fossil Record did not immediately partner with Pensoft upon its transition to OA. However, in 2022, following eight years of successful collaboration, Pensoft began publishing the journal on behalf of MfN.
In this blog post, we take a look back at some of the research that has defined Fossil Record’s Open Access era.
Read our blog post celebrating 10 years of Open Access for all of Museum für Naturkunde Berlin’s journals here.
The geologically oldest specimen of Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus antiquus from the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) Torleite Formation of Painten. Credit: Augustin et al.
One of Fossil Record’s most popular recent articles is “The geologically oldest specimen of Pterodactylus: a new exquisitely preserved skeleton from the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) Plattenkalk deposits of Painten (Bavaria, Germany).”
Published in November 2022, the paper has garnered more than 6,500 views, attracting significant news and social media attention. The exceptional imagery in the article emphasises Fossil Record’s commitment to optimal research presentation.
Research paper: Augustin FJ, Kampouridis P, Hartung J, Albersdörfer R, Matzke AT (2022) The geologically oldest specimen of Pterodactylus: a new exquisitely preserved skeleton from the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) Plattenkalk deposits of Painten (Bavaria, Germany). Fossil Record 25(2): 331-343. https://doi.org/10.3897/fr.25.90692
Ornithischian dinosaurs in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia map showing the distribution of Jurassic–Cretaceous non-marine sediments in Southeast Asia. Credit: Manitkoon et al.
The 2023 paper “Ornithischian dinosaurs in Southeast Asia: a review with palaeobiogeographic implications” provides an example of major interest within the scientific community.
With thousands of views and multiple citations, the study illustrates the diversity of ornithischian assemblages in Southeast Asia, providing an updated review and a discussion about their palaeobiogeographic implications.
Research paper: Manitkoon S, Deesri U, Warapeang P, Nonsrirach T, Chanthasit P (2023) Ornithischian dinosaurs in Southeast Asia: a review with palaeobiogeographic implications. Fossil Record 26(1): 1-25. https://doi.org/10.3897/fr.26.e93456
The fossil history of pseudoscorpions
Progonatemnus succineus preserved in amber. Credit: Yamamoto et al.
The most cited paper published in Fossil Record’s Open Access era is “The fossil history of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones)” from 2017.
The paper reviews the sparse fossil record of pseudoscorpions, tiny arachnids first documented 390 million years ago. Most fossils are suspended in amber, preserving the specimens remarkably well.
Research paper: Harms D, Dunlop JA (2017) The fossil history of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones). Fossil Record 20(2): 215-238. https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-20-215-2017
First ship-timber beetle fossils from Eocene Rovno amber
Raractocetus sverlilo preserved in amber. Credit: Yamamoto et al.
With 21 citations, the 2022 paper “First fossil species of ship-timber beetles (Coleoptera, Lymexylidae) from Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine)” is a great example of a highly cited recent paper.
Asked about the success of his team’s research, corresponding author of the paper Evgeny Perkovsky said: “finding this beetle in the Eocene of Ukraine indicates a very specific fossil climate, which explains a high visibility of the paper.”
Research paper: Yamamoto S, Nazarenko VYu, Vasilenko DV, Perkovsky EE (2022) First fossil species of ship-timber beetles (Coleoptera, Lymexylidae) from Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine). Fossil Record 25(1): 65-74. https://doi.org/10.3897/fr.25.81054
The “accidentally discovered” ancient shark
The study attracted significant media attention.
Perhaps the most sensational publication in Fossil Record came when palaeontologist Jun Ebersole stumbled upon a 100-year-old box of teeth at the Geological Survey in Alabama, USA, which led to the discovery of a ‘new’ ancient shark species.
“A new species of Palaeohypotodus Glückman, 1964 (Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes) from the lower Paleocene (Danian) Porters Creek Formation, Wilcox County, Alabama, USA” was published in 2024 and attracted significant public and scientific attention.
Describing the study, T. Lynn Harrell Jr., one of the authors said: “this time period is understudied, which makes the discovery of this new shark species that much more significant.
“Shark discoveries like this one give us tremendous insights into how ocean life recovers after major extinction events and also allows us to potentially forecast how global events, like climate change, affect marine life today.”
Research paper: Ebersole JA, Cicimurri DJ, Harrell Jr. TL (2024) A new species of Palaeohypotodus Glickman, 1964 (Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes) from the lower Paleocene (Danian) Porters Creek Formation, Wilcox County, Alabama, USA. Fossil Record 27(1): 111-134. https://doi.org/10.3897/fr.27.e112800
– As Fossil Record celebrates ten years of Open Access publishing, the future looks bright. Going forward, the journal hopes to expand the reach and impact of open-access palaeontology, connecting with both the scientific community and layman enthusiasts, and bringing exciting discoveries to all.
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Don’t forget to follow Fossil Record on X and Facebook, and subscribe for its newsletter from the journal’s website!
Follow the #openaccess_mfnberlin hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) to join the conversation around the anniversary!
For a journal with more than 125 years of history, a single decade may seem like a mere drop in the ocean. However, the last ten years have been significant for Zoosystematics and Evolution (ZSE) as they have seen the historic Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) journal transition to an open-access publishing model.
Established in 1898 as Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin Zoologische Reihe, ZSE is one of the oldest zoological journals in Europe. But far from falling behind the times, the journal partnered with Pensoft in 2014 to make their research available and free to all. The move marked the beginning of a new era, enhancing the journal’s global reach, accessibility, and influence.
Here we take a look back and celebrate some of the publications that have defined Zoosystematics and Evolution’s decade of Open Access with Pensoft.
Read our blog post celebrating 10 years of Open Access for all of Museum für Naturkunde Berlin’s journals here.
Salazar’s pit viper
Salazar’s pit viper (Trimeresurus Salazar). Photo by Zeeshan A. Mirza.
