Two new gecko species discovered in Vietnam, one named after herpetologist professor Dr. Thomas Ziegler

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Male Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri.

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Credit: Anh Van Pham

The half leaf-fingered geckos (Hemiphyllodactylus) are a diverse group with more than 70 recognized species and a distribution range from southern India and Sri Lanka, through Indochina and Southeast Asia, to the western Pacific region.

As a result of its cryptic lifestyle and small body size, its diversity had been neglected until a recent surge of integrative taxonomic research, which combines different lines of evidence, most importantly molecular and morphological data.

Over the last ten years, more than 60 members of the genus (~85% of its diversity) have been newly described. Vietnam is a hot spot for new species discoveries with at least 10 congeners uncovered in recent years, including H. banaensis, H. bonkowskii, H. cattien, H. dalatensis, H. lungcuensis, H. nahangensis, H. ngocsonensis, H. vanhoensis, H. yenchauensis, and H. zugi.

A newly published paper in ZooKeys reveals another new species within Hemiphyllodactylus, Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri, from Copia Nature Reserve, Son La Province, northwestern Vietnam. The new species is currently known only from this protected area, established in 2002. Although its range is estimated at less than 50 km², the area has been experiencing severe habitat degradation, primarily as a result of road construction and timber logging.

The new species honours Prof. Dr. Thomas Ziegler, a world-class herpetologist and conservation biologist of Cologne Zoo and the University of Cologne, who has made remarkable contributions to biodiversity research and conservation in Southeast Asia, especially to its the herpetofauna. Prof. Ziegler was involved in the descriptions of seven Hemiphyllodactylus species from Vietnam.

In addition to his more than three decades of engagement in taxonomic and ecological studies – spanning lizards, snakes, turtles, salamanders, frogs, and other vertebrates and invertebrates – Prof. Ziegler has made substantial contributions across herpetology broadly.

More recently, he has actively developed in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures to safeguard some of Vietnam’s most endangered species, including the Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus), the Vietnamese Knobby Newt (Tylototriton vietnamensis), the Cat Ba Leopard Gecko (Goniurosaurus catbaensis), and the Vietnamese Pond Turtle (Mauremys annamensis).

As for Hemiphyllodactylus, the current taxonomy is believed to substantially underestimate its diversity, especially in the karst ecosystem, as recent discoveries demonstrate that this particular habitat harbors a high number of cryptic species.

Coinciding with the publication of H. ziegleri, another karst-dwelling species - H. pakhaensis from Son La Province - was reported in ZooKeys. These discoveries bring the total species count to 12, suggesting that additional surveys in remote areas of the country and elsewhere in Southeast Asia will likely reveal many new congeners and highlight the importance of this unique, but highly imperiled ecosystem.

Original sources

Pham AV, Nguyen TQ, Pham CT, Ngo HT, Le MD (2026) Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov. (Squamata, Gekkonidae), a new karst-dwelling gecko species from Son La Province, Vietnam. ZooKeys 1268: 75-94. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.174678

Ha HB, Hoang TT, Nguyen MD, Ha NV, Luu VQ (2026) A new species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Son La Province, Vietnam. ZooKeys 1268: 163-188. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.177040

 

Male paratype of Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri.

 

Female paratype of Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri.

Credit

Anh Van Pham

Adult male Hemiphyllodactylus pakhaensis.

Credit

Ha HB et al., 2026

Journal

ZooKeys

DOI

10.3897/zookeys.1268.174678 

Article Title

Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov. (Squamata, Gekkonidae), a new karst-dwelling gecko species from Son La Province, Vietnam

 

Genetically modified marmosets as a model for human deafness

A new primate model provides significant opportunities for future gene therapies

Deutsches Primatenzentrum (DPZ)/German Primate Center

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Myrabello, a genetically modified marmoset. Photo: Katharina Diederich

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Credit: Katharina Diederich / German Primate Center

Why are some people unable to hear from birth, even though their inner ear appears intact? One possible cause lies in the so-called OTOF gene. It plays a central role in transmitting sound signals from the hair cells to the auditory nerve. Without this function, acoustic information does not reach the brain. Researchers from the German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, the University Medical Center Göttingen, and the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences have now, for the first time, generated marmosets in which this gene has been knocked out precisely. The animals are healthy and develop normally, but are deaf from birth. This provides the first primate model that realistically replicates key characteristics of human deafness (Nature Communications).

Hearing loss is one of the most common congenital sensory disorders in humans. A major cause is a defect in the OTOF gene. This gene ensures that the protein otoferlin is produced in the inner ear. This protein is necessary for sound signals to travel from the hair cells to the auditory nerve. Without it, the ear still functions externally, but the signals do not reach the brain.

