Thomas A Neubauer

Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie

The scarcity of high-resolution empirical data directly tracking diversity over time limits our understanding of speciation and extinction dynamics and the drivers of rate changes. Here, we analyze a continuous species-level fossil record of endemic diatoms from ancient Lake Ohrid, along with environmental and climate indicator time series since la...

We present a critical review of the fossil record of Cenozoic terrestrial gastropods of Europe utilizing a literature- based dataset comprising 1597 species from 584 sites. Net diversity (expressed as species, genus and family richness) and β-diversity (as species, genus and family turnover) reveal several major disruptive phases. Turnovers occurre...

The Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction event 66 million years ago eradicated three quarters of marine and terrestrial species globally. However, previous studies based on vertebrates suggest that freshwater biota were much less affected. Here we assemble a time series of European freshwater gastropod species occurrences and inferred extinction ra...

Aim Freshwater ecosystems and their biota are severely endangered by global change today, and predicted extinction levels are skyrocketing for many taxa. Most studies have focused on entire clades, while approaches testing for selective extinction risk with respect to ecological traits are rare. As studies are typically based on modern faunas, the...

Unravelling the drivers of species diversification through geological time is of crucial importance for our understanding of long-term evolutionary processes. Numerous studies have proposed different sets of biotic and abiotic controls of speciation and extinction rates, but typically they were inferred for a single, long geological time frame. How...

What controls species diversity and diversification is one of the major questions in evolutionary biology and paleontology. Previous studies have addressed this issue based on various plant and animal groups, geographic regions, and time intervals. However, as most previous research focused on terrestrial or marine ecosystems, our understanding of...

Land snails in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (ca. 99-98 Ma) have attracted great interest from paleontologists in recent years. Here we describe a new species of the genus Archaeocyclotus belonging to the family Cyclophoridae, from a well-preserved fossil, using classic light microscopy and modern micro-CT scans with computer 3D reconstructions. The...

A new monotypic genus of freshwater snail from late Holocene spring deposits in Viesca, Coahuila (Mexico), is described based on shell morphology. Spinopyrgus luismaedai n. gen. et n. sp. has two to three carinate shells with long and wide shovel-shaped spines, strong axial ridges and a pointed protoconch. All sculptural ornamentations on the teleo...

We introduce a new method of estimating accepted species diversity by adapting mark-recapture methods to comparisons of taxonomic databases. A taxonomic database should become more complete over time, so the error bar on an estimate of its completeness and the known diversity of the taxon it treats will decrease. Independent databases can be correl...

The Ruzizi River, the outlet of Lake Kivu in the Albertine Rift, flows into Lake Tanganyika and is important for hydropower generation and irrigation. The impacts of 2 dams in the Ruzizi River on macroinvertebrate community composition and diversity were surveyed every 3 months from December 2015 to October 2017. Macroinvertebrate samples were coll...

Schistosomiasis affects over 700 million people globally. 90% of the infected live in sub-Saharan Africa, where the trematode species Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium transmitted by intermediate hosts (IH) of the gastropod genera Biomphalaria and Bulinus are the major cause of the human disease burden. Understanding the factors influencing th...

The Mesozoic rise of the European freshwater gastropod fauna is still poorly understood. Compared to the well documented Cenozoic history, little is known about the patterns and processes underlying the early diversification preceding their extinction crisis at the K-Pg boundary. We assess what is probably a first pulse of diversification of the Ce...

We examined the spread and distribution in the Danube River of a new alien gastropod species, Clathrocaspia knipowitschii (Makarov, 1938) (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae: Caspiinae). First findings of this species for Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia are presented. Clathrocaspia knipowitschii was initially found in 2013 in the Iron Gate str...

Sibert and Rubin (Reports, 4 June 2021, p. 1105) claim to have identified a previously unidentified, major extinction event of open-ocean sharks in the early Miocene. We argue that their interpretations are based on an experimental design that does not account for a considerable rise in the sedimentation rate coinciding with the proposed event, nor...

Biodiversity and conservation assessments rise and fall with taxonomic accuracy. An example of a still largely unresolved taxonomy is found in the Gastropoda of the Caspian Sea. The present paper clarifies the taxonomy of the genus Abeskunus and its three species of anomalohaline gastropods endemic to the Caspian Sea. Based on material from Pleisto...

When seldom life history events serendipitously get documented by exceptional preservation in the fossil record, a unique telescopic opportunity arises for interpreting fossils within their paleoenvironment as well as for understanding ancestral relationships of current life forms. We present a rare glimpse of live birth by a terrestrial mother sna...

A non-marine gastropod fauna from the continuous uppermost Campanian to Maastrichtian deposits of the Jiaolai Basin (eastern North China) was studied. Four species attributed to four genera and an undetermined species were described, including Truncatella jiaozhouensis sp. nov., ?Pomatiopsidae gen. et sp. indet., ?Hydrobia datangensis Yü, 1977, Val...

