Natural History Museum In London Research Articles

Discrimination of ivory from extant and extinct elephant species using Raman spectroscopy: A potential non-destructive technique for combating illegal wildlife trade.

The use of elephant ivory as a commodity is a factor in declining elephant populations. Despite recent worldwide elephant ivory trade bans, mammoth ivory trade remains unregulated. This complicates law enforcement efforts, as distinguishing between ivory from extant and extinct species requires costly, destructive and time consuming methods. Elephant and mammoth ivory mainly consists of dentine, a mineralized connective tissue that contains an organic collagenous component and an inorganic component of calcium phosphate minerals, similar in structure to hydroxyapatite crystals. Raman spectroscopy is a non-invasive laser-based technique that has previously been used for the study of bone and mineral chemistry. Ivory and bone have similar biochemical properties, making Raman spectroscopy a promising method for species identification based on ivory. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that it is possible to identify differences in the chemistry of mammoth and elephant ivory using Raman spectroscopy. Mammoth and elephant tusks were obtained from the Natural History Museum in London, UK. Included in this study were eight samples of ivory from Mammuthus primigenius, two samples of carved ivory bangles from Africa (Loxodonta species), and one cross section of a tusk from Elephas maximus. The ivory was scanned using an inVia Raman micro spectrometer equipped with a x50 objective lens and a 785nm laser. Spectra were acquired using line maps and individual spectral points were acquired randomly or at points of interest on all samples. The data was then analysed using principal component analysis (PCA) with use of an in-house MATLAB script. Univariate analysis of peak intensity ratios of phosphate to amide I and III peaks, and carbonate to phosphate peaks showed statistical differences (p<0.0001) in the average peak intensity ratios between Mammuthus primigenius, Loxodonta spp. and Elephas maximus. Full width at half maximum hight (FWHM)analysis of the phosphate peak demonstrated higher crystal maturity of Mammuthus primigenius compared to living elephant species. The results of the study have established that spectra acquired by Raman spectroscopy can be separated into distinct classes through PCA. In conclusion, this study has shown that well-preserved mammoth and elephant ivory has the potential to be characterized using Raman spectroscopy, providing a promising method for species identification. The results of this study will be valuable in developing quick and non-destructive methods for the identification of ivory, which will have direct applications in archaeology and the regulation of international trade.

Critical revision of Physarales and Reticulariales (Myxomycetes) at the Natural History Museum London (BM)

Light and scanning electron microscopy were applied to re-assess diagnostic characters of type specimens and critical specimens of Diachea radiata, D. splendens, D. subsessilis, Diderma arboreum, Didymium. laxifilum, D. leoninum var. effusum, D. trachysporum, D. trochus, Physarum bitectum, P. straminipes, Reticularia intermedia, R. jurana, R. liceoides, R. lobata and Wilczekia evelinae in the order Physarales and Reticulariales (Myxomycetes) from the collections at the Natural History Museum London (BM). The results were used to discuss published data and the type status for specimens studied.

A reassessment of the historical fossil findings from Bahia State (Northeast Brazil) reveals a diversified dinosaur fauna in the Lower Cretaceous of South America

ABSTRACT Supposed dinosaur remains were collected between 1859 and 1906 in the Lower Cretaceous Recôncavo Basin (Northeast Brazil). Since these materials remained undescribed, and most were considered lost. Recently, some of these historical specimens were rediscovered in the Natural History Museum of London, providing an opportunity to revisit them after 160 years. The specimens come from five different sites, corresponding to the Massacará (Berriasian-Barremian) and Ilhas (Valanginian-Barremian) groups. Identified bones comprise mainly isolated vertebral centra from ornithopods, sauropods, and theropods. Appendicular remains include a theropod pedal phalanx, humerus, and distal half of a left femur with elasmarian affinities. Despite their fragmentary nature, these specimens represent the earliest dinosaur bones discovered in South America, enhancing our understanding of the Cretaceous dinosaur faunas in Northeast Brazil. The dinosaur assemblage in the Recôncavo Basin resembles coeval units in Northeast Brazil, such as the Rio do Peixe Basin, where ornithopods coexist with sauropods and theropods. This study confirms the presence of ornithischian dinosaurs in Brazil based on osteological evidence, expanding their biogeographic and temporal range before the continental rifting between South America and Africa. Additionally, these findings reinforce the fossiliferous potential of Cretaceous deposits in Bahia State, which have been underexplored since their initial discoveries.

