Museum am Rothenbaum

A differentiated understanding of how regional human activities affect the spatial distribution and abundance of animals is of great ecological importance. However, estimating these effects from empirical data is challenging, as human activities influence animals in different ways and on various spatial and temporal scales. Additionally, spatio-temporal animal abundance is often shaped by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which can confound impact assessments. To separate these influences, we combined regression and mechanistic modelling. First, we used partial differential equations to simulate potential animal redistribution patterns driven by regional human activities. These patterns were then incorporated as predictors into regression-based species distribution models, alongside other anthropogenic and environmental covariates. This allowed us to estimate and predict human-induced changes by jointly accounting for pressure-driven large-scale redistribution and local changes in expected abundance, while controlling for additional environmental influences. We applied this approach to assess the impact of offshore wind farms (OWF) on common murres (Uria aalge) in the German North Sea during autumn. OWF constructed by 2019 reduced common murre numbers within German waters by 18.3%. If the planned OWF priority and reservation areas outlined in the German Marine Spatial Plan are implemented, the predicted net reduction within German waters would increase to 77.7%. Importantly, these predictions do not account for additional anthropogenic activities or OWF expansion in surrounding waters, which could further affect common murre abundance beyond the scenarios considered here. By comparing predicted animal numbers and distributions under hypothetical scenarios with and without specific human pressures, our method enables the quantification and prediction of human-induced effects on regional trends and large-scale redistribution. The framework provides a transparent way to disentangle large-scale redistribution and cumulative effects from local responses in spatially bounded management areas, supporting impact assessments under ongoing expansion of offshore renewables.

The long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is a primate widely traded internationally and plays an important ecological role, yet population data in Lampung Province remain limited, particularly in riparian ecosystems that serve as habitat corridors within fragmented landscapes. This study aimed to estimate the population size, population density, and demographic structure of Macaca fascicularis in the riparian areas of Mesuji, Gedong Aji, and Penumangan. Field surveys were conducted using line transect and concentration count methods. The results recorded 123 groups, with an estimated real population of 1,779 individuals and a maximum estimate of 2,197 individuals. Mesuji showed the highest population size, ranging from approximately 738 to 891 individuals, with densities reaching 18,17 to 27,80 individuals per hectare, indicating a high concentration of macaques in the remaining suitable habitat. Analysis of the age structure successfully identified about 69 percent of the observed individuals, comprising 669 adults, 282 subadults, and 124 juveniles. These findings indicate that riparian corridors in Lampung Province can support high population densities of Macaca fascicularis, most likely due to population compression resulting from habitat loss. The data generated in this study provide an important scientific basis for establishing sustainable harvest quotas and for long-term conservation management.