ZSE’s most popular article, “A new species of green pit vipers of the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 (Reptilia, Serpentes, Viperidae) from western Arunachal Pradesh, India” has been viewed more than 47,000 times at the time of writing.
Published in 2020, the article drew major mainstream attention due to the scientific name of the new species, Trimeresurus salazar, which was inspired by Salazar Slytherin of the Harry Potter franchise.
Spectacular pictures of the species accompanies the article, undoubtedly contributing to the success of the Indian researchers’ publication.
On his decision to publish with ZSE, lead author Zeeshan Mirza of the Max Planck Institute for Biology Department of Integrative Evolutionary Biology said: “Zoosystematics and Evolution is a reputed journal of the Museum Für Naturkunde, and I was happy that my work was published in it. I like the simple and excellent layout and the smooth experience throughout the article’s publication process.”
Research paper: Mirza ZA, Bhosale HS, Phansalkar PU, Sawant M, Gowande GG, Patel H (2020) A new species of green pit vipers of the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 (Reptilia, Serpentes, Viperidae) from western Arunachal Pradesh, India. Zoosystematics and Evolution 96(1): 123-138. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.96.48431
Losing a medical leech
Two adult, free-living H. medicinalis in the process of sucking blood from an edible frog (Rana esculenta L.). Credit: Kutschera et al.
One of the first articles published by Pensoft on behalf of MfN was an exploration of the morphology and occurrence of the European medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis.
Now, ten years since its publication, the 2014 article has garnered almost 30,000 views, cementing it as a major research paper for the journal.
Research paper: Kutschera U, Elliott J (2014) The European medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis L.: Morphology and occurrence of an endangered species. Zoosystematics and Evolution 90(2): 271-280. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.90.8715
Explaining image editing for scientific publications
It is no surprise that the ‘Guide to image editing and production of figures for scientific publications with an emphasis on taxonomy’ by Marcus Bevilaqua of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, is one of ZSE’s most viewed publications with almost 30,000 views.
Photoshop workspace screenshot used in the research paper. Credit: Marcus Bevilaqua.
A fantastic resource for researchers, the guide published in 2020 focuses on digital photo editing and the production of figures using Adobe Photoshop to produce publication-quality figures for scientific publications.
“One picture is worth ten thousand words”, and Zoosystematics and Evolution presents a guide to image editing and production of figures for scientific publications with an emphasis on #taxonomy.
— Zoosystematics and Evolution (@Zoosyst_Evo) May 5, 2020
Research paper: Bevilaqua M (2020) Guide to image editing and production of figures for scientific publications with an emphasis on taxonomy. Zoosystematics and Evolution 96(1): 139-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.96.49225
A new catfish genus
The most cited research published in ZSE is the 2018 article, ‘Multigene analysis of the catfish genus Trichomycterus and description of a new South American trichomycterine genus (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae)’.
Cambeva davisi, topotype. Photo by A. M. Katz.
With 59 citations, the paper is an important analysis of an elusive genus that has attracted wide attention from fellow researchers.
Scite.ai is one of the tools ZSE uses to dynamically track usage of its papers in real time. Find more about the integration here and see the paper’s metrics to date.
Asked about the success of the paper, lead author Axel Makay Katz of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro said: “I believe that since it is one of the first attempts to organise a taxonomically challenging genus, many authors see that as a big step in solving a problematic genus.”
Research paper: Katz AM, Barbosa MA, de Oliveira Mattos JL, da Costa WJE (2018) Multigene analysis of the catfish genus Trichomycterus and description of a new South American trichomycterine genus (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae). Zoosystematics and Evolution 94(2): 557-566. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.94.29872
A ‘cute but deadly’ discovery
Recent years have seen an influx of media attention for research published in ZSE. A fantastic recent example of this came when a newly discovered velvet worm species was published in the journal.
More than 20 years in the making, the 2024 discovery represented the first study of Ecuadorian velvet worms for over 100 years. The cute appearance and fascinating behaviour of the species attracted plenty of attention from news outlets and social media users.
Describing the study, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, one of the authors and director of the USFQ Museum of Zoology, Ecuador said: “The research on this new species took several decades. I discovered the first individual of this new species in 2001, and we finally managed to describe it as part of Jorge Montalvo’s graduation thesis.
“To complete the description, we used not only macromorphological descriptions but also high-magnification images obtained with a scanning electron microscope.”
Research paper: Montalvo-Salazar JL, Bejarano ML, Valarezo A, Cisneros-Heredia DF (2024) A new species of velvet worm of the genus Oroperipatus (Onychophora, Peripatidae) from western Amazonia. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(3): 779-789. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.117952
The League of Legends crab
While this crab discovered in coral reefs of the South China Sea may seem unassuming, it gained hundreds of thousands of views, likes and shares when it was published just a few months ago.
In a perfect example of the global reach of open-access publishing, the paper was shared extensively on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, and even resulted in Riot Games sending the lead author a goodie bag!
Research paper: Yuan Z-M, Jiang W, Sha Z-L (2024) Morphological and molecular evidence for Gothus teemo gen. et sp. nov., a new xanthid crab (Crustacea, Brachyura, Xanthoidea) from coral reefs in the South China Sea, with a review of the taxonomy of Actaeodes consobrinus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867). Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(3): 965-987. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.117859
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Much of the popularity and success of these articles can be attributed to Museum für Naturkunde Berlin’s decision to move their journal to an open-access publishing model with Pensoft. By making research available to all, the potential reach of research increases exponentially, allowing for greater accessibility and collaboration.
As we celebrate a decade of partnership between Pensoft and Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, we look forward to many more years of Open Access!
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Don’t forget to follow ZSE on X and Facebook, and subscribe for its newsletter from the journal’s website!
Follow the #openaccess_mfnberlin hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) to join the conversation around the anniversary!
By adopting Open Access in 2014, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) took an important step towards ensuring the research published in its journals can reach scientists, members of the public, and key decision-makers across borders.