Overview of the Lost Meteorites of Antarctica field campaigns

AbstractThe Lost Meteorites of Antarctica project was the first UK‐led Antarctic meteorite recovery expedition. The project has successfully confirmed two new high‐density meteorite stranding zones in the Hutichison Icefield and Outer Recovery Icefields areas and investigated the geology of three previously unvisited Antarctic nunataks (Turner Nunatak, Pillinger Nunatak, Halliday Nunatak). The project undertook meteorite searching on the ice surface via skidoo reconnaissance and systematic searching and developed a novel pulse induction metal detection system to search for englacial iron‐rich meteorites trapped within the upper one meter of ice. In total, 121 meteorites have been recovered from the ice surface searching activities, which are now curated in the United Kingdom at the Natural History Museum London and are available for scientific analysis.

New species and records of Macratriinae LeConte, 1862 (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) from the Americas with five new descriptions.

Descriptions of the following five new species of Macratriinae LeConte, 1862 are presented based on the material mainly from the Natural History Museum London: Macratria bugle sp. nov. (Panama), M. conlei sp. nov. (Ecuador), M. florsavichi sp. nov. (Panama), M. guaymi sp. nov. (Panama) and M. tiriyo sp. nov. (Guyana / Suriname). New distribution records for the Central American Macratria obsoleta Champion, 1890 are also provided.

Understanding the users and uses of UK Natural History Collections

UK natural science collections hold over 137 million items, an unrivalled source of data about 4.56 billion years of planetary development and hundreds of years of biological change, including the differences made by humans — but the scientific, commercial, and societal benefits of these collections are constrained by the limits of physical access, and by highly fragmented digitisation efforts with less than 10% digitally available. Following work with Frontier Economics in 2021, which showed potential for £2 billion in benefits to the UK economy from digitising all UK natural science collections, in 2022–23 the Natural History Museum London worked, with analytical support from McKinsey and Company, to understand the impact of what has already been digitised and shared by UK natural science collections — what is the demand for these data, what are they used for, and how does this deliver efficient, effective and impactful research? This study focuses on usage via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the largest source of relevant usage data, examining 7.6 million records from twelve UK institutions. While these UK collections data are just 0.3% of total GBIF occurrences, they are cited in 12% of peer reviewed publications citing GBIF data, showing the disproportionate impact of UK collections data and the historical, geographical, and taxonomic richness that they bring. Researchers have already benefited from more than £18 million of efficiency savings from digital UK specimen data. Data from natural science collections held in the UK are uniquely impactful resources, vital to a future in which people and planet thrive, and a step change in the pace of digitisation is needed to unlock their potential for researchers, policymakers, and society.

Catalogue of the family Psychidae in China (Lepidoptera: Tineoidea)

This catalogue of Psychidae in China is piled based on a literature research in multiple languages and on the study of Psychidae specimens in National Zoological Museum of China and Natural History Museum in London. Prior our research, less than 20 Psychidae species are listed in China, however we expand the list to 59 species, 35 genera and 7 subfamilies, among them, two species are newly recorded in China.

Trematode parasites as indicators of an animal component in the diet of the Water Vole Arvicola amphibius.

The intestinal trematode fauna of the Water Vole Arvicola amphibius, (previously A. terrestris), was investigated to determine whether it might provide evidence of an animal component in the diet of this aquatic herbivorous small mammal. Interrogation of the electronic Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum London revealed the presence of fourteen species of intestinal trematode in water voles, infection with each of which would require the ingestion of tissue from an animal intermediate host. The results obtained using these parasite indicators provide convincing evidence of animal components in the diet of A. amphibius and support anecdotal reports of water voles feeding on animal material in the field.

The Palaearctic types of Chrysididae (Insecta, Hymenoptera) deposited in the Linsenmaier collection. Part 4. Elampini: genus Omalus Panzer, 1801.

An illustrated catalogue of the Palaearctic types of species and subspecies described by Walter Linsenmaier in Omalus Panzer, 1801 is given. Linsenmaier described 16 species and subspecies of Omalus; most of the primary types are deposited in the collection at the Natur-Museum in Luzern, Switzerland, with the exception of four holotypes which are deposited at the Natural History Museum in London, UK; Nationalparkzentrum in Zernez, Switzerland; Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich, Switzerland; and Museo de Naturaleza y Arqueologia in St. Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. A list of the species described and pictures of 13 primary and secondary types are presented. A synthesis of his classification is given, with comments and comparison to modern classification.