We introduce the initial modification to the most recently issued inventory of European wild bees published by Ghisbain & Rosa et al. in 2023. We report new changes and taxonomic acts including: the description of a new species, Panurginus cypricus Hopfenmüller, 2025 sp. nov.; the lectotype designation of Hylaeus subtilis Förster, 1871; the upgrade or resurrection of five subspecies to species rank: Lasioglossum aeneidorsum (Alfken, 1921) stat. rev., Osmia bulgarica Friese, 1923 stat. rev., Seladonia alpina (Alfken, 1907) stat. rev., Seladonia glacialis (Ebmer, 1979) stat. nov., and Seladonia perkinsi (Blüthgen, 1926) stat. rev.; the resurrection of two species from previous synonymy: Hylaeus subtilis Förster, 1871 spec. resurr. and Protosmia mirabilis (Friese, 1899) spec. resurr.; and Hoplitis taurica (Radoszkowski, 1874) is here considered to be a nomen dubium. Finally, the following six new synonymies are proposed: Anthophora larvata Giraud, 1863 syn. nov. of Anthophora fulvipes Eversmann, 1846; Protosmia monstrosa (Pérez, 1895) syn. nov. of Protosmia tiflensis (Morawitz, 1875); the following taxa are all synonyms of Hylaeus subtilis Förster, 1871: Hylaeus nigrifacies Bramson, 1879 syn. nov., Prosopis gracilicornis var. luteifrons Strand, 1909 syn. nov., Prosopis moricella Bischoff, 1954 syn. nov., and Prosopis moricella f. atricallosa Bischoff, 1954 syn. nov. We also report 4 new species for Europe: Andrena immaculata Warncke, 1975, Anthophora bifasciata Fedchenko, 1875, Nomada felici Schwarz, 1977, and Systropha anatolica Warncke, 1977. Ancyla nitida Friese, 1902 replaces the use of the name Ancyla nigricornis Friese, 1902 in Europe. Nomada chrysopyga Morawitz, 1871 replaces the use of the name N. mauritanica Lepeletier, 1841 in Europe. The presence and identity of species belonging to the genus Schmiedeknechtia in Europe is discussed. Seven species were overlooked and are now added to the European list: Andrena pinguis Ariana, Scheuchl, Tadauchi & Gusenleitner, 2009, Clavipanurgus anatolicus (Warncke, 1972), Eucera cressa (Tkalců, 1984), Eucera mavromoustakisi (Tkalců, 1984), Icteranthidium floripetum (Eversmann, 1852), Seladonia pici (Pérez, 1895) and Megachile sanguinipes Morawitz, 1875. Conversely, seven species are excluded from the European list: Halictus constantinensis Strand, 1910, Halictus rufipes (Fabricius, 1793), Hoplitis turcestanica (Dalla Torre, 1896), Hoplitis caucasicola Müller, 2012, Lasioglossum andromeda Ebmer, 1978, Lasioglossum edessae Ebmer, 1974, and Seladonia confusa Smith, 1853. Heriades labiata Pérez, 1895 is confirmed as being described from Europe (Barcelona), and not Algeria as previously thought. We also report taxonomic changes recorded after the publication of the latest European checklist (Ghisbain & Rosa et al. 2023), including: the revaluation of two genera, Acanthonomada Schwarz, 1966 and Eupavlovskia Popov, 1955; the synonymy of the subgenus Royanthidium with the genus Pseudoanthidium, which is the senior synonym; the report of the neotype designation of Tetralonia malvae (Rossi, 1790); 32 new species recently described as new to science; 12 species recently synonymized and ten subspecies upgraded to species rank; seven species recently resurrected from previous synonymy; eight species recently recorded as new for Europe; one species noticed as overlooked in the previous European checklists; six species recently removed from the European list; and other various changes such as transfer of species from one genus or subgenus to another. We provide corrections to 136 names of authors and specific epithets, years of publication, and gender agreements demonstrated to be incorrect for various reasons. Overall, the present work revises the total number of species for Europe sensu IUCN to 2,187.

ABSTRACTPredation pressure is a key selective force that shapes anti‐predatory traits in prey. The pressure exerted by predation can vary across biomes and different prey communities and depends on prey characteristics, such as prey size and sex. Here, the variation in predation pressure on Australian butterflies was assessed using wing damage caused by avian attacks in over 2310 individuals from five butterfly families. Temperate butterflies were less likely to receive avian attacks compared to subtropical and tropical butterflies. Male butterflies were predicted to suffer more avian attacks than females; however, our results indicated that females were more at risk. We did not find evidence of butterfly size influencing the attack likelihood. According to the regression model, Nymphalids (Browns) were more likely to receive avian attacks than Hesperiids (Skippers). The results provide interesting insights into predator–prey interactions and the factors that impact the risk of predation.

Two new cave spider species belonging to the family Theridiosomatidae are described from the Ecuadorian Amazonian ecoregion: Plato leodani sp. nov. (male, female), and Plato shaime sp. nov. (male, female). Images of the type specimens of Plato troglodita Coddington, 1986 are included and its distribution is updated, being restricted to the type locality in Morona Santiago Province, Ecuador. Finally, the specimens identified as Plato troglodita by Prete & Brescovit (2024) are considered a misidentification.

We describe a new species of anuran in the species complex of Limnonectes kuhlii (Tschudi, 1838) from the Meratus Mountain Range of Borneo Island, Indonesia. Mitochondrial DNA analysis places the new species as a sister of L. cintalubang Matsui, Nishikawa, and Eto, 2014. The new taxon differs from all other recognized species of L. kuhlii complex by a large genetic distance and a combination of morphological, bioacoustic, and larval characteristics. This discovery provides new insights into the taxonomic diversity of the L. kuhlii complex in Borneo, particularly within the Meratus Mountain Range, and highlights the importance of conserving this unique and understudied region.

