The Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change

is a research museum of the Leibniz Association

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Head of Department Arthropoda
Head of Section
Curator

Coleoptera

Tel: +49 228 9122-286

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

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

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Profile

Research interests

Evolutionary biology, systematics and ecology of beetles (with particular interest in chafers (Scarabaeidae))
DNA taxonomy
Morphometrics
Systematics, biogeography and taxonomy of Sericini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

External websites and profiles

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dirk_Ahrens

Projects

2019

Wingshape and morphospace

Unit:

Coleoptera

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).

Unit:

Coleoptera, Arachnids, Statistical Phylogenetics and Phylogenomics, Staff Council, Directorate, Chair Systematic Zoology, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Molecular Laboratory, Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb), Myriapoda, Diptera

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Biodiversity patterns of herbivore scarab chafers of Sri Lanka

Unit:

Coleoptera

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

Unit:

Directorate, Chair Systematic Zoology, Biobank, Department Arthropoda, Coleoptera, Mammalogy, Lepidoptera, Herpetology, Administration, ZFMK International Graduate School, Biodiversity Informatics, Metabarcoding, Myriapoda, Arachnids, Staff Council, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Comparative Insect Genomics

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof

Funding:

Federal Ministry of Education and Research

2014

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.

Unit:

Coleoptera

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

A monograph of the Sericini of Indian Subcontinent

Unit:

Coleoptera

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

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

Molecular phylogeny of…

Unit:

Coleoptera

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Biodiversity research on…

Unit:

Coleoptera

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

'Morphospace' in chafers …

Unit:

Coleoptera

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

DNA-Barcoding larvae and…

Unit:

Coleoptera

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Phylogeography of the…

Unit:

Coleoptera

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Evolution of Scarabaeidae

Unit:

Coleoptera

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.

Unit:

Coleoptera

Project lead:

Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Funding:

Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig

2012

Comparative phylogeogeography of South African chafers

Unit:

Coleoptera

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

Publications

Published in

2021

Fabrizi, S., Liu, W.G., Bai, M., Yang, X.K., Ahrens, D. (2021) A monograph of the genus Maladera of China (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini). Zootaxa 4922 (1): 1–400.

[more]

Lukic, D., Eberle, J., Thormann, J., Holzschuh, C., Ahrens, D. (2021): Excluding spatial sampling bias does not eliminate over-splitting in species delimitation analyses.- Ecology and Evolution 11(15):10327-10337.

[more]

Pacheco, T. L., Monné, M.L., Ahrens, D. (2021): The morphospace of Neotropical Sericini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) - a comparative analysis towards the relationship of shape disparity vs. species diversity. Organisms, Diversity and Evolution 2021, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-021-00530-y

[more]

Ahrens, D., Liu, W., Phan, P., Fabrizi, S. (2021) An overview of the genus Amiserica (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Sericini). Zootaxa 5050(1):1-63.

[more]

Klasen, M., Ahrens, D., Eberle, J., Steinhage, V. (2021): Image-based automated species identification: Can virtual data augmentation overcome problems of insufficient sampling?- Systematic Biology 2021, syab048

[more]

Ahrens, D. (2021): Additions to the fauna of Tetraserica Ahrens, 2004 of China and India (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae: Sericini).- Koleopterologische Rundschau 91: 131-135.

[more]

Chandra, K., Ahrens, D., Bhunia, D., Sreedevi, K., Gupta, D. (2021): New species and records of Sericini from India (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae).- Zootaxa 4951 (3): 492–510.

[more]

Ahrens, D. ., Ahyong, S. T. ., Ballerio, A. ., Barclay, M. V. L. ., Eberle, J. ., Espeland, M. ., Huber, B. A. ., Mengual, X. ., Pacheco, T. L. ., Peters, R. S. ., Rulik, B. ., Vaz-De-Mello, F. ., Wesener, T. . & Krell, F.-T. . (2021) “Is it time to describe new species without diagnoses?—A comment on Sharkey et al. (2021)”, Zootaxa 5027(2): 151–159. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5027.2.1.

[more]

Links:

[PDF-Link] Open Access

2020

Fabrizi, S. & Ahrens, D. (2020): A new species of Lasioserica and Gastroserica from Vietnam (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae: Sericini).- Entomologische Zeitschrift 130: 67-70.

[more]

Bohacz, C., Harrison, J., Ahrens, D. (2020): Comparative morphology of antennal surface in Pleurostict scarab beetles (Coleoptera).- Zoomorphology 139: 327–346.

[more]

Ranasinghe, S., Eberle J., Benjamin, S. Ahrens D. (2020): New species of Sericini from Sri Lanka (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae).- European Journal of Taxonomy 621: 1–20.

[more]

Bohacz, C., Ahrens, D. (2020): New species of the Microserica lineata group from Laos and Thailand (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini).- Zootaxa 4859 (2): 263–274.

[more]

Ahrens, D. & Pacheco, T.L. (2020): Maladera rugosa (Blanchard, 1850) comb. n. – a valid species and senior synonym of Maladera graeca Petrovitz, 1969 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini).- Zootaxa 4759 (3): 443–445.

[more]

Pacheco, T.L., Monné, M.L., Vaz-de-Mello, F. Z., Ahrens, D. (2020) Notes on the taxonomy of some "Astaena" species described by Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae).- Zootaxa 4885 (1): 143–145.

[more]

Frings, J., Lago, P. & Ahrens, D. (2020) Morphology of mouthparts poorly resolves the phylogeny of Sericini chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Zool. Anz. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2019.11.008

[more]

Bohacz, C. & Ahrens D. (2020); A new species of the Neoserica (sensu lato) vulpes group from China, with a corrigendum on Neoserica ailaoshanica Liu et al., 2014 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini). Journal of Natural History 53:(47-48): 2991-2997.

[more]

Sabatinelli G., Eberle J., Fabrizi S. & Ahrens D. (2020) A molecular phylogeny of Glaphyridae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea): evolution of pollination and association with ‘Poppy guild’ flowers. Systematic Entomology DOI: 10.1111/syen.12429

[more]

Buschbacher, K., Ahrens, D., Espeland, M., Steinhage, V. (2020): Image-based species identification of wild bees using convolutional neural networks - Ecological Informatics 55: 101017

[more]

Eberle, J., Ahrens, D., Mayer, C., Niehuis, O., Misof, B., 2020. A Plea for Standardized Nuclear Markers in Metazoan DNA Taxonomy. Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

[more]

2019

Liu, W.G., Fabrizi, S., Bai, M., Yang, X.K., Ahrens, D. (2019) A taxonomic revision of Chinese Neoserica (sensu lato): final part (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini). Bonn Zoological Bulletin Supplement 64: 1–71.

[more]

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Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Tabs

Research interests

External websites and profiles

2019

Wingshape and morphospace

2018

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

Biodiversity patterns of herbivore scarab chafers of Sri Lanka

2017

GGBC: Assessment, Monitoring and Management of Caucasian Biodiversity

2014

Phylogeny of Glaphyridae

A monograph of the Sericini of Indian Subcontinent

Molecular phylogeny of…

Biodiversity research on…

'Morphospace' in chafers …

DNA-Barcoding larvae and…

Phylogeography of the…

Evolution of Scarabaeidae

Speciation and species…

2012

Comparative phylogeogeography of South African chafers

2011

GBOL- German Barcode of Life

2021

2020

2019

Pages

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Dr. Dirk Ahrens

Tabs

Research interests

External websites and profiles

2019

2018

2017

2014

2012

2011

Pages

2021

2020

2019

Pages

Curriculum vitae

Qualifikationen

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