Beginning with the two oldest journals, Zoosystematics and Evolution (ZSE) and Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift (DEZ), Pensoft began publishing research on behalf of MfN a decade ago, utilising professional expertise and the cutting-edge digital publishing tools of the ARPHA platform to increase the visibility and engagement of the journals.
Now, ten years and another journal later, Pensoft and MfN celebrate a decade of Open Access collaboration and look back on many years of success.
Zoosystematics and Evolution
Zoosystematics and Evolution (ZSE) holds a prestigious place in the history of zoological science. Established in 1898 as Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin Zoologische Reihe, it is one of the oldest zoological journals in Europe and continues to publish exciting research to this day led by Editor-in-Chief Dr Thomas von Rintelen.
The first Open Access issue of ZSE, published by Pensoft.
The journal’s 2014 transition to an open-access (OA) model under the publishing expertise of Pensoft marked the beginning of a new era, enhancing its global reach, accessibility, and influence.
A recent issue of ZSE, published by Pensoft.
Over the years, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, has covered entire article processing charges (APCs) for authors under specific terms. This support has lowered the barrier to publication for many researchers, particularly those from institutions or regions with limited funding, thus fostering a more inclusive and diverse authorship.
The transition of Zoosystematics and Evolution to Open Access has increased the journal’s visibility and impact. The number of views and the level of publicity have surged, demonstrating the success of the move. The following graphs display how article submissions, publications and views have increased over the past decade:
Finally, growth in journal’s citation count and Clarivate Impact Factor reflect the progress that has been made in the past decade:
An international community
Over the past decade, ZSE has increasingly attracted contributions from a global pool of researchers, reflecting the journal’s expanding international reputation.
Top nationalities who have published in ZSE since 2014.
Leading the pack of the journal’s most prolific authors is Wilson Costa, who has authored 16 papers, followed by Axel Katz, Frank Glaw, Mark-Oliver Rödel, and Davut Turan, each with 11 papers.
The journal’s editorial and review processes have also seen robust participation. Nicholas Hubert stands out as the most active editor, having handled 71 papers, with other prominent editors like Danilo Harms and Matthias Glaubrecht contributing significantly. The review process has been equally supported by dedicated reviewers such as Donald Taphorn and Felipe Ottoni, ensuring the maintenance of high academic standards.
Public engagement
The journal’s shift to Open Access has not only increased its academic reach but also its presence in news and social media. Since the journal moved to an OA model, numerous studies have attracted stories from major news publications such as the BBC and the Guardian.
ZSE has effectively utilised platforms like Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram to engage with a broader audience, including scientists, the general public, and unlikely collaborations like this recent post from Riot Games.
Both social media and traditional media mentions of the journal continue to rise as can be seen in the graph below:
Looking ahead
As ZSE celebrates a decade of Open Access with Pensoft, the journal stands as a testament to the power of making scientific knowledge freely accessible. The past ten years have seen ZSE not only maintain its historic legacy, but adapt and thrive in the digital age. Moving forward, the journal is poised to continue its mission of advancing zoological science, supported by a growing international community of authors, editors, and readers.
“Zoosystematics and Evolution has come a long way since becoming an Open Access journal, transforming from a journal with a significant in-house focus, both regarding authors and the editorial board, to being highly diverse in both respects. Increasingly, the amazing increase in taxonomic expertise in the regions where it is most needed is reflected in the origin of those publishing their research in the journal.
“I am glad and thankful for having been part of this transformation over the last five years and I as well as the whole editorial team are looking forward to further strengthen ZSE’s role as a sought-after platform for making taxonomic and systematic research freely available and visible over the next decade.”
Thomas von Rintelen, Editor-in-Chief.
Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift
Founded in 1857 as Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift (DEZ) is one of the world’s oldest international journals in systematic entomology. Published by Pensoft on behalf of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, it aims to advance understanding of the systematics and biology of insects. Since June 2023, the journal has been led by Editor-In-Chief Dr Matthias Seidel.
In 2014, in its 157th publishing year, the journal transitioned to an open-access (OA) model under the publishing expertise of Pensoft, thanks to which “the journal has opened up to scientists from all over the world employing the wide range of tools offered by the Pensoft platform,” as stated by Dr Dominique Zimmermann, the journal’s former Editor-in-Chief.
The first DEZ issue published by Pensoft.
The move to OA aligned with the journal’s long-standing commitment to fostering knowledge sharing and accessibility, going all the way back to DEZ’s founder, Ernst Gustav Kraatz, who was a fervent proponent of inclusive and facilitated access to knowledge.
A recent DEZ issue.
The partnership with Pensoft also provided next-generation technology and innovative tools for enhancing DEZ’s discoverability and reach.
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin generously supports the publication of 300 pages in DEZ each year, meaning dozens of entomologists get to publish in the prestigious outlet for free. This policy offers extra support to authors from underfunded institutions or regions, and in general makes for a more diverse and inclusive range of contributors.
10 years together
The transition of DEZ to Open Access has increased the journal’s visibility and impact. There has been a notable rise in both viewership and overall exposure, highlighting the effectiveness of this change. The graphs below illustrate the growth in article submissions, publications, and views over the past ten years.
Right behind it, with just under 33,000 views, is the book review of “Insect morphology and phylogeny” by the journal’s then-Editor-in-Chief Dominique Zimmermann and subject editor Susanne Randolf.
Since 2014, the journal’s Impact Factor has more than doubled, standing at 1.3 and making DEZ very attractive to amateur and academic entomologists.
Going global
Over the last ten years, DEZ has drawn more submissions from researchers worldwide, highlighting the journal’s growing recognition on an international scale.
Top nationalities who have published in DEZ since 2014.
DEZ’s scientific community also engages strongly with the journal’s editorial and review processes, contributing their expertise and insights to ensure the publication of high-quality peer-reviewed research. Dominique Zimmermann, with 52 manuscripts, is the most prolific editor, while Susanne Randolf is the most active reviewer, with 8 reviewed manuscripts.
