Swedish Museum of Natural History
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The enduring collaboration in Geoscience between Sweden and China
No full textThe year 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Sweden, and the 99th anniversary of the first announcement of ‘Peking Man’. At this historical juncture, the editorial board of Evolution of Life has organized aspecial issue on “China-Sweden Scientific Cooperation” to review the remarkable achievements of early 20th-century collaborations between the two nations and to highlight the enduring impact of this legacy on contemporary research.2025年是中华人民共和国和瑞典王国建交75周年，也是周口店北京猿人首次公布99周年。在这一重要的历史节点，《生物进化》编辑部特别策划了“中国－瑞典科学合作”专刊，回顾两国在20世纪初期科学合作中取得的辉煌成就，并展现这一遗产对当代研究工作的深远影响
Evolution of female ornamentation in dance flies: valuable gifts are worth dressing up for
No full textElaborate female ornaments are rare in nature. One explanation for this is that female investment in ornamentation may take away crucialresources from other costly life history traits, such as fecundity, for which there is likely to be a higher fitness return. However, this trade-offbetween ornaments and fecundity may be less severe in species where the males offer the female an edible nuptial gift during mating. Thenutrition gained from mating may make attracting males with elaborate ornaments more cost-effective for the female. We investigated this linkin dance flies in which there is large variation in nuptial gifts, as well as female ornaments. Our phylogenetic analysis showed that nuptial giftvalue is positively associated with the evolution of female ornaments. We found that species that lack nuptial gifts have no ornaments, andhigh levels of female ornamentation have evolved most frequently in species with reliable access to an edible nuptial gift with each mating. Ourresults also suggest that female ornaments have most likely evolved following the evolution of nuptial gifts. We argue that the added benefitsfrom each mating have helped the females to overcome the costs associated with the development and maintenance of ornament
En rovfågelsklo från Gamla Skogsby på Öland
No full textThis paper proceeds from the excavations by Linnaeus University in 2019–2023 of a Migration Period house foundation at Gamla Skogsby, Öland, SE Sweden, situated in what was originally a large village with one of the largest Migration Period farms recorded on the whole island. The house and the excavation resultsare presented in brief, and in particular, the find of a raptor claw inside the house is given special attention. The claw is evaluated osteologically, identified as the claw of an eagle and suggested as an indication of prestige related to the local elite at the site. This is followed by an attempt to place the find in a larger context, with an evaluation of the find as a possible indication of falconry at the site in the Migration Period. The role of eagles in falconry is examined and the implications for this in connection with the falconry hypothesis at Gamla Skogsby are discussed. The find and the settlement at which it was made are then analysed in relation to a larger landscape context including important artefact finds, burials, settlements and fortifications, and the possible role of women in relation to falconry is discussed
“A tale preserved in a museum”: The long-awaited discovery of Genitocotyle necromnemos n. sp. (Trematoda: Opecoelidae) from the cardinal fish Apogon imberbis (Linnaeus) in the western Mediterranean
No full textPurpose: Opecoelids, a diverse group of digenean trematodes, pose a taxonomic challenge due to morphological similarities. The genus Genitocotyle is little studied with only five recognized species. Recent phylogenetic advancements have refined Opecoelidae classification, recognizing 15 subfamilies, including opecoelins, distinguished by the absence of a cirrus sac and a canalicular seminal receptacle. Within this subfamily, the genus Genitocotyle remains understudied, with only five recognized species. The aim of this study is to describe a new species and to clarify a long-standing taxonomic ambiguity. Methods: Two historical specimens of Genitocotyle from Apogon imberbis off Madeira, preserved in the Natural History Museum, London, were examined alongside newly collected specimens from Algerian waters. Comparative morphological analyses, including illustrations and morphometric measurements, were conducted. Results: Genitocotyle necromnemos n. sp. is described, differing from its congeners by its larger body size, the more numerous eggs, the extended post-testicular region, the seminal vesicle restricted to the forebody, the extension of the vitellarium and the shape of the ovary. This new species designation clarifies the identity of some museum specimens, undescribed since their collection in 1951. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of museum collections for the clarification of taxonomic uncertainties and the expansion of knowledge about the biodiversity of trematodes. The result contribute the systematics of opecoelines and emphasise the ecological and biogeographical importance of Genitocotyle spp. in marine fish hosts