New machaeridian data from the Upper Ordovician of Scotland: Palaeoecological and global palaeobiogeographical implications

New machaeridian material housed in the National Museum of Scotland alongside the type material held in the Natural History Museum London and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge, is documented here from the Ordovician of Girvan. The specimens are included in four taxa, three of these in open nomenclature. Syntypes and figured specimens of Plumulites scoticus by Nicholson and Etheridge (1879) and Withers (1926) are reviewed and the diagnosis emended. The description of these specimens follows standard terminology and we also introduce here a new terminology for Anterior Outer Shell Plate (AOSP). We also figure for the first time three unpublished letters from Mrs Elizabeth Gray to Thomas Henry Withers, where she criticises the illustrations of machaeridians published by Nicholson and Etheridge (1880) and Reed (1908), recognising issues identifying machaeridian plates and also clarifies a misunderstanding on some of the specimens described and illustrated in Reed (1908), being key for the distribution of Plumulites peachi. We assess the importance of machaeridians as part of the Lower Palaeozoic palaeobenthos and a key element of the palaeo-food chain. A review of the palaeogeographical distribution of the machaeridians is undertaken in the context of the Ordovician biodiversifications.

Notes on the morphology of two species of Limnocoris Stål (Heteroptera: Naucoridae) from South America

In the present study, new distribution records and notes on the wing polymorphism of Limnocoris pallescens (Stål, 1861), a species distributed in Colombia and Venezuela, are presented. Also, after the discovery of two female paralectotypes of L. pectoralis Montandon, 1897 deposited at the Natural History Museum in London, ongoing uncertainty about the shape of the diagnostic mediosternite VII (subgenital plate) of this species has been resolved.

Perilampus neglectus and other neglected species: new records of Palaearctic Perilampidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea), with a key to European species of Perilampus

New faunistic records of Palaearctic Perilampidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) are given, based on newly collected material in South-East Europe, South Korea and specimens from the Natural History Museum in London. Euperilampus Walker, 1871 is recorded for the first time in South Korea, with females of E. sinensis Bouček, 1978 being discovered and described for the first time. The genera Perilampus Latreille, 1809 and Steffanolampus Peck, 1974 are recorded for the first time in Greece. Perilampus noemi Nikol’skaya, 1952, collected on Crete and Salamina islands (Greece), is recorded for the first time in Europe. The following species are new to Greece: P. aeneus (Rossius, 1790), P. laevifrons Dalman, 1822, P. micans Dalman, 1820, P. minutalis Steffan, 1952, P. neglectus Bouček, 1956, P. ruficornis (Fabricius, 1793), P. tristis Mayr, 1905, and S. salicetum (Steffan, 1952). The following species are new to Romania: P. aeneus, P. auratus (Panzer, 1798), P. aureoviridis Walker, 1833, P. chrysonotus Förster, 1859, and P. laevifrons. The following species are new to Turkey: P. auratus, P. cephalotes Bouček, 1956, P. ruficornis, and P. tristis. Additionally, P. cephalotes and P. polypori Bouček, 1971 are new to Austria; P. masculinus Bouček, 1956 is new to Sweden; P. ruficornis is new to South Korea; and P. tristis is new also to Cyprus and Spain. The first host record for P. cephalotes and a new host record for P. laevifrons are also given. A key to 20 European species of Perilampus is included. Each species is diagnosed using macrophotography to facilitate its future recognition. The males of P. intermedius Bouček, 1956 and P. neglectus are described for the first time.