Connecting with insect lovers
The journal’s transition to an Open Access model has expanded its visibility beyond academic reach. For the past 10 years, there have been 2,300 mentions of DEZ articles in mainstream and social media.
Mentions of Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift in both social and traditional media have been steadily increasing since it opened the access to its articles.
DEZ constantly reaches out to researchers and the wider community, maintaining a presence on social media platforms such as Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram, in an effort to highlight the importance of taxonomic research.
DEZ’s transition to an Open Access model under Pensoft in 2014 marked a significant milestone in its commitment to open science principles and knowledge dissemination. Going forward, DEZ aspires to continue upholding its high editorial standards, promoting rigorous research, and facilitating scientific exchange on a global scale. By embracing innovative technology, DEZ aims to remain a leading scholarly outlet for entomological research, fostering collaboration, transparency, and accessibility.
The youngest of MfN’s journals, Fossil Record was founded in 1998 under the name Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Geowissenschaftliche Reihe. The palaeontological journal, now led by Editor-in-Chief Florian Witzmann, followed ZSE and DEZ in 2022 by partnering with Pensoft in an open-access collaboration.
The publication of articles in Fossil Record is generously supported by funding from the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, who cover all article processing charges until their yearly budget is exhausted.
A new era
Since Fossil Record’s move to OA, the journal has enjoyed an increase in submissions, publicity and research impact.
Like all of MfN’s journals, Fossil Record boasts a wealth of international authors and actively encourages researchers from underrepresented nations to consider them for publication.
Top nationalities who have published in Fossil Record since 2014.
Baring bones
Fossil Record’s Open Access model promotes the sharing of and engagement with interesting research featured in the journal.
Using platforms such as Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram, the journal promotes attractive and important research to professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Fossil Record’s 2014 transition to Open Access reinforced the journal’s dedication to open science. Looking ahead, the journal is committed to maintaining its high editorial standards, encouraging robust research, and enhancing global scientific communication. By adopting cutting-edge technologies, Fossil Record seeks to remain a premier platform for paleontological studies, promoting collaboration, transparency, and greater accessibility.
“On the 10th anniversary of the Fossil Record’s Open Access, it is clear that the path we have taken has been a great success. Fossil Record is a firmly established name among the best palaeontological journals and is attracting more and more authors and readers from all parts of the world. It is to be hoped that the journal will continue on this path in the future and remain a guarantor of high scientific standards and free access to scientific knowledge.”
Florian Witzmann, Editor-in-Chief
The decade ahead
In celebrating a decade of Open Access partnership between Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and Pensoft, the success of this collaboration is evident across the three journals.
Over the past ten years, the Open Access model has significantly increased the visibility, accessibility, and impact of research, fostering a more inclusive and international scientific community. As these journals continue to thrive, they remain committed to advancing knowledge sharing, scientific integrity, and global collaboration, ensuring a bright future for open-access publishing in their fields.
“We are proud to commit to the advancement of biodiversity research by providing open access to our journals. We believe that freely available scientific knowledge is crucial for fulfilling our vision to develop an open knowledge infrastructure for nature that promotes multi-perspective thinking and action. This includes awareness-raising work, infrastructure and services provision for researchers as central tasks of the Coordination Office for Scientific Publishing. I would like to thank Stefanie Paß and Clara Schindler from the Coordination Office, who work with great commitment and passion to promote open access and advance the journals as a research-oriented service that will be expanded even further in the future in order to extend its impact.”
Dr Frederik Berger, Head of Service & Impact Collection Future, MfN
“Back in 2014, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin became the first natural history institution to trust us with the publication of its very own journals as they moved to Open Access. Needless to say, as an open-access-born publisher whose roots lie in the science of natural history, this was a great honour, and we are delighted with its flourishing ever since. As much as we enjoy reflecting on what we have achieved together, we already have our eyes set on building on our partnership and sharing lots of novel discoveries and quality research with the wide world!”
Prof Dr Lyubomir Penev, founder and CEO of Pensoft.
Follow the #openaccess_mfnberlin hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) to join the conversation around the anniversary!
Once you know where to look for them, lichens are everywhere! These composite organisms – fungal and photosynthetic partners joined into a greater whole, can survive on a vast array of surfaces, from rocks and trees to bare ground and buildings. They are known from every continent, and almost certainly every land mass on planet Earth; some species have even survived exposure to the exterior of the International Space Station. This hardy nature has long interested researchers studying what life could survive on Mars, and the astrobiologists studying life on Earth as an analog of our planetary neighbour. In the deserts surrounding two Mars analog stations in North America, lichens comprise such an important part of the local ecosystems that they inspired a biodiversity assessment with a unique twist: this collections-based inventory took place during a simulated mission to Mars!
Crew Biologist Anushree Srivastava collecting lichens near the Mars Desert Research Station while wearing a simulated spacesuit, an important part of analog space missions at this research site. Photo credit: Mars 160 Crew/The Mars Society
The Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA (on Ute and Paiute Territory), and the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Nunavut, Canada (in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit Homeland) are simulated Martian habitats operated by The Mars Society, where crews participate in dress rehearsals for crewed Martian exploration. While learning what it would take to live and work on our planetary neighbour, these “Martians” frequently study the deserts at both sites, often exploring techniques for documenting microbial life and their biosignatures as a prelude to deploying these tools and methods off world. These studies are enhanced by a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystems being studied, even if they are full of Earthbound life. During the Mars 160 – a set of twin missions to both Utah and Nunavut in 2016 and 2017 – our team undertook a floristic survey of the lichen biodiversity present at each site.
