Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲
@swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
250 followers 480 following 310 posts
Entomologist, Sevilla, Spain ‪@ebdonana.bsky.social‬, Australian Fossils, climate change studies using Diptera fossils, insect decline and microplastic pollution - once @swarmofthoughts/ Investigador Ramon y Cajal en EBD-CSIC, Entomologo y Paleontologo
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · Sep 21
Hi, I am Viktor! Pleased to meet you, I entomologist and paleontologist originally from Ukraine, now working in Spain, after a decade in German academia. I study amber fossils, Jurassic of Australia, Insect decline, climate change in the pas, and gleefully use Synchrotrons. Languages: EN, ES, DE, UA
Viktor sits on the side of the volcano on Tenerife, Canary Isles, Spain. Slope of the volcano is covered by the succulents and dry shrubbery Interactions of higher temperature and lower oxygen saturation with Chironomidae flies growth and resulting size. Arrow from low temperature to high, shows that flies are growing smaller at the higher temperature, as well as growing smaller at the lower oxygen concentration in the water, where they larvae developing - from Baranov et al., 2025 https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/een.13469 CT scan reconstruction of the fossil of Caddisfly larva (Lepidostomatidae) from Baltic amber, showing general body shape and upclose images of the head. From Baranov et al., 2023 https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2023/3938-caddisfly-larvae-from-amber?fbclid=IwY2xjawM8c6xleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFOS2J1REg2U1hHalRGTVNPAR6ETJYe1UcizRcTcfYbThRHsBMuPRMt6AEimp3kP3f9JUA6C78DzwmTI7gEqw_aem_g3VnlHq5LzbQyBDflhgveg Viktor next tot the hatch of the synchrotron in DESY, Hamburg, standing next to the "Prohibited zone/ Radiation" sign
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
An old scan of #fossil Mycetobia sp. pupa (Window gnat) from 38 MYA Baltic amber. This little gnats turned out to be really abundant and potent decomposers of organic matter in Baltic amber forest. That prompted us to write this paper I quite like pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
November 9, 2025 at 8:19 AM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
very nice coverage of our Telmatomyia discovery and lovely background on Robert Beattie, who have found the #fossil, by @donnadlu.bsky.social for @theguardian.com
🦖⚒️
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Retired Australian teacher discovers the oldest fossil of its kind in southern hemisphere – and a new species
Robert Beattie, 82, has found specimens of a 151m-year-old midge that challenge what we know about how the insects evolved
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:40 AM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
For the #fossilfriday here is one of my favorite #fossil species I ever described - a 38 MYA mantid fly from Baltic amber. Enjoy my CT reconstruction of the specimen! fr.pensoft.net/article/8013... 🦖⚒️
November 7, 2025 at 8:48 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
#fossilfriday find next to trash containers - someone´s #fossil (&neolithic tools!) collections thrown away. I rescued it, & will look for a museum home, bt without location labels - will be hard. Mstl branchiopods & crynoids. Labels really old, using "Primary" & Secondary for Palaeo- & Mesozoic 🦖
Fossil and neolithic tools collection, on the fabric frame, bearing branchipods, crynoids and arrowpoints
November 7, 2025 at 7:31 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
🦖⚒️
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 19d
Well, not exactly #fossils for the #fossilfriday, but some cool stuff from doing work down in the @ebdonana.bsky.social research collection - amazing African otter shrew (Potamogale Velox) and giant black caiman skull. Potamogale is prob. Not to dissimilar from Jurassic Castrocauda
Potamogale Velox in the ethanol Potamogale Velox in the ethanol Black caiman skull in a box
October 24, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲
thepalass.bsky.social
Ten simple rules to follow when cleaning occurrence data in palaeobiology onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @lewisajones.bsky.social @es-ucl.bsky.social @paleodb.bsky.social #FossilFriday
Graphic summary of the proposed ten rules and steps to follow when cleaning occurrence data for palaeobiological analysis. The rules are grouped within their respective theme: project setup (Rules 1–3; blue); data exploration and cleaning (Rules 4–8; red); and reporting and archiving (Rules 9 and 10; green).
October 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Well, not exactly #fossils for the #fossilfriday, but some cool stuff from doing work down in the @ebdonana.bsky.social research collection - amazing African otter shrew (Potamogale Velox) and giant black caiman skull. Potamogale is prob. Not to dissimilar from Jurassic Castrocauda
Potamogale Velox in the ethanol Potamogale Velox in the ethanol Black caiman skull in a box
October 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Red rocks of McGrath´s flat contain countless #fossils of the 11 MYA wet Eucalypt forest, probably not unlike this Watagan Ranges forest, near Newcastle, AU. New paper by colleagues from AusMus in Sydney explain how this diversity of forest fossils was preserved tinyurl.com/5xzjrtnr 🦖
October 21, 2025 at 8:38 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
In 2020 we did a quick search for Pleistocene #fossils in the Pleistocene road-side sediment cutting on the road from Dubbo to Newcastle in New South Wales, and in 10 minutes we found quite a few marsupials, including probable short-faced kangaroos 🦖
October 21, 2025 at 8:25 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Ayer salió mi entrevista con @ib3oficial.bsky.social
, en la que hablé sobre moscas jurásicas australianas con ventosas y tectónica continental.
tinyurl.com/32hm2n3c @ebdonana.bsky.social @pakozoic.bsky.social @cesar-morales.bsky.social
IB3 a la carta | Nautilus | T2025 - Capítol 20251018210401
T2025 - Capítol 20251018210401 a la carta del programa Nautilus als servei de contingut a la carta d'IB3
tinyurl.com
October 19, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Reposted by Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲
paniw.bsky.social
I am really proud of this study! It was led by an amazing ECR, highlights the work of a wonderful team of co-authors, and has resulted in a database of mechanistic demographic models currently being expanded to include underrepresented taxa to do comparative forecasts: github.com/MariaPaniw/C...
pnasnexus.org PNAS Nexus @pnasnexus.org · Oct 6
A study of how 41 plant and animal species react to climate change highlights the complexity of density feedbacks, in which population reductions lead to an easing of competition for the remaining individuals. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/xQMz50X6h6s
Wild arctic fox (Vulpes Lagopus), one of the studied species. Stock photo.
October 14, 2025 at 12:28 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Our Australian fly is in BBC, which is remarkable, given how little attention #fossil insects normally getting 🦖