How and why we should move beyond natural selection in museums to tackle teleology

BackgroundMuseum displays commonly use a “VIST” approach (Variation, Inheritance, Selection, and Time) to explain evolution to visitors. I contend that this framework, by focusing narrowly on natural selection, unintentionally reinforces intuitive teleological thinking and a “survival of the fittest” mentality. Exhibits that incorporate all the forces (or mechanisms) of evolution will instead challenge visitors’ preconceptions and enable them to develop a deeper understanding of evolution. In particular, visitors will appreciate that evolution is not progressive, with modern humans as the “most evolved” species.ResultsExplicit and implicit description of the forces of evolution is surveyed in 12 museums: 4 in Texas, 7 elsewhere in the U.S., and the Natural History Museum in London. Museum exhibits focus primarily on natural selection (explicit in 10 of 12) and often mention mutation (explicit in 7). Only the American Museum of Natural History in New York, in my sample, provides an explicit explanation of genetic drift.ConclusionsHeavy emphasis on natural selection and limited explanation of stochastic forces contributes to an impoverished view of evolution. Exhibits should more effectively convey the complexity of microevolution. Computer simulations showing the interactions of evolutionary forces can accomplish this goal.

ALBERT KOCH’S HYDRARCHOS: A HOAX OR A BONA FIDE COLLECTION OF BONES

ABSTRACT This is the second essay of a two-part series on the life and collecting activities of Albert Koch. After Koch traveled to England where he sold his Missourium to the British Museum, the American mastodon that now stands in the Natural History Museum of London, he then went to his homeland in Germany. Koch left his family in Dresden, when he again departed for the United States to pursue some additional paleontological adventures. Following several weeks of travel, he arrived in Alabama where he excavated the remains of a large, archaeocete whale, that he named the Hydrarchos. Koch displayed the skeleton in New York, and several other eastern cities before taking it to Europe. When in Berlin, Koch was able to sell the skeleton to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia who placed it in the Royal Museum. Soon thereafter, Koch returned to the United States and Alabama to discover a second whale skeleton. He took this skeleton to Europe where it was exhibited in several cities but, having received no offers, Koch returned with his second Hydrarchos to the United States where it was initially displayed in New Orleans, then St. Louis, and eventually Chicago. In his later years, Koch turned his attention to the Academy of Science of St. Louis where he became an active member and curator, as well as a prospector for minerals. This essay examines the final chapters of Koch’s life and his entrepreneurial showmanship tendencies versus contributions he may have made to science. This narrative is a sequel to an article published in Volume 41 Number 2 of Earth Sciences History that focused on Albert Koch’s Missourium. Together, the two essays capture the life and career of Albert C. Koch.

Critical revision of Trichiales (Myxomycetes) at the Natural History Museum London (BM)

Light and scanning electron microscopy were applied to re-assess diagnostic characters of type specimens and critical specimens of twelve species in the order Trichiales (Myxomycetes) from the collections of the Natural History Museum in London (BM). The results were used to discuss published data and the type status for specimens of Arcyria imperialis, Hemitrichia chrysospora, H. intorta, H. karstenii, H. leiotricha, Perichaena cornuvioides, Prototrichia metallica, Trichia affinis, T. intermedia, T. munda and T. scabra. We conclude that Hemitrichia karstenii and Trichia contorta are autonomous species, and we confirm the synonymy of Trichia intermedia with Trichia contorta. The transfer of Perichaena cornuvioides to the genera Trichia or Hemitrichia is rejected.

Edmund Jarzembowski at 70: An appreciation

Edmund Aleksander Jarzembowski (BSc PhD FGS FRES) is currently a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow; Scientific Associate (researcher) at The Natural History Museum London (NHMUK); and Professor at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), Nanjing, specializing in the study of fossil insects (palaeoentomology).

Voyage of Ben Cao, Part II: Development of Chinese Medicinal Specimens in the British Museum

Voyage of Ben Cao, Part II: Development of Chinese Medicinal Specimens in the British Museum

Hidden jewels of Malaysia: two new genera and species of remarkable clearwing moths (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Osminiini)

A stunning scarlet-coloured clearwing moth was found mud-puddling on a rainforest river bank in Malaysia and is described herein as a new genus and species, Scarlata nirvana gen. et sp. Nov.. This sesiid seems to be a rare case of a mimic of an assassin bug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in a family otherwise known for hymenopteran mimicry. A high-quality video of the moth’s behaviour in its habitat is provided. Studies of the collections of the Natural History Museum in London revealed another member of the new genus, S. guichardii sp. nov. A third species, S. ignisquamulata Kallies, 2018 comb. nov. is transferred to Scarlata gen. nov. from the genus Aschistophleps Hampson, 1892. The second new lineage from Malaysia described here, Malayomelittia gen. nov., includes two species, Malayomelittia pahangensis Skowron, 2015 comb. nov. and M. ruficrista Rothschild, 1912 comb. nov. Additionally, Heterosphecia bantanakai Arita & Gorbunov, 2000 is placed as a junior synonym of H. hyaloptera Hampson, 1919 syn. nov. Morphological descriptions, remarks on behaviour, conditions of occurrence and a discussion about potential mimicry models are included. All new taxa are figured, including images of male genitalia. https://urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:32AF6419-F859-4931-BCA7-848B636CC2EE New genus Scarlata: https://urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B8DC2871-DF12-49A9-A7A7-D67E60776E91 New genus Malayomelittia: https://urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:07B2830B-7E00-4B9D-9D5A-82A7538427F9