The Mars Desert Research Station is nestled in amongst the red sandstone hills of southeast Utah, USA, in a geological analog to Mars. Photo credit: Paul Sokoloff/Canadian Museum of Nature
During simulated extra-vehicular activities, Mars 160 mission specialists wearing simulated spacesuits scouted out various habitats at both stations, seeking out lichen species growing in various microhabitats. Collecting over 150 specimens, these samples were “returned to Earth”, and identified at the National Herbarium of Canada at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Through morphological examination, investigations of internal anatomy and chemistry, and DNA barcoding, “Mission Support” identified 35 lichen species from the Mars Desert Research Station, and 13 species from the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station.
Rich lichen communities are abundant in the deserts surrounding the Mars Desert Research Station, with visible crusts being one part of a vibrant ecosystem. Photo credit: Paul Sokoloff/Canadian Museum of Nature
These species, along with photographs and a synopsis of their identifying characteristics, are summarized in a new paper out now in the open-access journal Check List. This new annotated checklist should prove useful to future crews working at both analog research stations, while also helping Earthly lichenologists better understand the distribution of these fascinating organisms, including new records of rarely reported or newly described species from some of Earth’s most interesting, and otherworldly habitats.
Research article:
Sokoloff PC, Srivastava A, McMullin RT, Clarke J, Knightly P, Stepanova A, Mangeot A, Laroche C-M, Beattie A, Rupert S (2024) An annotated checklist of the lichen biodiversity at two Mars analog sites: The Mars Desert Research Station (Utah, USA) and The Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (Nunavut, Canada) recorded during the Mars 160 Mission. Check List 20(5): 1096-1126. https://doi.org/10.15560/20.5.1096
In a world increasingly defined by data-driven decisions, biodiversity research stands to benefit from standardized and accessible data. Despite their importance for research, biodiversity datasets often fail to meet FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) standards, leading to concerns about data quality, reliability, and accessibility.
To address this, we propose a framework to retrieve, refine and align secondary biodiversity data with FAIR standards, utilizing the Darwin Core model. We followed four steps:
data localization (systematic review)
quality validation
standardization using the Darwin Core standard
sharing and archive in the appropriate repository.
Our approach integrates data validation and quality control steps to ensure that secondary data sets can be trusted.
Our study in Biodiversity Data Journalfocused on ecotonal estuarine ecosystems near the easternmost Amazon, where we recovered data from 46,000 individuals representing 3,871 taxa across eight biotic groups (birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, fish, phytoplankton, benthos, and plants) from 1985 to 2022. These data were used to illustrate how our strategy improves validation, making the data more reliable for macroecological modeling and conservation management. As data becomes more standardized, researchers around the world will be better equipped to collaborate, identify trends, protect ecosystems, and advance sustainability efforts.
Relationships between numbers of taxa and occurrences gathered through an extensive review of secondary biodiversity data from the Golfão Maranhense area, in the estuarine regions of eastern Amazonia.
Accessible biodiversity data empowers stakeholders and provides critical insights into ecosystem health and species conservation. However, without standardized formats, this data is often fragmented, incomplete, or difficult to compare. By creating a consistent framework for collecting, storing, and sharing data, we are opening the door to more informed decision-making and innovation in biodiversity conservation.
The key to conserving biodiversity is collaboration and transparency. By prioritizing accessible and standardized data, we ensure that vital information reaches those who need it most – whether it’s for scientific study, habitat management or policymaking.
Let’s continue to make biodiversity data a tool for global change!
Research article:
Marques N, Soares CDdeM, Casali DdeM, Guimarães E, Fava F, Abreu JMdaS, Moras L, Silva LGda, Matias R, Assis RLde, Fraga R, Almeida S, Lopes V, Oliveira V, Missagia R, Carvalho E, Carneiro N, Alves R, Souza-Filho P, Oliveira G, Miranda M, Tavares VdaC (2024) Retrieving biodiversity data from multiple sources: making secondary data standardised and accessible. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e133775. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e133775
A new-to-science carnation species from Hawaii is likely the first plant to be identified and collected using drone technology.
Check out the video below to see how it happened!
Video by Ben Nyberg.
Published in the open-access journal PhytoKeys, the discovery was facilitated by the National Tropical Botanical Garden‘s (NTBG) botanical drone program, which deploys unmanned aircraft to explore remote cliff environments.
Via drone photography, researchers spotted Schiedea waiahuluensis growing on steep, inaccessible cliffs in the Waiahulu region of the island of Kauai. To gather samples, they suspended ‘the Mamba’ – a remote plant collection device – from a drone and used it to grab, cut, and collect the plant for study.
Collecting arm hanging from drone. Photo by Ben Nyberg.
The new species belongs to a well-studied Hawaiian lineage in the carnation family. Its genus, Schiedea, consists of 36 species spread across the Hawaiian Islands, with 12 species found only on Kauai.
Schiedea waiahuluensis grows only on the dry cliffs of Waiahulu, with an estimated population of around 345 individuals, primarily growing on bare rock surfaces in small pockets of soil.
Flower of drone collected specimen. Photo by KR Wood.
Their fragile habitat is under threat from invasive plant species and feral goats, making conservation efforts crucial. Researchers are planning further studies to assess the full distribution and conservation needs of the species.
“S. waiahuluensis has a combination of traits that would have been very difficult to predict, and upended our notions about diversity in Schiedea, even after decades of research on this genus.”
Following more than 40 years of research on Schiedea on Kauai, this finding demonstrates the potential for future discoveries of native plants across the Hawaiian Islands through drone technology, and highlights the burgeoning role of drones in advancing conservation efforts and preventing plant extinctions.
Schiedea waiahuluensis habitat. A) Waiahulu branch of Waimea Canyon, drone photo. B) non-collected individual, drone photo. Photos by Ben Nyberg.
“The new development of the NTBG drone program provides a major new tool in biodiversity research that has allowed for better assessment of species distribution and status as shown by drone missions on the inaccessible cliffs of the major canyons on Kauai.
It has revealed populations of species presumed extinct such as the recent rediscovery of Hibiscadelphus woodii, a relative of Hibiscus, mapped populations of Schiedea waiahuluensis, and collected seeds via drone for establishment of a conservation collection of this species.”