Genetically modified marmosets

The Göttingen research team used the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tool to modify precisely the OTOF gene in fertilized marmoset eggs, rendering it non-functional in the resulting offspring. The genetically modified embryos were then implanted into a surrogate mother. The animals that were born developed normally, but they were deaf from birth. Hearing tests using electrophysiological methods, similar to an EEG, confirmed deafness, as is also observed in patients with an OTOF gene defect. The absence of otoferlin protein in the inner hair cells further confirmed the genetic knockout.

A crucial step toward new therapies

“With the OTOF-knockout marmosets, we now have, for the first time, a primate model that realistically replicates human OTOF-related hearing loss,” says Tobias Moser, Director of the Institute of Auditory Neuroscience at the University Medical Center Göttingen. “This gives us a crucial tool for developing new therapies in a more targeted and safer manner, while also considering their long-term effects.”

The new model bridges an important gap between mouse models, cell culture systems, and clinical application. It enables studies under conditions that more closely resemble human hearing development and physiology than previous models. This is particularly significant for the further development of novel inner ear therapies.

Complex research in interdisciplinary collaboration

“Creating genetically precisely modified primates is extraordinarily challenging from a reproductive and molecular biology perspectives. The fact that we succeeded in doing this for OTOF in marmosets demonstrates what is possible when reproductive biology, genome editing, and biomedical and veterinary research collaborate closely,” says Rüdiger Behr, head of the Stem Cell Biology and Regeneration Platform at the German Primate Center.

This project was made possible through close interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists at the German Primate Center, the University Medical Center Göttingen, and the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences.

Prospects for the medicine of the future

The new model provides an important foundation for further developing gene therapies and other innovative approaches to treating hearing disorders. The goal is to better understand their safety, efficacy, and long-term stability. Furthermore, the precise genetic modification of marmosets opens up new possibilities for developing additional disease models and advancing therapies for previously incurable diseases.

“This model represents a major step forward for translational research,” says Marcus Jeschke, professor at the German Primate Center and at the University Medical Center Göttingen. “It offers the opportunity to test and optimize OTOF gene therapies and optogenetic cochlear implants under conditions that are significantly closer to human hearing than previous models.”

The work was funded by the Leibniz Cooperative Excellence Program, the DFG Cluster of Excellence MBExC, the DFG Collaborative Research Center 1690, and the Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Optogenetic Therapies.

 

The German Primate Center (DPZ) - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research conducts biological and biomedical research on and with primates in the fields of infection research, neuroscience and primate biology. The DPZ also maintains five field stations in the tropics and is a reference and service center for all aspects of primate research. The DPZ is one of the 96 research and infrastructure facilities of the Leibniz Association

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-026-71047-1 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Generation of marmoset monkeys with a non-mosaic disruption of the OTOF gene as a model of human deafness

Article Publication Date

28-Mar-2026

 

FAU study finds parasites defy biodiversity rules, thriving far from the equator

Florida Atlantic University

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A new study overturns conventional thinking about where parasites flourish. While biodiversity is typically highest near the equator, researchers found that certain trematode parasites are actually more abundant in cooler, temperate waters.

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Credit: Alex Dolce, Florida Atlantic University

For decades, scientists have observed a clear pattern across the natural world: biodiversity tends to be higher near the equator and lower toward the poles. Known as the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG), this trend holds across ecosystems – from forests to oceans – and across life forms, from bacteria and plants to animals.

One major reason appears to be temperature: warmer tropical regions support more life by boosting productivity and speeding up evolution, allowing species to adapt and diversify more quickly. Other interactions, like herbivory, predation and mutualistic relationships, are also stronger in the tropics, creating vibrant, dynamic ecosystems.

A new Florida Atlantic University study overturns conventional thinking about where parasites flourish. While biodiversity is typically highest near the equator, researchers found that certain trematode parasites – worm-like organisms that cycle through snails, crabs and fish – are actually more abundant in cooler, temperate waters. Infections in intermediate hosts, such as crabs and small fish, increase with latitude, and adult trematodes in larger fish show the same surprising trend.

“This study reveals that parasite distributions can defy global biodiversity patterns,” said Christopher Moore, Ph.D., first author and a former post-doctoral researcher at FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. “We found that trematode infections don’t just peak in snails, as previously documented, they also increase in crabs and fish farther from the equator. It’s a striking example of how ecological patterns we think we understand can have fascinating exceptions.”

LDGs are among the most well-known patterns in ecology, showing that species diversity is typically highest in tropical regions and declines toward the poles. Many host–parasite relationships follow this trend, with tropical hosts usually carrying more parasites. Trematodes, however, break the rule. These parasites rely on complex life cycles, moving from a first-intermediate host, like a snail, through second-intermediate hosts such as crabs or small fish, before reaching their definitive hosts, including larger fish and birds.