Typification of Sphaeria sinensis to precisely fix the application of the name of the economically important Chinese caterpillar fungus, Ophiocordyceps sinensis

AbstractThere is a long‐standing need to fix the application of the name Sphaeria sinensis, basionym of the economically important Chinese caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis, at the molecular level. The fungus was described by Berkeley in 1843, and is now harvested in the Tibetan Plateau (including the Himalayas). This need arises because of the existence of putative later synonyms in need of confirmation, existence of multiple haplotypes, occurrence of diverged ITS paralogs, and need to be confident of the identity of commercially grown cultures of the asexual morph. Here we report the rediscovery of original material in a spirit collection originally held in the Natural History Museum London but now at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. There are also three undated collections under this name in the Kew Fungarium from Berkeley's herbarium, and another with the name of Reeves, who sent the material to the U.K., but which originated from Hooker's herbarium. There is no proof that any of these four dried collections were used by Berkeley when describing the species. The collection in the spirit jar and the published illustration are the only original materials, and that in the spirit jar is designated as lectotype here; the collection from Hooker's herbarium may be an isolectotype but it was not studied by Berkeley. As no DNA would have been recoverable from the spirit collection, we endeavoured to extract DNA from two of the dried collections. Routine DNA amplification did not yield any ITS fragments, so a metagenomic approach was used and the collection from Hooker's herbarium yielded an entire 3189 bp ITS sequence most similar to those of the haplotype that predominates in the major distributional area of the fungus. A rich modern collection from the core region of the fungus in China, with ample stromata of the fungus on the host, and the ITS sequence matching that obtained from the dried specimen from Hooker's herbarium, is designated as epitype to unequivocally fix the application of the name. Ex‐type living cultures from the epitype were obtained and are also being maintained.

Description of a New Oligodon (Squamata: Colubridae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia, Including Redescriptions of O. waandersi and O. propinquus

We review the taxonomic status of Oligodon waandersi sensu lato after examining all the name-bearing types (including synonyms) and morphological evidence. Oligodon waandersi sensu stricto is widely distributed (up to 1200 m above sea level) throughout the southern, some parts of the central, and the northern slopes of Central Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, whereas a similar species, O. propinquus, is only known from its holotype and considered to have originated from Java. Here, we demonstrate that O. propinquus is a close match with the northern population (North and Gorontalo) of O. waandersi and morphologically distinct; hence, we consider the type locality of O. propinquus as North Sulawesi, not Java. Oligodon taeniurus, long considered a junior synonym of O. waandersi, is a distinct species, but here we synonymize it with the morphologically closely matched O. propinquus, which has priority over O. taeniurus. Oligodon waandersi in Southeast Sulawesi (including some populations of Buton Islet) is morphologically distinct from O. waandersi sensu stricto in South Sulawesi; hence, it requires a new name. The new species is distinguished from congeners by having the following combination of characters: maximum snout–vent length of 340 mm, a single postocular, a single cloacal plate, a completely divided nasal, ventrals 150–169, subcaudals 18–26, temporals 1+2, six supralabials with third and fourth in contact with eye, dorsal scale rows 15-15-15, hemipenes not forked and covered with spines, maxillary teeth 6–7, shorter tail (6.8–11.2% of total length), brownish dorsum with few dark-edged spots on the vertebral line anteriorly, reddish brown vertebral line on the posterior body and tail, mostly a blackish brown blotch below the eye, and whitish collar band interrupted middorsally. We provide a complete redescription for O. waandersi and O. propinquus based on respective holotypes deposited at the Natural History Museum London and the Zoologisches Museum Hamburg.