Coleoptera (Beetles)

Reiter

Info

The collections of the section of Coleoptera comprise mainly material from the Palaearctic region, northeastern Oriental region (Fukien) and the Aethiopian region. Research includes projects on taxonomy, phylogenetics, functional morphology, structural analysis, and history of science.

Staff

Scientist, permanent position

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Head of Department Arthropoda, Head of Section, Curator

Tel: +49 228 9122-286

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: d.ahrens [at] leibniz-zfmk.de

Technical or laboratory assistant

Christina Blume

Technical Assistant

Tel: +49 228 9122-320

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: c.blume [at] leibniz-zfmk.de

Adrian Kniel

Tel: +49 228 9122-320

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: A.Kniel [at] leibniz-zfmk.de

Karin Ulmen

Technical Assitant, REM manager

Tel: +49 228 9122-287

Fax: +49 228 9122-332

E-Mail: k.ulmen [at] leibniz-zfmk.de

Postdoc

Dr. Jonas Eberle

former Postdoc

Tel: +49 228 9122-412

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: eberle.jonas [at] gmail.com

Ph.D. student

Thaynara Lara Pacheco

Tel: +49 228 9122-412

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: thay.lpacheco [at] gmail.com

Phu Van Pham

PhD student

E-Mail: phupham.iebr [at] gmail.com

Federal volunteer service

Liliane Hanfeld

Tel: +49 228 9122-320

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: L.Hanfeld [at] leibniz-zfmk.de

Honorary capacity

Matthias Forst

Tel: +49 228 9122-360

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: Forstbonn [at] aol.com

Prof. em. Dr. Rainer Keller

Honorary Capacity

Tel: +49 228 9122-350

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: keller [at] uni-bonn.de

Jonas Köhler

Honorary Capacity

Tel: +49 228 9122-287

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: jonas.koehler [at] online.de

Wolfgang E. Melenk

Honorary Capacity

Tel: +49 228 9122-225

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: w.melenk [at] leibniz-zfmk.de

Dr. Thomas Wagner

Honorary Capacity

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: thwagner [at] uni-koblenz.de

Alumni

Former students

Daniel Lukic

Tel: +49 228 9122-345

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: Daniel.Lukic [at] ruhr-uni-bochum.de

Sasanka Ranasinghe

PhD Student

Tel: +49 228 9122-412

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

E-Mail: s.ranasinghe [at] leibniz-zfmk.de

Projects

2019

Wingshape and morphospace

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

2018

Establishing a standardized and universally applicable set of nuclear-encoded markers for genome-wide multi-locus species delimitation of metazoans

Methods for delimiting species based on multi-gene nucleotide information are well established and provide the means to complement the classical COI barcoding approach, whose limitations are well known. Our research project aims at establishing a standardized set of single-copy nuclear-encoded markers for genome-wide multi-locus species delimitation by exploiting comparative genomic data and applying target DNA enrichment. Candidate markers are so-called Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (USCOs).

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Biodiversity patterns of herbivore scarab chafers of Sri Lanka

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

2017

GGBC: Assessment, Monitoring and Management of Caucasian Biodiversity

A Georgian-German initiative to explore and barcode the biodiversity of the Caucasus area

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof

Funding:

Federal Ministry of Education and Research

2014

A monograph of the Sericini of Indian Subcontinent

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Alexander-Koenig-Society e.V.

Molecular phylogeny of…

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Biodiversity research on…

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

'Morphospace' in chafers …

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Phylogeography of the…

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

DNA-Barcoding larvae and…

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Evolution of Scarabaeidae

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Speciation and species…

The project explores the Speciation of these archaic beetles that survived since Tertiary only on the ancient islands rifting on the Thyrrenian sea.

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig

Phylogeny of Glaphyridae

In collaboration with the specialist of the group, Dr. Guido Sabatinelli (Univ. Rome), we explore the phylogeny of the group for a better understanding of the evolution of pollination in these beetles.

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

2012

Comparative phylogeogeography of South African chafers

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

2011

GBOL- German Barcode of Life

"German Barcode of Life" ( GBOL ) is a project sponsored by the BMBF and includes the creation of inventories for the gentic characterization of the animals, fungi and plants of germany, using DNA-Barcodes.

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. J. Wolfgang Wägele

Funding:

Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Molecular Weevil Identification

DNA barcoding the European weevil fauna and building molecular and morphological weevil collections

Project lead:

Dr. Jonas Astrin

Publications

Published in

2023

Ahrens, D., Lukic, D., Pham, P., Li, W., Liu, W., (2023) Tetraserica Ahrens, 2004 of continental Southeast Asia: new records, new species, and an updated key to species (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae: Sericini). Zootaxa 5374 (4): 451–486. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5374.4.1

[read more]

Pacheco, T. L., Ahrens, D. (2023) Addendum to the revision of the South American genus Symmela Erichson, 1835 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini): a further new species from Brazil. Zootaxa 5263 (2): 297–300.

