Erich Eder

Sigmund Freud University Vienna | SFU · Medical School

Limnadia lenticularis, a well-known representative of the Conchostraca Spinicaudata in Europe, was generally accepted as a parthenogenetic species. During an intensive faunistic study of Austrian conchostracans, four of a total of 364 collected L. lenticularis specimens were males. This paper provides the collection localities, compares the sex rat...

Recent reports of occasional males in Austrian populations of Triops cancriformis have promoted interest in an analysis of the ultrastructure of the male gonad. It appears as a double thick and well-defined tubular structure running along the midgut, inside the hemocoel. It is composed of two portions: the wall and the lumen. The former is made up...

The cyst deposition behaviour of Streptocephalus torvicornis is described as the first documented case of active cyst deposition in Anostraca. The functional morphology of the brood pouch of S. torvicornis is described and illustrated using both Light Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The brood pouch is an elongated tube-like structure w...

This chapter discusses evolution education and the acceptance of evolution in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol, and Luxembourg. Ernst Haeckel first introduced Darwin’s concepts to a broad public in Germany. His interpretation of evolution was more teleological, hierarchical, and definitely more anti-religious than intended by Darwin. Late...

Paranormal belief correlates positively with belief in alternative medicine. Bio-medical knowledge correlated negatively with belief in alternative medicine in high school students, but not in medical students. Medical students showed lower belief in alternative medicine and the paranormal than high school students.

The Balkan Peninsula is a biodiversity hotspot and hosts numerous mountain lakes, which offer a refuge for a multitude of species. However, previous pristine habitats have been deeply affected by anthropogenic change, such as non-native fish introductions, which calls for multi-species considerations in the last remaining unaltered habitats. We car...

Large branchiopods are one of the most iconic species groups in temporary pools. Due to their specific biology and massive habitat degradation, they are one of the most threatened freshwater species groups. In this study, we used a unique dataset on the distribution of large branchiopods on a national scale (Austria), data on the distribution of te...

Rediscovery of Limnadia lenticularis in the Burgenland province: occurrence of large branchiopods in the Lower Leitha valley. A new population of large branchiopods was encountered in the municipal areas of Nickelsdorf and Zurndorf (Burgenland, Austria) in 2014. Five species were documented: the fairy shrimp Branchipus schaefferi, the tadpole shrim...

Interview by Karin Martin

Temporary water bodies and their conservational significance. Temporary ponds are important, but often neglected habitats for many endangered species. Size and hydroperiod determine the occurrence of aquatic species, e.g. mosquito larvae, large branchiopods and amphibians. Sixteen species of the so-called primeval shrimps (large branchiopods) were...

The present study is the first to investigate the relationships between a multiple set of paranormal beliefs and the acceptance of evolution, creationism, and intelligent design, respectively, in Europe. Using a questionnaire, 2,129 students at secondary schools in Vienna (Austria) answered the 26 statements of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (...

In a blind and randomised study, early postlarval stages of the tadpole shrimp Triops cancriformis, the fairy shrimp Branchipus schaefferi, and the clam shrimp Leptestheria dahalacensis were exposed to different concentrations of a commonly available Bti suspension, equivalent to 0, 4.5 (recommended treatment concentration), 45, 450, and 4500 AA/l....

Six different pH ranges were tested for the hatching rate of Triops cancriformis cysts. Cumulative hatching numbers approach to approximately 50% of cysts. The highest hatching rates, co-occurring with the shortest hatching times, were recorded in the neutral range. No hatching took place at pH values 9 and above. This corresponds with the most fre...

For the first time since 1918, the tadpole shrimp Triops cancriformis was rediscovered in Carinthia, on a military training camp in Klagenfurt in May 2006. The co-occurring fairy shrimp species Branchipus schaefferi is new for Carinthia.

Branchiopods reproductive mechanisms range from gonochorism to unisexuality, passing through an- drodioecy. In order to contribute to still lacking or controversial basic knowledges, we analyzed the karyotype of the main Italian taxa: the Notostracan living fossils Triops cancriformis (parthenogenetic) and Lepidurus apus lubbocki (bisexual), and th...

Branchiopods reproductive mechanisms range from gonochorism to unisexuality, passing through androdioecy. In order to contribute to still lacking or controversial basic knowledges, we analyzed the karyotype of the main Italian taxa: the Notostracan living fossils Triops cancriformis (parthenogenetic) and Lepidurus apus lubbocki (bisexual), and the...

The cyst deposition behaviour of Streptocephalus torvicornis is described as the first documented case of active cyst deposition in Anostraca. The functional morphology of the brood pouch of S. torvicornis is described and illustrated using both Light Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The brood pouch is an elongated tube-like structure w...

With 16 species belonging to 14 genera, branchiopod diversity in Austria is very high which is mainly due to the biogeographical situation of the country: the floodplains of the Morava river, as well as the Neusiedler See – Seewinkel region show a strong Pannonian influence. Species with holarctic and European distribution also occur in Austria, as...

This paper presents a SEM documentation of the larval development of the two most abundant Austrian conchostracan species, Imnadia yeyetta (Limnadiidae) and Leptestheria dahalacensis (Leptestheriidae). As in several previously examined spinicaudatan species, five larval stages were documented: Nauplius 1, Nauplius 2, Metanauplius, Peltatulus, and H...

For the first time, Anostraca, Notostraca and Conchostraca (Laevicaudata, Spinicaudata) will be listed in the Austrian Red Data Book of Endangered Species. According to the 1999 IUCN draft criteria, eight out of 15 large branchiopod species recorded be-tween 1994 and 1999 are considered as critically en-dangered, three of which (Chirocephalus shadi...