While drone-technology innovators were not likely thinking about botany, Schiedea waiahuluensis serves as a reminder that science can benefit from technologic advancements from seemingly unrelated fields.
For another ‘miraculous’ discovery, read our blog on Amalophyllon miraculum, an incredible little plant from Ecuador!
Wagner WL, Weller SG, Sakai AK, Nyberg B, Wood KR (2024) Schiedea waiahuluensis (Caryophyllaceae), an enigmatic new species from Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands and the first species discovered by a drone collection system. PhytoKeys 247: 111-121. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.247.130241
A new species of clearwing moth, Carmenta brachyclados, has been found in Port Talbot, Wales, and described by Natural History Museum scientists
Not a native to the UK, the moth is a denizen of the tropical jungles of South America
The two Welsh specimens had been accidentally brought into Europe, in a boot bag brought back from a photography trip to Guyana
Carmenta brachyclados. Photo by Mark Sterling
A new species of moth has been described far away from home following a cross-continent detective journey that included Natural History Museum scientists from separate fields, a budding young ecologist with a knack for community science, a globe-trotting photographer, and two moths new to science which travelled over 4,500 miles from their native country.
An individual of Carmenta brachyclados on the finger of Daisy Cadet. Photo by Daisy Cadet
The species is a clearwing moth and has been named Carmenta brachyclados, in reference to a characteristically short hindwing vein. Despite having never been catalogued in its native country, Guyana, a surprising sequence of events led to its being described after being spotted flying around a home in Port Talbot, Wales.
In February this year, the new species was spotted flying around the home of ecologist Daisy Cadet and her mother, Ashleigh, a professional photographer. Captured by the moth’s striking appearance, which stood out as being out of the ordinary for a house moth in the UK during winter, Daisy uploaded an image to social media which set the chain of events into motion.
An individual of Carmenta brachyclados on the finger of Daisy Cadet. Photo by Daisy Cadet
Daisy was referred to Natural History Museum lepidoptera experts, Mark Sterling and David Lees, having been advised she had stumbled upon something out of the ordinary by social media users. Mark and David started seeking a match of the Wales specimens in terms of appearance to the clearwing collection contained within the 13.5 million Lepidoptera specimens housed at the NHM – the world’s largest and most diverse collection.
Taking the investigation a step further, Sterling and Lees aided by the museum’s Jordan Beasley, carried out DNA sequencing on the moth and found that its closest match was a group of seed-feeding clearwing moths, Carmenta, which occur in Central America and South America. This finding prompted Daisy to look inside Ashleigh’s bag, which had accompanied her on a photography assignment in Guyana.
Two delicate pupal casings, still intact, were found among the mud from the boots she’d worn on the trip along with a small piece of woody vegetation with what looked like bore holes made by the caterpillars of the moths.
Mora excelsa plant fragment from which clearwings emerged with 50 p piece. Photo by Mark Sterling
Mark Sterling, a Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum, commented:“Clearwing moths are notoriously difficult to find, even by professional entomologists. They are even more difficult to rear from larvae or pupae, which usually dry out or go mouldy within a few days of collection.
“The chances of two clearwing moths from the Neotropics successfully emerging in South Wales, over three months after they arrived, in cold Welsh winter, and being preserved in good condition, is extraordinary.”
“The improbability of this event defies rational explanation. However, whilst in Guyana, Ashleigh was told that if she left an offering of tobacco to the jungle spirits she would be shown something beautiful from the jungle, so that is what she did. We conclude in the paper that it must have been very good tobacco.”
Dr David Lees, Senior Curator for Microlepidoptera at the Natural History Museum, added: “To add to the improbability of this story is the fact that due to the incredible piece of community science from Daisy, we have photographs of a living holotype (an original specimen which forms the basis of the name and description of that species), which is highly unusual.”
A live female individual of Carmenta brachyclados. Photo by Daisy Cadet
Along with now having a country of origin for this new species, they also had a small piece of the host plant on which the larvae had evidently fed. The plant fragment was sent to Natural History Museum botanist, Sandy Knapp, who advised it was likely to be a seed pod of a species of Mora, a suggestion confirmed by DNA sequencing by Jordan. A large leguminous tree, Moraexcelsa grows in the jungles of Central America and South America.
Map of Guyana showing the most likely sampling positions (white circles: Turtle Mountains and Iwokrama Forest/Iwokrama River Lodge) for the seedpod of Mora excelsa with the two live pupae of Carmenta brachyclados inside. Credit: Google Earth/Landsat/Copernicus/Rivers_Guyana.mkl/Guyana regions english.png (CC by 2.5).
The final step was to compare Daisy’s moth specimens to the vast number of species within the Carmenta genus – where only half of the 100 described species have been DNA barcoded. Using analyses of DNA and the specimens’ body plan compared to others on record, Mark and David concluded that this was indeed an undescribed species.
This paper ‘A success for community science: Carmenta brachyclados sp. nov. (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae, Synanthedonini), a clearwing moth from Guyana discovered with its hostplant indoors in Wales (United Kingdom)’ was published in Nota Lepidopterologica and can be accessed here https://nl.pensoft.net/issue/4736/
Research article:
Sterling MJ, Cadet DT, Beasley J, Lees DC (2024) A success for community science: Carmenta brachyclados sp. nov. (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae, Synanthedonini), a clearwing moth from Guyana discovered with its hostplant indoors in Wales (United Kingdom). Nota Lepidopterologica 47: 201-218. https://doi.org/10.3897/nl.47.130138
Happy World Animal Day! Today is all about celebrating the incredible species roaming our planet and promoting action for animal rights and welfare.
To mark this special day, we have collected some of our favourite animals published across Pensoft’s journal portfolio.
1. The ‘cute but deadly’ velvet worm
The Tiputini velvet worm (Oroperipatus tiputini). Credit: Roberto José León.