[read more]

Ahrens, D. & Phu Pham (2023) Updates on the taxonomy and distribution of Gastroserica Brenske, 1897, Microserica Brenske, 1894, and Moronoserica Ahrens, Lukic & Liu, 2023 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericinae, Sericini). Zootaxa 5346 (5): 551–566.

[read more]

Dietz, L., Seidel, M., Eberle, J., Misof, B., Pacheco, T.L., Podsiadlowski, L., Ranasinghe, S., Gunter, N.L., Niehuis, O., Mayer, C., Ahrens, D. (2023): A transcriptome-based pyhlogeny of Scarabaeoidea confirms the sister group relationship of dung beetles and phytophagous pleurostict scarabs (Coleoptera). Systematic Entomology, 48(4), 672–686.

[read more]

Su X., Li W., Liu W., Ahrens, D., Zheng Y., Liu Y. (2023) An update to the taxonomy of Serica MacLeay, 1819 (sensu lato) from China (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericinae: Sericini). Zookeys 1185: 181–198. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1185.109154

[read more]

Ranasinghe, U.G.S.L., Eberle, J., Benjamin, S.P., Ahrens, D. (2023) Local stochastics and ecoclimatic situation shape phytophagous chafer assemblage composition. Ecology and Evolution 2023;13:e10091.

[read more]

Bhunia, D., Gupta, D., Sankar, S.K., Ahrens, D. (2023) New species and new records of Sericini chafers from the Lower Gangetic Plains in India (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericinae ). Zootaxa 5353 (4): 351–371.

[read more]

Pacheco, T. L., Monné, M.L., Ahrens, D. (2023) Morphology-based phylogenetic analysis of South American Sericini chafers (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) contrasts patterns of morphological disparity and current classification. Zoologischer Anzeiger 302, 43-57.

[read more]

Dietz L., Mayer C., Stolle E., Eberle J., Misof B., Podsiadlowski L., Niehuis O., Ahrens, D., (2023) Metazoa-level USCOs as markers in species delimitation and classification Mol. Ecol Res. DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13921 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13921

[read more]

Bhunia, D., Gupta, D., Sankar, S.K., Ahrens, D. (2023) New species and records of tribe Sericini of Manipur, India (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae). Rec. zool. Surv. India 123(1S): 46-52.

[read more]

Zhao, M.-Z. & Ahrens, D. (2023) New species of the tribe Sericini Kirby, 1837 from China, with further updates on their taxonomy and distribution (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae). Zootaxa 5361 (2): 181–220.

[read more]

Lu, Y.; Ahrens, D.; Shih, C.; Shaw, J.J.; Yang, X.; Ren, D.; Bai, M. A (2023) Cretaceous chafer beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with exaggerated hind legs—insight from comparative functional morphology into a possible spring movement. Biology 2023, 12, 237.

[read more]

Ahrens, D. (2023) Updates on the Neoserica vulpes group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Sericini): new species and records. European Journal of Taxonomy 888: 97–110.

[read more]

Ahrens, D., Liu, W.G., Lukic, D., Bai, M. (2023) A taxonomic review of Microserica from continental Asia (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Sericini). Zootaxa 5241 (1): 1–115.

[read more]

Ahrens, D. (2023) Two new species of Archeohomaloplia Nikolajev, 1972 from China (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini). Bonn zoological Bulletin 72 (1): 55–61.

[read more]

Ranasinghe, U.G.S.L., Eberle, J., Benjamin, S.P., Ahrens, D. (2023) Contrasting results of multiple species delimitation approaches cause uncertainty in synecological studies: a case study on Sri Lankan chafers. Insect Conservation and Diversity 1-16.

[read more]

Dietz, L., Eberle, J., Mayer, C., Kukowka, S., Bohacz, C., Baur, H., Espeland, M., Huber, B.A., Hutter, C., Mengual, X., Peters, R.S., Vences, M., Wesener, T., Willmott, K., Misof, B., Niehuis, O., Ahrens, D., 2023. Standardized nuclear markers improve and homogenize species delimitation in Metazoa. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14, 543-555 https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14041

[read more]

2022

Ahrens, D. (2022) A new Gynaecoserica Brenske, 1897 species and first bicolored species of the Neoserica calva group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Sericini) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini). Zootaxa 5165 (2): 180–190.

[read more]

Ahrens, D. (2022) Tetraserica takakuwai sp. nov. – a further new species of Tetraserica Ahrens, 2004 from Thailand (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Sericini). Faunitaxys, 10(33): 1–4.

[read more]

Ahrens, D. & Lukic, D. (2022) Neoserica phuphami sp. n. – a further new Neoserica (sensu stricto) species from Vietnam with highly modified pronotum (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Sericini). Zootaxa 5104 (3): 441–444.

[read more]