Dominic Wanke

• Dr. rer. nat.
• Scientific Manager at State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart

Bees and butterflies are often seen in a positive light, while insects like wasps and flies are generally less appreciated—despite their critical ecological roles. To address the ongoing decline in biodiversity, it is important to reconsider these biases as a way to support broader conservation efforts. Given the increasing use of AI‐driven chatbot...

Aim The contact zone of three zoogeographic realms, the Palearctic, Saharo‐Arabian and Oriental, is an evolutionary cradle of high species richness and endemism in Iran. In this study, we investigate statistically inferred bioregions of Lepidoptera in this region. Additionally, we assess species turnover and potential conservation gaps across the d...

A new genus, Aspinochilus gen. n., belonging to the subfamily Ornithoctoninae (Araneae: Theraphosidae) is described, with type species Aspinochilus rufus sp. n. from East Java. An additional new species, Phormingochilus hatihati sp. n., is described from West Sulawesi. The external morphological characters and genitalia structures of the new taxa a...

During a revision of the genus Triphosa Stephens, 1829 in the Middle East and Central Asia, we discovered female specimens from Afghanistan in museum collections. However, these remain unidentified due to the lack of diagnostic characters in females. This is a call to lepidopterists to explore their collections for additional Triphosa specimens, pa...

Two species, Idaea admiranda Hausmann, 2004 and Idaea subsericeata (Haworth, 1809) are reported as new faunal elements for Iran. Wing pattern and genitalia structures of both species are depicted and their diagnostic characters are highlighted.

The investigation, preparation, and photography of small natural history samples in liquids require reliable methods to ensure the object remains still, thus maximizing results and minimizing potential damage. Here, we present a method for fixing specimens or specimen parts, designed to enhance stability and immobility during their study and docume...

The tortricid moth Pelochrista pfisteri (Obraztsov, 1952) has been rediscovered in Germany for the first time since its description over 70 years ago. New records are provided, together with a diagnosis based on wing pattern and male genitalia structures, notes on its habitat and possible biology, and the first COI barcode for this species.

In this study, a new genus of African Paranthrenini, Fortikona Bartsch & Sáfián, gen. n. and three new species, Fortikona rhynchiformis Sáfián & Bartsch, sp. n. from Liberia, Fortikona aethiopica Bartsch & Sáfián, sp. n. from Guinea and Fortikona dalaba Sáfián & Bartsch, sp. n. from Ethiopia, are described and depicted. The type species Fortikona x...

A new species of clearwing moth, Cicinnoscelis grandiosus Bartsch & Sáfián, sp. n. from Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa, is described and depicted. Two female specimens were collected while they were laying eggs on the freshly damaged stump of an unidentified tree. A third female was found in the collection of the Berlin Natural History Mus...

The Iranian taxa of the tribe Scopulini are taxonomically revised. The systematic positions of the genera Cinglis Guenée, 1858, Glossotrophia Prout, 1913, Pseudocinglis Hausmann, 1994 and Scopuloides Hausmann, 1994, with uncertain validity and/or position within the tribe Scopulini Duponchel, 1845 (Lepidoptera: Sterrhinae), are further elucidated b...

A network based-method reveals twelve bioregions in Iran: A study based on geometrid moths Iran is a country with a high environmental heterogeneity, which is reflected in the complex biodiversity of different plant and animal groups. Recently published data confirm the presence of 4812 Lepidoptera species in this country, of them 539 species belon...

In the past, the high intraspecific variation of wing pattern within the genus Phaselia Guenée, [1858] repeatedly led to misidentifications. In this study, we applied an integrative approach using external and internal morphological characters, along with DNA barcoding and distribution data to review the taxonomy of the genus Phaselia in the Middle...

In this study, three new species of whitefly in the neotropical genus Ceraleurodicus Hempel are described and illustrated based on specimens discovered in the aleyrodid collection of the Natural History Museum, London (NHMUK): Ceraleurodicus boteh Canty sp. nov., Ceraleurodicus brianeno Canty sp. nov., and Ceraleurodicus wire Canty sp. nov. Also in...

The geometrid moth genus Eumera Staudinger, 1892 consists of five yellow-orange-pinkish species distributed in the western Palearctic, with uncertain tribal classification within the geometrid subfamily Ennominae. In this study, we explored the phylogenetic position of the genus Eumera. Therefore, a concatenated dataset was analyzed, which includes...

An extensive examination of the external and internal morphological characters of the genus Nychiodes shows that "Nychiodes" tyttha Prout, 1915 is incorrectly placed in this genus. The systematic position of this species was investigated by using a multigene analysis, including one mitochondrial and up to nine protein-coding nuclear gene regions, a...

We present a new, online, open access portal to the geometrid moths of the world (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). The portal provides access to the global database including data on classification, valid genera and species, synonyms and type localities, and to an online list of valid names. The value of this online facility, inter alia, is demonstrated...

During light trapping in SW Germany, a pair of the geometrid moth Eupithecia abbreviata Stephens, 1831, in copula, the male no longer possessing its head, was collected to study the interaction of the genitalia in this species. The pair were in a tail-to-tail position but were not in the same horizontal plane, with the male slightly rotated to one...