Burmese amber continues to provide unique insights into the terrestrial biota inhabiting tropical equatorial forests during mid-Cretaceous time. In contrast to the large amount and great diversity of terrestrial species retrieved so far, aquatic biota constitute rare inclusions. Here we describe the first freshwater snail ever preserved in amber. T...

The Caspiinae comprise small gastropod species inhabiting low-salinity environments of the Pontocaspian region, specifically the Caspian Sea and the limans, estuaries and lower river reaches of the northern Black Sea Basin. There is considerable discrepancy in the literature as to which taxa are attributed to this hydrobiid subfamily, which of them...

A newly-discovered fossil gastropod belonging to the family Hydrocenidae is studied using classic light microscopy and modern micro-CT scans with 3D computer reconstructions. ?Hydrocena praecursor sp. nov. is the oldest known member of the Hydrocenidae and the only Mesozoic representative of the family in Asia. The present finding supports previous...

Closely related species are often assumed to be functionally similar. Phylogenetic information is thus widely used to infer functional diversity and assembly of communities. In contrast, evolutionary processes generating functional similarity of phylogenetically distinct taxa are rarely addressed in this context. To investigate the impact of conver...

The Dardanelles region has formed a key gateway connecting the Eastern Paratethys and the Aegean/Mediterranean since the late Miocene. Its sedimentary sequences contain crucial information about connectivity and tectonics but so far lack unambiguous age constraints. Only a few Miocene marine episodes have been documented and fossil assemblages are...

In recent years, 3D analyses, new indices to describe the complexity of morphological structures and sophisticated machine learning approaches have advanced morphometrical analyses to assist species determination. However, the applicability of these modern approaches to the determination of cryptic species or fossil taxa has rarely been investigate...

The present contribution details a moderately diverse fauna of freshwater and terrestrial gastropods from Roc de Santa in the Spanish Pyrenees. The strata at this locality, famous for its mammal fauna, have been dated to the early Priabonian (European mammal stage MP17) based on mammals. The molluscan fauna consists of 5 aquatic species, belonging...

During the early and middle Miocene, the Dinarides Lake System (DLS) was a major hotspot of freshwater mollusk diversity in southeastern Europe. The numerous intramontane lake basins, originating by combined effects of tectonic subsidence and humid climate, accumulated thick lacustrine successions. Diagenetic overprint and leaching of these carbona...

The first in‐depth revision of a lacustrine freshwater mollusc fauna of the Serbian Lake System (SLS) is carried out. We describe and discuss well‐preserved faunas from two localities in central and southern Serbia (Mađere and Medoševac), along with the reinvestigation of type material of several species described in the late nineteenth and early t...

Ferussina Grateloup, 1827 is a European Paleogene land snail genus, which is currently classified in its own family, the Ferussinidae Wenz, 1923 (1915), in the superfamily Cyclophoroidea. The shell of this genus is remarkable by its last quarter whorl turning towards the apex instead of away from it, which is an unusual trait in terrestrial snails....

Asia contains a high species diversity of the freshwater gastropod genus Theodoxus. Recent molecular and morphological reviews of this diversity have uncovered a number of yet undescribed species while suggesting the urgent revision of several others. Moreover, some of these studies have indicated a number of species previously not recorded for thi...

Ancient lakes are renowned as freshwater hotspots of biodiversity and endemism. However, some of these water bodies are poorly studied with the minute pill clams in the genus Pisidium (family Sphaeriidae) being particularly overlooked. The Malili lake system is located on Sulawesi, which is the largest and possibly biologically most diverse Indones...

Terrestrial fossil records from the SW Anatolian basins are crucial both for regional correlations and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. By reassessing biostratigraphic constraints and incorporating new fossil data, we calibrated and reconstructed the late Neogene and Quaternary palaeoenvironments within a regional palaeogeographical framework....

The mollusk fauna of the opalite of the Tschaterberg region close to Kohfidisch in Burgenland (Austria) is re-evaluated. The assemblage is low diverse, comprising only lymnaeids, planorbids and four parautochthonous helicid gastropod species. The ecological requirements of the genera indicate a pure freshwater setting in a short-lived, shallow lake...

The Caspian Sea has been a highly dynamic environment throughout the Quaternary and witnessed major oscillations in lake level, which were associated with changes in salinity and habitat availability. Such environmental pressures are considered to drive strong phylogeographic structures in species by forcing populations into suitable refugia. Howev...

Excellently preserved fossils often provide important insights into evolutionary histories and adaptations to environmental change in Earth's biogeologic record. Mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, for example, is a proven reservoir for spectacular findings. Here we document the first record of a fossil land snail with periostracal hairs preserved in amb...

Computed tomographic (CT) imaging allows new accessibility to shells of gastropod fossil taxa and their extant relatives, providing new data for interpreting former systematic assignments. The highly questionable ellobiid assignment of the nonmarine gastropod genus Protocarychium Pan, 1982 from the Lower Jurassic of Hunan, China, is reevaluated usi...

The Caspian Sea is an evolutionary island whose rich and endemic fauna have evolved in partial isolation over the past two million years. Baseline studies of pre-20th Century communities are needed in order to assess the severity of the current Caspian biodiversity crisis, which mostly involves invasive species. An inventory of late Holocene shelly...