The study, published in the Journal of Biogeography, analyzed 29 surveys of intertidal ecosystems, focusing on 23 studies reporting data on larval or adult-stage trematodes. Altogether, the data span approximately 2,500 kilometers of coastline, from subtropical to temperate zones, covering roughly 23 degrees of latitude. The findings consistently show higher parasite prevalence at higher latitudes, revealing an inverse LDG that extends beyond the first-intermediate host stage.

Temperature seems to play a major role. In tropical regions, warmer and more constant temperatures push hosts closer to their limits. Parasite infections in these hosts often lead to higher mortality, which makes it harder for parasites to persist. In cooler temperate waters, hosts can tolerate infections better, giving parasites a chance to survive, reproduce and complete their complex lifecycles.

The types of animals that parasites infect also matter. Crabs, for example, are abundant and tough; they can handle parasite infections and are a favorite snack for birds and larger fish, making them important “middle hosts” in the parasites’ life cycle. Small, bottom-dwelling fish, like gobies and blennies, also carry more parasites at higher latitudes. These fish tend to stay close to home, which makes it easier for parasites to complete their lifecycles.

In contrast, open-water fish that swim long distances, like many pelagic species, show little change in parasite numbers with latitude because their wide-ranging habits make it harder for parasites to stick with them.

“Parasites don’t just follow numbers – they follow their hosts,” said Michael W. McCoy, Ph.D., senior author, associate director, FAU School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability, and professor of quantitative ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and FAU Harbor Branch. “Where parasites thrive depends on a combination of factors: how far hosts move, how long they live, and the local environmental conditions they experience. Some hosts, like crabs and small bottom-dwelling fish, create ideal conditions for parasites, while wide-ranging species make it harder for them to persist. By studying these relationships, we can better understand how ecosystems function, how species interact, and even how diseases might respond to changes in climate.”

Moving forward, researchers plan to track trematode infections across a wider range of latitudes, especially in less-mobile hosts.

“Parasites are often overlooked in biodiversity studies, yet they are key players in ecosystems,” McCoy said. “By uncovering these unexpected patterns, we gain a window into the complex interplay between hosts, parasites and their environment – a dynamic that will become even more important as global temperatures rise and ecosystems shift.”

Study co-author is Krista A. McCoy, Ph.D., director of research and conservation at Florida Oceanographic Society.

This work was supported by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation’s Specialty License Plate fund.

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University serves more than 32,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses along Florida’s Southeast coast. Recognized as one of only 13 institutions nationwide to achieve three Carnegie Foundation designations - R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production,” “Opportunity College and University,” and Carnegie Community Engagement Classification - FAU stands at the intersection of academic excellence and social mobility. Ranked among the Top 100 Public Universities by U.S. News & World Report, FAU is also nationally recognized as a Top 25 Best-In-Class College and cited by Washington Monthly as “one of the country’s most effective engines of upward mobility.” To learn more, visit www.fau.edu.

 

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Journal

Journal of Biogeography

DOI

10.1111/jbi.70157 

Method of Research

Meta-analysis

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Latitudinal Variation in Trematode Prevalence Across Regions in North and South America: Evidence of an Inverse Gradient in Second-Intermediate and Final Hosts

 

Introducing environmental microbiota to urban homes shifts the indoor microbiome

University of Eastern Finland

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Introducing forest soil on an entryway doormat shifted the indoor microbiome of Finnish homes closer to bacterial profiles found outdoors, with less contribution from human-associated bacteria, a new study shows. In the future, such interventions rebalancing the home microbiome could be used for health promotion, especially in urban settings. The study was led by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the University of Eastern Finland.

“Applying forest soil onto a rug led to a clear rise in forest soil‑associated bacteria in the air. The effect was most pronounced at infant breathing height for the first two weeks after application, and the signal was also detectable in other areas of the home,” says lead author, Chief Researcher Martin Täubel.

Childhood home microbiome may influence long-term health

Because early childhood is spent largely indoors, the home microbiome is a major source of microbial exposures that activate children’s immunoregulatory pathways and may influence their long-term health. Reduced encounters with environmental microbes have been observed in urban homes and are linked to an increased risk of inflammatory diseases, including asthma and allergies. This has sparked interest in interventions to modify indoor microbial exposures toward health-promoting interactions.

In the present study, the researchers tested the feasibility of environmental microbiota transfer into urban Finnish homes by performing a simple forest soil-on-rug intervention. The study involved six homes, five of which took part in the intervention and one acted as the control. Forest soil was added to an indoor rug in the entryway three times at four‑week intervals. House dust was sampled before the soil was added and every two weeks at infant and adult breathing heights and from floors at different locations, and microbiota were analysed from the samples using DNA sequencing and qPCR. 