Nuestro publicaccion sobre mosca jurassica Australiana es en BBC, que es impressionante para insecto fossils @ebdonana.bsky.social @pakozoic.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/ar...
Ancient fly fossil in Australia reveals clues to Earth's past
This little midgey could stick to rocks under water, something scientists thought only sea creatures could do before now.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 15, 2025 at 9:24 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Its cool when botanical gardens have dedicated "Macaronesian house" - giving visibility to unique flora of the region. Normally those are Spanish institutions, like Jardin Botanico Real de Cordoba, but here are real props to Geneva Botanical Garden for having one! @victor-noguerales.bsky.social
October 15, 2025 at 5:46 AM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Shameless self plug for this #fossilfriday - our team have published a very bizarre 🪰, that used a suction disc on abdomen to cling to dear life in Jurassic of Australia and helped us better understand continental drift 🦖
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · Oct 8
thread 1/9
How a 150 MYA fly from Australia helped us understand continental drift 🪰🌏🧪🦖
Meet Telmatomyia talbragarica — a new Jurassic non-biting midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) from the Talbragar Fish Beds, NSW. It once clung to life in a Jurassic lake. @ebdonana.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/2v3kx4h7
The oldest Gondwanan non-biting midge (Diptera, Chironomidae, Podonominae) sheds light on the historical biogeography of the clade
Podonominae, a group of non-biting midges within the Chironomidae family, serves as an important biogeographical model. For a long time, it was believ…
tinyurl.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲
ebdonana.bsky.social
🦇 El murciélago más grande de Europa, el nóctulo grande, es capaz de capturar y consumir pequeñas aves migratorias en vuelo.

Es el sorprendente descubrimiento que ha realizado un equipo de la @ebdonana.bsky.social y la @au.dk.

🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

➕ info: www.csic.es/es/actualida...
October 10, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Reposted by Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲
ebdonana.bsky.social
🦇 For the first time, researchers have documented how Europe’s largest bat — the greater noctule — hunts and eats migrating birds in midair.