Terrestrial fossil records from the SW Anatolian basins are crucial both for regional correlations and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. By reassessing biostratigraphic constraints and incorporating new fossil data, we calibrated and reconstructed the late Neogene and Quaternary palaeoenvironments within a regional palaeogeographic framework. Cu...

Yu et al. (in press) recently described two new species of gastropods from the Cretaceous Burmese amber and attributed them to the marine family Epitoniidae. A close inspection of the images provided by Yu et al. indicates however that the species in question do not belong to that family or any marine gastropod group. In contrast, the two species a...

Palaeoecological records are required to test ecological hypotheses necessary for conservation strategies as short-term observations can insufficiently capture natural variability and identify drivers of biotic change. Here, we demonstrate the importance of an integrated conservation palaeobiology approach when making validated decisions for conser...

The native Caspian Sea fauna underwent severe changes since the early 20 th century, mostly due to anthropo-genic activities. However, the nature, magnitude and rate of biodiversity change can only be assessed by comparison with natural baseline settings. A mostly in-situ mollusk fauna retrieved from Late Pleistocene (Hyrcanian, 107 ± 7 ka) deposit...

Aim: Elevated biodiversity is the result of the cradle, museum or sink functions. The contributions of these three functions to species accumulation and their changes through time remain unknown for glacial refugia. Additionally, our understanding of the role these functions played during pre‐glacial periods is limited. We test for changes in contr...

Neogene non-marine sedimentary rocks of the Bekaa Valley (Lebanon) are microfossil rich and show minimal lateral facies changes and post-depositional diagenetic alteration across continuous exposures. In this paper, weanalyze the sedimentary facies and microfossils of three closely-spaced stratigraphic sections near the town of Zahle. The sedimenta...

Defining and recording the loss of species diversity is a daunting task, especially if identities of species under threat are not fully resolved. An example is the Pontocaspian biota. The mostly endemic invertebrate faunas that evolved in the Black Sea – Caspian Sea – Aral Sea region and live under variable salinity conditions are undergoing strong...

Palaeoecological records are required to test ecological hypotheses necessary for conservation strategies as short-term observations can be insufficiently to capture natural variability and identify drivers of biotic change. Here, we demonstrate the importance of an integrated conservation palaeobiology approach to make validated decisions for cons...

How environmental change affects a species' phenotype is crucial not only for taxonomy and biodiversity assessments but also for its application as a palaeo-ecological and ecological indicator. Previous investigations addressing the impact of the climate and hydrochemical regime on ostracod valve morphology have yielded contrasting results. Frequen...

Understanding processes and settings controlling species diversity and diversification is an ongoing subject of intense research. Especially in the light of the current biodiversity crisis worldwide and in the Pontocaspian region in particular, a more profound knowledge of the parameters that influence speciation and extinction is crucial. Which ar...

The unique history of connection and disconnection of Pontocaspian basins caused the fauna to adapt to specific salinity regimes. Currently the endemic Caspian fauna is under severe pressure from anthropogenic impact and many species seem to have diappeared. To be able to quantify the current decline, we need a natural baseline of the molluscs dive...

Research Infrastructures (RIs) are facilities, resources and services used by the scientific community to conduct research and foster innovation. LifeWatch ERIC has developed various virtual research environments, which include many virtual laboratories (vLabs) offering high computational capacity and comprehensive collaborative platforms that supp...

We describe a new species of the Ariantinae genus Paradrobacia from the Middle Miocene (Langhian) of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The genus was represented so far only by three species from the Middle Miocene of Austria, the Late Miocene of Greece, and the Pliocene of Germany. Based on the conchological features of all available species, the genus Parad...

The species composition, diversity and abundance of the native Caspian fauna are presently under severe pressure from invasive species and anthropogenic impact. However, the magnitude and rate of diversity decline and abundance loss can only be estimated based on comparison with communities that lived before the onset of the crisis. An in-situ moll...

The processes and settings controlling species diversity and diversification are subject of intense research. Especially in the light of the current biodiversity crisis, a more profound knowledge of the parameters influencing speciation and extinction is crucial. A main limitation to deducing drivers has been the fixed temporal scope applied in pre...

Anatolia is noted for a high concentration of ancient lakes with elevated aquatic species diversity, yet little is known of how and when this diversity arose. Here, lakes and their drainages in Anatolia have been considered a major refugium for temperate aquatic taxa during the Quaternary glacial period. Aided by fluctuating Black Sea salinities du...

What determines species diversity and can ecosystems reach equilibrial species richness? Previous contributions to these puzzling questions came mainly from simulation studies or global analyses with heterogeneous geological, environmental and paleontological records. These deficiencies call for evolutionary studies in model systems with continuous...

The present paper details a very diverse non-marine gastropod fauna retrieved from Caspian Pleistocene deposits along the Volga River north of Astrakhan (Russia). During time of deposition (early Late Pleistocene, late Khazarian regional substage), the area was situated in shallow water of the greatly expanded Caspian Sea. The fauna contains 24 spe...