Road to Extinction? Past and Present Population Structure and Genomic Diversity in the Koala
No full textKoalas are arboreal herbivorous marsupials, endemic to Australia. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the number of koalas declined dramatically due to hunting for their furs. In addition, anthropogenic activities have further decimated their available habitat, and decreased population numbers. Here, we utilize 37 historic and 25 modern genomes sampled from across their historic and present geographic range, to gain insights into how their population structure and genetic diversity have changed across time; assess the genetic consequences of the period of intense hunting, and the current genetic status of this iconic Australian species. Our analyses reveal how genome-wide heterozygosity has decreased through time and unveil previously uncharacterized mitochondrial haplotypes and nuclear genotypes in the historic dataset, which are absent from today's koala populations
A new species of Stutzeliastrobus (Cupressaceae) from the Early Cretaceous of the Guyang Basin, northern China, and its paleoenvironmental implications
No full textA cupressaceous conifer, Stutzeliastrobus araucarioides comb. nov. is described from the Lower Cretaceous Guyang Formation in the Guyang Basin, central Inner Mongolia, northern China. Stutzeliastrobus araucarioides is known based on well-preserved leafy shoots with attached ovuliferous cones, and is characterized by elongate ovuliferous cones with numerous helically arranged, flat cone-scale complexes. Each complex is composed of a fused bract and ovuliferous scale and bears two seeds on the proximal to middle region. Stutzeliastrobus araucarioides is most similar in gross morphology to extant Taiwania cryptomerioides, but differs by having many more bract-scale complexes per cone. The features of S. araucarioides confirm that Stutzeliastrobus is closely relared to Taiwania. The new material enriches the fossil record of Stutzeliastrobus and adds to knowledge of the diversity of early Cupressaceae from the Early Cretaceous. Associated fossils and sedimentary facies indicate that S. araucarioides occupied lacustrine-paludal environments that hosted a diverse range of conifers and ginkgoaleans.This study is financially supported by the Open Foundation of the Key Laboratory of Mine Geological Disaster Prevention of Anhui Province [No. 2023-MGDP-01] and the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 31700185]. S. McLoughlin is funded by a Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) grant (2022-03920).</p
Insights from the compositional evolution of a multi-coloured, zoned tourmaline from the Cruzeiro pegmatite, Minas Gerais, Brazil
No full textElbaite, the neotype material from the Rosina pegmatite, San Piero in Campo, Elba island, Italy
No full textElement mobility during regional hydrothermal sodium and magnesium alteration: implications for ore formation in the Bergslagen ore district, Sweden
No full textOre-distal hydrothermal alteration zones are commonly suggested as a source of metals to ore-forming fluids. The Bergslagen ore district, Sweden exhibits extensive ore-proximal and ore-distal alterations and has been used as a typical locality for establishing the hydrothermal leaching model for volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits. The ore-distal alteration in the region has been reported as depleted in ore-forming metals but robust mass change evaluations are lacking. Defining least-altered reference compositions is a major hurdle in Bergslagen due to compositional variation in the stratigraphy, extensive alteration, and high-grade metamorphic overprint. This study presents mass balance calculations for Na- and Mg-altered rocks in the Hällefors area using a set of systematically defined least-altered samples. Results show systematic mobility of light rare earth elements (LREE, here La-Eu; e.g., 80% of the Ce is mobilised during alteration which equates to 60 µg/g Ce), but no mobility of base metals. Precursor rock compositions have conspicuously low base metal concentrations (median: Zn 10 µg/g, Pb 2.5 µg/g; n = 13) compared to other volcanic centres in Bergslagen. Major base metal deposits occur in areas where least-altered volcanic rocks have higher base metal concentrations (e.g., Garpenberg; median: Zn 31.50 µg/g; Pb 11.75 µg/g; n = 10). The REE contents in least-altered rocks are relatively elevated in areas that host REE mineralisation such as the Riddarhyttan area. The results indicate that regional differences in metal fertility of the volcanic host succession may be a primary control on the metal enrichments, including REEs, occurring in the ore deposits throughout Bergslagen