In Österreich kommen zur Zeit sechs Flusskrebs-Arten vor, zwei davon sind mit Sicherheit allochthon: Signalkrebs (Pacifastacus leniusculus) und Kamberkrebs (Orconectes limosus). Der Sumpfkrebs (Astacus leptodactylus) wurde zumindest in den westlichen Bundesländern vom Menschen eingesetzt (die Vorkommen in Ostösterreich sind möglicherweise auf natür...

Red lists are among the most important and popular instruments of environmental control and nature conservation. However, owing to the vagueness of red list threat category definitions and the lack of a standardised assessment methodology, they have come under scrutiny. To improve risk assessment and threat categorisation, the IUCN initiated a symp...

Limnadia lenticularis, a well-known representative of the Conchostraca Spinicaudata in Europe, was generally accepted as a parthenogenetic species. During an intensive faunistic study of Austrian conchostracans, four of a total of 364 collected L. lenticularis specimens were males. This paper provides the collection localities, compares the sex rat...

This multi-authored volume is written by crayfish specialists working in Austria. Nearly A4 in size, the book is most handsomely produced. It is lavishly illustrated with colour photographs and drawings, and there are numerous more technical black and white line drawings. Intended to raise public awareness of problems posed by introduced crayfish (...

Legal Protection of Crayfish in Austria Due to the federal structure of the Republic of Austria, each federal state has its own laws for the use and protection of crayfish. There are different close seasons and minimum sizes for different species and sexes of autochthonous crayfish species. Introduction of alien crayfish species is not allowed in A...

Identification Key to Freshwater Crayfish in Austria A key to identify individuals of crayfish species occurring in Austria is presented. It includes information whether the species are native or introduced and short notes on morphological characteristics and pecularities, on the geographic distribution, habitat, and ecology of each species. The n...

ZOODAT - Austrian Database for Crustaceans The article describes the methods of recording and compiling biogeographic data for the biogeographic database of Austria "ZOODAT". For the first time in the history of ZOODAT, data on commercially utilized organisms - crayfish - have been collected. Totally 1171 data entries on 6 species haven been compu...

Anecdotical Contributions to the Cultural History of Crayfish Being commercially exploited, freshwater crayfish left cultural traces almost everywhere. Crayfish occur in sayings, names of villages and rivers, mythology, superstition, fables, tales and novels. One of the most popular "modern fables" is the story that crayfish were given to the dome...

In Austria, the distribution of Anostraca, Notostraca, and Conchostraca is mainly confined to the floodplains of the rivers Morava and Danube, and the shallow alkaline pans of the Seewinkel region in Burgenland province. Occasionally, large branchiopods can also be found in rain pools of the eastern and central Austrian lowlands, where topography a...

The Blumengang-depression: Chronology of a nature reserve for large branchiopods The Blumengang-site, a large astatic water body near the mouth of the Morava river shows the highest diversity of large branchiopod species in Austria. Adult individuals of all five Austrian spinicaudatan conchostracans and Triops cancriformiswere reported from this s...

The relevance of large branchiopods for economy, conservation, and science Economic value results from the production of Artemia salina larvae from cysts as a food source in fish breeding. Anostracans are used in toxicological tests, and are propagated as a novel biological technology for reclamation of livestock contaminated waters. Due to their...

According to recent literature, five of the six known Austrian conchostracan species are extinct. However, interim results of a current study on large freshwater branchiopods in Austria show that five species still occur at a restricted number of sites in the Pannonian region of Lower Austria. The clam shrimps Leptestheria dahalacensis and Eoleptes...

Large branchiopod fauna of the Seewinkel region (Burgenland, Austria) The shallow alkaline lakes in the Neusiedler See-Seewinkel region, Austria's first national park meeting the IUCNcriteria, present a unique habitat for large branchiopods. The anostracans Branchinecta orientalis and B.feroxare highly adapted to sodicwaters. Thefairyshrimp Chiroce...

Identification of Austrian large branchiopods An aid to identify adult individuals of Austrian large branchiopods (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Anostraca, Noto-straca, and Conchostraca) is presented. It includes short notes on the biology and the local distribution of each species. Out of 16 Austrian species reported, 14 were documented, mainly in the...

The large branchiopod fauna of the Austrian Morava river flood plains The Morava river system hosts the highest large branchiopod diversity in Austria. Ten out of the 16 species reported for Austria have been recently found along the Morava river. Eubranchipus grubii and Lepidurus apus, two cold-stenothermal species, occur in astatic waters along...

The large branchiopod fauna of the Austrian Danube river flood plains Hydrological differences between the Oanube and Morava floodplains are reflected by the large branchiopod fauna occuring in astatic water bodies. Cold-stenothermal species can be found along the Morava during spring inundations, whereas species preferring warm water are found alo...

Large branchiopods in the collection "Evertebrata varia" of the OÖ. Landesmuseum (Linz, Austria) Specimens of 13 out of 16 large branchiopod species documented in Austria have been deposited in the collection "Evertebrata varia" of the OÖ. Landesmuseum (= LI). Triops cancriformis and Leptestheria dahalacensis collected in 1940 and 1948 near the vi...

The relevance of large branchiopods for economy, conservation, and science Economic value results from the production of Artemia salina larvae from cysts as a food source in fish breeding. Anostracans are used in toxicological tests, and are propagated as a novel biological technology for reclamation of livestock contaminated waters. Due to their s...