Study led by @ebdonana.bsky.social and @au.dk

🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 10, 2025 at 12:37 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
For this #fossilfriday I have Pliensbachian ammonites in the center of interpretation of Canyon "Gorges de Sierroz" in Aix les Bains 🦖⚒️
October 10, 2025 at 5:23 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Valentyna Inshyna has supplied this amazing palaeoart with Rhaetosaurus brownei, Cavendrichties sp and newly described by us Telmatiomyia talbragarica fly, reconstructing late Jurasic of Australia #fossils 🦖🧪⚒️https://tinyurl.com/2v3kx4h7
Reconstruction of the lake shore of Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed, depicting several Tlmatomyia talbragarica on the foreground pupae attached to a rock underwater. Pair of Orthogonikleithridae fishes are patrolling the waters of the lake, while Rhoetosaurus brownei is approaching. Art by Valentyna Inshyna.
October 8, 2025 at 2:57 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
1/9
Cómo una mosca australiana de 150 millones de años con una ventosa nos ayudó a entender la deriva continental 🪰🌏
Telmatomyia — mosquito no picador del Jurásico de Australia, que vivió en el lago poco profundo de los lechos fósiles de Talbragar. @pakozoic.bsky.social tinyurl.com/2v3kx4h7
The oldest Gondwanan non-biting midge (Diptera, Chironomidae, Podonominae) sheds light on the historical biogeography of the clade
Podonominae, a group of non-biting midges within the Chironomidae family, serves as an important biogeographical model. For a long time, it was believ…
tinyurl.com
October 8, 2025 at 2:35 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
we have published a really bizzare jurassic #fossil midge today, with cool "sucker" on the end of abdomen, might be of interest for some of you @franzanth.bsky.social @jopabinia.bsky.social @jacquelyngill.bsky.social @stephenbheard.bsky.social
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · Oct 8
thread 1/9
How a 150 MYA fly from Australia helped us understand continental drift 🪰🌏🧪🦖
Meet Telmatomyia talbragarica — a new Jurassic non-biting midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) from the Talbragar Fish Beds, NSW. It once clung to life in a Jurassic lake. @ebdonana.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/2v3kx4h7
The oldest Gondwanan non-biting midge (Diptera, Chironomidae, Podonominae) sheds light on the historical biogeography of the clade
Podonominae, a group of non-biting midges within the Chironomidae family, serves as an important biogeographical model. For a long time, it was believ…
tinyurl.com
October 8, 2025 at 2:30 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
thread 1/9
How a 150 MYA fly from Australia helped us understand continental drift 🪰🌏🧪🦖
Meet Telmatomyia talbragarica — a new Jurassic non-biting midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) from the Talbragar Fish Beds, NSW. It once clung to life in a Jurassic lake. @ebdonana.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/2v3kx4h7
The oldest Gondwanan non-biting midge (Diptera, Chironomidae, Podonominae) sheds light on the historical biogeography of the clade
Podonominae, a group of non-biting midges within the Chironomidae family, serves as an important biogeographical model. For a long time, it was believ…
tinyurl.com
October 8, 2025 at 7:25 AM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
At Lac du Bourget enjoying company of the crested Grebes before @ialipa2025.bsky.social #France #Lake #Limnology
Juvenile crested Grebes at the lake surfaces Alpine lake at the dusk, framed by the mountains Alpine lake at the dusk, framed by the mountains Pierce of motorboats at the dusk, with mountains at the background
October 5, 2025 at 6:05 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Replica of the Cambrian jellyfishes imprints from GeoPark "Medusas del Cámbrico Inferior de Constantina" in Andalucia www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambient...
#Fossils #Fossilfriday 🦖
Also an ichnite on a Sandstone - all from @casacienciasevcsic.bsky.social
Replica of fossil jellyfish imprints Ichnite- fossil trace of the organism in the sediment
October 3, 2025 at 4:01 PM
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
#Fossilfriday - fossil 🦀 from Pleistocene of Andalucia in @casacienciasevcsic.bsky.social "GeoSevilla" exhibition
Pleistocene marine fossils from Andalucia - mostly sand dollars, and fossil crabs Pleistocene marine fossils from Andalucia - fossil crabs - Goneplax goulderi
October 3, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲
pakozoic.bsky.social
Este viernes 3 de octubre a las 20:00h en la Casa del Cine en Almería daré una conferencia sobre la paleontología en el cine, para hablar principalmente de la representación de los dinosaurios y otros bichos extintos en las películas.
¿Alguien por Almería este viernes?
www.ual.es/vida-univers...
September 29, 2025 at 2:07 PM