BackgroundCrown-of-thorns seastars (COTS, Acanthaster spp.) are the most notorious coral predators, whose devastating outbreaks cause recurrent and extensive coral depletion across Indo-Pacific reefs. However, the spread potential of COTS outbreaks and the anthropogenic role in their initiation have remained a subject of intense debate for over five decades.ResultsHere, using low-coverage whole-genome sequences of 247 COTS, we show that Pacific COTS populations are highly structured, indicating that outbreaks do not spread through open ocean, but instead are locally derived. Pacific COTS populations are grouped in three main lineages geographically restricted to Hawai‘i, French Polynesia, and the West Pacific, with the latter showing further significant genetic substructure. Phylogenomic analyses indicated that the Hawai‘i COTS lineage likely represents a different undescribed species and challenged the species status of both A. cf. solaris and the Eastern Pacific COTS species (A. ellisii), as the latter appeared as the sister group of the French Polynesia COTS lineage. Additionally, we show that current COTS populations present the highest effective sizes of the last million years, suggesting that human and/or climate change may influence COTS population sizes.ConclusionsOverall, our study highlights the improvements brought by low-coverage whole-genome sequencing approaches in resolving the phylogeny and connectivity patterns of a keystone species in understudied regions of the Pacific Ocean.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-025-02350-4.

Foid gabbros (alkali gabbros) are late-stage intrusive rocks into the alkaline core of the Cretaceous Messum complex, an anorogenic ring complex belonging to the Etendeka Large Igneous Province in NW Namibia. The mineralogy of the alkali gabbros is characterized by primary olivine, clinopyroxene (Ti-augite), nepheline and plagioclase and late-stage or secondary brown Ti-amphibole and biotite plus magnetite. The bulk rock compositions resemble low-SiO 2 alkaline melts with low TiO 2 and K 2 O/Na 2 O < 1. Some of them have Cr (up to 490 ppm) and Ni (up to 265 ppm) contents that approach values characteristic for primary mantle melts. The alkali gabbros are characterized by variable enrichment in incompatible trace elements (Ba: 750–1020 ppm, Zr: 131–173 ppm; Hf: 3.0–3.4 ppm, Nb: 66–90 ppm, Ta: 3.7–5.2 ppm, La: 32–43 ppm, Th: 4.0–5.5 ppm). Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta ratios are high and negatively correlated. The alkali gabbros display a small spread in initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (0.7044–0.7046), εNd (+1.2 to +1.7) and Pb isotope ratios ( 206 Pb/ 204 Pb, 17.86–18.00, 207 Pb/ 204 Pb: 15.54–15.56, 208 Pb/ 204 Pb: 37.65–37.81). Variations of major and trace element data and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions indicate that the more differentiated alkali gabbro samples evolved by fractional crystallization from the most mafic parent involving mainly olivine, clinopyroxene, and minor plagioclase and Fe Ti oxides, whereas crustal contamination was negligible. In primitive mantle-normalized multi-element diagrams, alkali gabbros show depletions in Rb, Th, U, Pb, Hf, Zr and Ti and enrichments in Sr. Notably, high molar Ca/Al, high Ti/Eu, high Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta, low TiO 2 , low Zr/Nb at high Nb concentrations and low Zr/Sm in samples with high Lu/Hf and low Hf/Sm point to a carbonatitic component in the source of the alkali gabbros. REE modelling suggests that the parental melts form within the garnet stability field and may be modified either by partial re-equilibration or mixing with melts generated in the spinel stability field. Application of the thermobarometer proposed by Lee et al. (2009) ( Lee et al., 2009 . Constraints on the depths and temperatures of basaltic magma generation on Earth, and other terrestrial planets using new thermobarometers for mafic magmas. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 279, 20–33.) implies generation of the most primitive alkali gabbros at ~4.5 GPa and ~ 1480 °C, the latter value is in agreement with previous temperature estimates using Al-in-olivine thermometry and melt inclusion studies. The Sr-Nd-Pb isotope compositions of the alkali gabbros do not overlap with those of mafic lavas attributed to the Tristan or Gough hot spot or the newly defined Doros component. Trace element and isotope data indicate derivation of the Messum alkali gabbros from a heterogeneous mantle source enriched in incompatible trace elements (Rb, Ba, Nb Ta, LREE, Zr Hf). The alkali gabbros were formed by melts of carbonatite-metasomatized peridotite and melts from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. These melts were mobilized by edge-driven convection or lithospheric drip at the time of continental break-up.