Look at those adorable little legs!
Oroperipatus tiputini is a velvet worm that researchers published as a new species in Zoosystematics and Evolution. These invertebrates are known as “living fossils” because they evolved over 500 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs.
The Tiputini velvet worm (Oroperipatus tiputini) adult and juvenile.
Despite its friendly appearance, the Tiputini velvet worm is an accomplished hunter that shoots a sticky substance from a pair of glands near its face to trap its prey!
Some creatures look like they belong to an era long ago.
But this one has only just been discovered! Found near American Samoa at a depth of 300 m, Nautilus samoaensis was one of three new nautilius species published in ZooKeys in 2023.
Underwater photos of living Nautilus samoaensis.
Sadly, these enigmatic molluscs with beautiful shells are facing population decline, and even extinction, due to the activity of unregulated fisheries.
Any ideas why Neopalpa donaldtrumpi was given its name?
Found in California, Arizona, and some areas of Mexico, this species was named days before Donald J. Trump became the the 45th President of the United States of America.
Neopalpa donaldtrumpi.
Researcher Dr Vazrick Nazari hoped that the fame around the blonde-haired moth would raise awareness for the importance of further conservation efforts for the species’ fragile habitat.
We think this fish may have taken the advice “keep your chin up” a bit too literally.
The longnosed stargazer (Ichthyscopus lebeck) looks like this for good reason – it buries itself in sand, with just its eyes visible, and leaps upwards to ambush prey.
Blue is a rare colour in nature, which is a shame because this tarantula from Thailand looks spectacular. The stylish spider sports iridescent streaks of neon colour on its legs, back, and mouthparts.
Chilobrachys natanicharum was already known in the pet trade as the electric blue tarantula, but a study published ZooKeys finally confirmed it as a unique species.
Tailless whip scorpion (Phrynus whitei). Credit: Fugus Guy via WikiMedia Commons.
Sorry about this one.
Phrynus whitei is an amblypygid – an order of arachnids also known as whip spiders or tailless whip scorpions. Despite its unsettling appearance, it is generally calm around humans and is non-venomous.
While we have enjoyed collecting a few of our favourite species featured in Pensoft journals, it is important to remember the value of every animal, regardless of cuteness or weirdness.
By supporting research and action that aims to protect our planet’s species, we can continue to enjoy our planet’s bizarre biodiversity that never fails to surprise and delight. Happy World Animal Day!
By combining and improving digitally available data and models, BioDT offers approaches for sustainable biodiversity management and ecosystem conservation.
Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth. It provides critical resources such as food and energy, and supports ecosystem health. However, climate change, deforestation, and pollution are destroying habitats, altering ecosystems, and eliminating – or introducing – species that are fundamental for planet’s biosphere.
Cover of the “Building Biodiversity Digital Twins” article collection in RIO journal.
The BioDT project aims to revolutionise our understanding of biodiversity dynamics by integrating advanced modelling, simulation, and prediction capabilities. By combining and improving digitally available data and models, BioDT offers approaches for sustainable biodiversity management and ecosystem conservation. BioDT’s combines expertise in biodiversity, ecological modelling, FAIR data, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence.
BioDT aims to enhance the accuracy and predictive performance of biodiversity models through iterative development and validation against independent data. This approach can be critical for developing decision support tools and policy development. By continuously updating data, BioDT will provide real-time predictions of biodiversity patterns and processes through interactive maps and summaries. The consortium leverages existing technologies and data from major research infrastructures (GBIF, eLTER, DiSSCo, and LifeWatch ERIC) to achieve this goal.
A screenshot of the BioDT homepage.
The project’s impact extends to addressing critical issues, including impact of environmental change on species and ecosystems, food security, and the implementation of the EU and international policies. The project contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 13 (Climate Action), and 15 (Life on Land).
BioDT develops prototype Digital Twins for biodiversity conservation
In order to test its modelling system, BioDT is developing ten prototype digital twins (pDTs) focused on species and ecosystems of high conservation and policy concern, such as invasive species, pollinators and grasslands. The pDTs are divided into four main groups:
Species Response to Environmental Change: focus on the interactions between species and ecosystems. By incorporating temporal dynamics rather than pure space-for-time substitutions, BioDT improves temporal predictions and accuracy. Different sources of uncertainty are quantified using extensive geographic data combined with high-resolution time-series data in a single modelling framework.
Genetically Detected Biodiversity: addressing food security and challenging environments by integrating genomic methods based on DNA data with traditional biodiversity data. These twins focus on crop wild relatives and other genetic resources for farming and food security, as well as DNA-detected biodiversity in poorly known habitats.
Dynamics of Species of Policy Concern: applying modelling and high-performance computing to invasive and alien species recognised at EU and national levels. This twin involves using current species occurrence data, and tackling crucial environmental conditions and invasive effects on native taxa and ecosystems.
Influence of Species Interactions: predicting disease outbreaks using vector species and exploring the patterns and processes of insect pollinators. Work on interaction twins involves further development of data exchange models and establishing temporal historic reference points through digitisation of collection specimens.
A screenshot from the BioDT homepage showing the purposes of prototype digital twins.
The pDTs aim to make essential datasets, best practices, expertise, and lessons learned available and ready for use to researchers and research infrastructures in implementing the use cases, while providing.
The pDTs test the models predictive performance and data availability scenarios, and apply them to address biodiversity challenges through scenario simulations, predictions, and biomonitoring methods. This iterative approach aims to integrate and compare the predictive performance of various modelling approaches, stimulating the development of next-generation prototypes.
Building Biodiversity Digital Twins: a BioDT collection of scientific papers
To further advance the development and reliability of Biodiversity Digital Twins, the BioDT team has produced 10 scientific papers, compiled in the “Building Biodiversity Digital Twins” issue of the open-science scholarly journal Research Ideas and Outcomes (RIO).