The taxonomic rank of Synopsia centralis (Wiltshire, 1966), recently raised from subspecies to species, is validated through investigation of the paratype. The genitalia of the paratype are illustrated for the first time. Additional faunistic data are given for Synopsia sociaria (Hübner, 1899) and Synopsia phasidaria phasidaria (Rogenhofer, 1873),...

Due to its geographical location, Iran is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world. A region in which different faunal elements from the Mediterranean, Caucasus, Central Asia and Arabian Peninsula come into contact, creating the conditions for high diversification. Unfortunately, this unique diversity is under threat due to dire...

In 1858, French entomologist Achille Guenée described the genus Phaselia, a geometrid moth belonging to the tribe Boarmiini in the subfamily Ennominae. Up to now, nine described species were included in this genus, mainly from the Middle East. The high intraspecific variability between the described species of Phaselia has led to difficulties in th...

A new genus of Afrotropical Osminiini, Spatenkana Bartsch, gen. n., is described based on the type species Albuna dybowskii Le Cerf, 1917, which was previously combined with the genus Synanthedon Hübner, [1819]. Moreover, a second species, Albuna africana Le Cerf, 1917, is assigned to the new genus (comb. n.). Both species were only known from the...

A new genus, Sabzia Wanke & Rajaei, gen. n., is described based on the Iranian species Phorodesma grami- naria Kollar, 1850, which in recent taxonomy was combined with the genus Xenochlorodes Warren, 1897. Moreover, Xenochlorodes albicostaria Brandt, 1938, syn. n. is synonymized with Sabzia graminaria (Kollar, 1850), comb. n. The new genus is estab...

Within Iran, the Zagros Mountains show high biodiversity, with a wealth of endemic species. One of these is the geometrid moth Somatina wiltshirei Prout, 1938, originally described from Iran and Iraq. In the present study, one mitochondrial and up to nine protein-coding nuclear gene regions were used along with a comparative morphological examinati...

Nychiodes subvirida Brandt, 1938 is an endemic species in southern Iran, with unknown host­plants and larval stages. Gravid female specimens of this species were collected from Fars province, Iran, and their offspring were reared in captivity. Experiments with several potential host­plants are report­ ed and discussed. Larvae were success­ fully re...

Ein bemerkenswerter Mosaikgynander von Aglia tau (Linnaeus, 1758) wird beschrieben und abgebildet. Dieses Exemplar weist eine fast vollständige Trennung männlicher und weiblicher Genitalstrukturen auf. Flügelmuster, Fühleranomalien und Genitalstrukturen sind dargestellt und mit denen beider Geschlechter verglichen.

The geometrid genera Synopsia Hübner, 1825 and Synopsidia Djakonov, 1935 are revised, both being earlier validated at genus rank. Type specimens, original descriptions and additional specimens from different localities were examined. The revision is based on morphological characters, molecular data and distribution records. As a result, Synopsidia...

The non-European taxa of the genus Nychiodes Lederer, 1853 are revised. Type specimens of all described species and a large series of about 800 additional specimens were morphologically examined. More than 400 genitalia preparations were made and analyzed along with distributional and DNA barcode data. As a result of our integrative taxonomic appro...

A quick and easy handling method for ethanol-preserved arthropods is presented, based on tea filter bags and holders. The method is especially suitable for short term storage of specimens resulting from Malaise traps, yellow pan traps and pitfall traps and can be used directly in the field, for subsequent transport and processing of specimens in th...

A main approach during the description of new species is the investigation of type material and the verification of their status to clear all nomenclatural doubts. Designated holotypes therefore are essential to proof the validity of species, their status and comparison with potentially new species. However, in former times, holotype designation wa...

Moths of the genus Triphosa Stephens, 1829 are well- known from the western Palearctic and eastern Asia regions, even though their occurrence in middle Asia remains mysterious. This is due to the fact, that most Triphosa species share similar wing patters, whereby efforts for identifications can be misleading and challenging. The aim of this projec...

Mounting and preparing arthropods in liquids for photography and further investigations is a challenging task and may lead to unsatisfactory results and, in the worst case, to damage to specimens. A new method is presented here, which allows the fixation of specimens of different sizes under various degrees of pressure. The method is illustrated by...

Triphosa taochata was described based on a small syntype series and regarded as bona species for nearly the last 150 years by most authors. However, this species was dubious for many lepidopterists, who worked on the fauna of the western Palearctic region. During the recent taxonomic revision of the genus Triphosa Stephens, 1829 in the Middle East...

Western Palaearctic species of the genus Triphosa Stephens, 1829 are revised with focus on the Middle East and Central Asia. The analysis is based on the morphological examination (wing pattern and genitalia) of the type series of most species , as well as of large series of additional material. Additionally, DNA barcode data were used as an extra...

Characters of male and female genitalia in insects in general, especially in Lepidoptera, are essential for species identification as they display extensive morphological variation. In embedded genitalia, due to the positioning of the genitalia and the pressure of the cover glass, the appearance of some diagnostic characters might be confusing. Thi...

An important step during the description of new species is the investigation of type material designated holotypes are essential to validate identity of species, their systematic status and comparison with potentially new species. However, in former times, the halotype designation was not a common taxonomic act and instead a series of specimens (of...