The intervention led to a significant increase in the relative abundance of forest soil bacteria across the different measurement points within homes. Further effects were seen at infant breathing height near the rug. There, both the Farm‑home Resembling Microbiota Index (FaRMI), previously associated with lower asthma risk, and bacterial diversity increased, and the proportion of human‑associated bacteria decreased.

“It was promising to see that microbial exposure signatures associated with a lower asthma risk may be increased in urban homes with such a simple, low‑cost intervention. The next step is to see whether this type of intervention translates into the health benefits we expect,” notes University Researcher Pirkka Kirjavainen, senior author of the paper.

The article was published in the journal Microbiome.
Video: Environmental microbiota transfer from forest soil into urban homes: a proof-of-principle study https://youtu.be/xA-EMQ1kdgg

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Journal

Microbiome

DOI

10.1186/s40168-026-02352-6 

Article Title

Environmental microbiota transfer from forest soil into urban homes: a proof-of-principle study.

German-Chilean initiative for environmentally friendly resource extraction

KIT researchers checking suitability of Atacama desert brine deposits for environmentally friendly extraction of critical raw materials

Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

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Chilean and German geologists are sampling volcanic reservoir systems during a multi-week research campaign in the Atacama Desert.

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Credit: Valentin Goldberg, KIT

The European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act requires member states to ensure that their supply of strategically important raw materials is more resilient. In the future, at least ten percent of Europe’s needs must be met domestically. Even if this target is met, Germany will still import the majority of its critical raw materials. Chile is a key partner in this regard, as affirmed recently by the institutionalized German-Chilean partnership on raw materials and energy based in Santiago de Chile. 

 

“Conventional mining is coming under increasing criticism,” said Dr. Fabian Nitschke from KIT’s Institute of Applied Geosciences (AGW) and a co-founder of the BRIDGE (German-Chilean Institute for Element Extraction from Brines and Integrated Geological Reservoir Modeling) initiative. “The status quo takes a toll on the people and ecosystems there. We want to show that resource extraction can work differently – more benign, environmentally friendlier, and in close partnership with the local people – in Chile and in Germany.”

 

Research Campaign in the Atacama Desert

In Chile’s Atacama Desert, lithium is typically produced in large ponds in which brine solutions are concentrated at the surface over months or years by evaporation. “By evaporating water in the sun, this method doesn’t need much external energy input, but it has a major impact on the surface of salt lakes and can usually extract only about 50 percent of the dissolved lithium,” said Dr. Valentin Goldberg, also from the AGW and a co-founder of BRIDGE. Thus, the initiative’s objective, according to Goldberg, is to use alternative methods that work without needing lengthy evaporation and large areas while enabling more efficient use of resources. 

 

“We’re testing direct extraction methods in which critical raw materials can be directly removed from the solutions using selective materials or chemical processes. These materials work like chemical filters that are designed to collect specific elements,” said Dr. Fabian Jeschull from KIT’s Institute for Applied Materials, who is also involved in the BRIDGE initiative. “After extraction, we return the solutions to the natural reservoirs to maintain a neutral water balance.”

 

To test the conditions under which such processes can be used, researchers are analyzing various mineral brine deposits in the Atacama Desert. During a research campaign lasting several weeks, geologists from Chile and Germany are sampling salt lakes and volcanic reservoir systems and analyzing their chemical and isotopic composition. “We want to know what resources these brines contain in addition to lithium, and how we can best extract them,” Goldberg said.

 

The researchers are also analyzing the deposits as integrated systems, considering their geological reservoirs, material flows, and potential processing methods. “We’re also taking into account the geothermal heat stored in the fluid. It can be used to provide energy for the extraction process,” Goldberg said, adding that the basic objective of BRIDGE is the development of resource extraction processes that reduce the impact on landscapes and ecosystems while also significantly decreasing energy consumption and emissions.

 

Application Also Possible in Europe

The research campaign in Chile is taking place in close consultation with representatives of local indigenous communities to promote transparency and local participation, thus ensuring public acceptance of future extraction projects. These communities could benefit indirectly from scientific monitoring of the water balance, from geothermal energy extraction, and possibly even from drinking water supplied by processed geothermal water. “Our joint research is by no means limited to use in Chile,” Nitschke said. “The partnership will also enable knowledge transfer to Germany, especially from extensive experience with lithium extraction in Chile, and it brings new opportunities for reservoirs in Germany and Europe.“

 

About BRIDGE

The German-Chilean BRIDGE initiative develops methods for evaluating and exploiting fluid reservoirs with a view to extracting critical raw materials. The German partners are KIT, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, and the Deutsche Rohstoffagentur; the Chilean partners are the University of Chile and Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN), the Chilean government’s national geological and mining service. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space is funding the establishment of the BRIDGE partnership with Chile

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