“The collection offers an in-depth understanding of the conceptual and technical advancements achieved towards developing digital twins for a wide range of biodiversity topics. Through the BioDT project, we are enabling a broad audience to interactively understand and predict biodiversity changes across space and time.” says Gabriela Zuquim, Scientific Coordinator at CSC for the BioDT project
The collection serves as a centralised access point to project outputs by the BioDT initiative. Publication of rather unconventional and not traditionally published research outputs is in fact amongst the unique features of the open-science RIO journal. Another feature is the possibility of individual publications to be mapped to the SDGs they contribute to, thereby further underlining their significance.
A conceptual diagram of a digital twin prototype from this paper. The core aim of this project is to test the feasibility of generating essentially real-time updating predictions on bird spatiotemporal distributions and singing activity by combining prior information, based on long-term monitoring data with continuously accumulating new information provided by citizen scientists.
In the case of BioDT, RIO has made it possible for the project team to illustrate the process of prototyping Biodiversity Digital Twins in the format of a peer-reviewed scientific article, thereby ensuring its discoverability, credibility, citability, reusability and long-term public availability. By opting for this transparent approach to sharing their scientific work that has standed the rigour of formal scientific review, the BioDT project ensures that future scientists can make better and more efficient use of the models developed by the consortium’s researchers, data, and cutting-edge technology.
For example, one publication describes the HONEYBEE Prototype Digital Twin. The prototype will allow, after the ongoing calibration with land use and hive weight data, predictions of honeybee population dynamics, mite infestation and honey production. The model was developed based on a previously developed one, devised to simulate foraging of a single bee colony. By using the prototype digital twin, users can interactively apply the model on various time and geographic scales ranging from local sites to whole regions or even country level. Thus, it can become an essential tool for the assessment of the viability and productivity of honey bee colonies around Germany, regardless of the specificity of landscapes and management strategies.
Overview of the prototype HONEYBEE-pDT
Our vision is that the assessment can even be run to take into account different climate-change scenarios. The publication also provides guidelines to potential users of the prototype. The authors of the paper, led by Dr Jürgen Groeneveld (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany) reminds that despite honey bees “being a managed species, they are severely affected by climate change, emerging parasites and diseases, modern agricultural land use and possibly inappropriate beekeeping practices”, while going on to cite worrying data about the trends in both Europe and the USA.
Similarly, other publications already available from the collection address equally crucial and pressing issues with impact on a global scale, including disease outbreaks, crop management, invasive species, bird and vegetation dynamics.
“The Building Biodiversity Digital Twins collection of project papers suited our needs perfectly,” said Dmitry Schigel, GBIF Scientific officer and a coordinating editor of the collection. “The project team agreed to capture the project’s iterations and reveal our two-thirds stage prototypes two years into the project with one more to go. The innovative platform that the Pensoft’s RIO journal provides lets us describe our progress in a less formal but still peer-reviewed setting. Thanks to the efficient work of the author teams, reviewers and co-editors, this special issue came together quickly and now enables our prototype digital twin teams to attract and process feedback from broader audiences”
As a growing number of species face extinction, both researchers and the general public tend to focus on attractive, well-known and charismatic fauna and flora. But what about the species that have disappeared from scientific recognition altogether?
Research published in our open-access journal Nature Conservation sheds light on how historic taxonomic errors and misinterpretations have led to the disappearance of many species from science’s radar, highlighting the crucial role that taxonomy and natural history collections (NHCs) can play in rediscovering and conserving biodiversity.
Many species that were described long ago have been overlooked due to erroneous synonymisation, a process whereby one species is mistakenly classified under another’s name, generally because of the scarce number of specimens available. These species, the authors now refer to as ‘long-lost synonymised species,’ can fall out of awareness for decades, even centuries.
The 20th century saw a general trend of ‘lumping’ species together, reducing the number of recognised taxa, especially within well-known vertebrate groups. Taxonomic inertia – the persistence of outdated classifications – has caused many species to remain under-recognised, with their conservation statuses too often overlooked. This problem is described among better-known vertebrates, but is also likely present in some of the best studied invertebrates.
The importance of natural history collections
More than simply relics of the past, natural history collections provide a contemporary and essential resource for taxonomists working to untangle these historical errors. Museum specimens allow scientists to re-examine old classifications, using modern tools and methods to correct mistakes and uncover new taxa. Recent advances in ‘museomics’ – the study of genetic material from museum specimens – have opened new possibilities for species identification and conservation.
Leopardus geoffroyi. Credit: diegocarau via iNaturalist.
Such breakthroughs have led to the revalidation of the Neotropical genus Leopardus and the African wolf, Canis anthus, which had been synonymised for decades. Without natural history collections and the associated holotypes, the nomenclature of these species might have remained obscured, and their conservation needs unmet or delayed.
Natural History Collections and Museomics
Pensoft recently launched a new journal titled Natural History Collections and Museomics(NHCM).The publication comes at a pivotal moment in which taxonomists face the challenges of dwindling resources and fewer scientists entering the field. Through the publication of important open-access research, the journal aims to play a crucial role in bridging the gap between traditional taxonomy and modern conservation efforts.
Furthermore, by highlighting the essential role of taxonomy and natural history collections, NHCM will support the rediscovery of species long lost to science and help to conserve the world’s forgotten biodiversity. As the field of museomics grows, so too does the hope of rediscovering species that have been hidden in plain sight. The new journal already benefits from a competent and varied editorial board, including two of the authors of the Nature Conservation paper, Franco Andreone and Spartaco Gippoliti.
If the scientific community rally behind taxonomy and natural history collections, ensuring these vital tools are integrated into future biodiversity assessments, we can hope to preserve not just the species we know, but those we have forgotten.
Original source:
Gippoliti S, Farina S, Andreone F (2024) Lost species, neglected taxonomy, and the role of natural history collections and synonymization in the identification of the World’s forgotten biodiversity. Nature Conservation 56: 119-126. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.56.132036
