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64 pages, 572 KB

Open AccessConference Report

Abstracts of the 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy

by Mathias Harzhauser

Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2026, 60(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2026060001 - 23 Feb 2026

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Abstract

The 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy (IOCTX2025) serves as a critical interdisciplinary nexus for addressing the contemporary “taxonomic impediment” through the lens of integrative systematics and computational innovation. By synthesizing research spanning from Paleozoic fossil records to extant microbial biodiversity, the conference illuminates the evolving methodology of species delimitation, moving beyond traditional morphometrics to incorporate multi-locus molecular phylogenetics, bioacoustics, and high-resolution 3D imaging. Key thematic clusters across the program examine the floristic complexity of Karst landscapes, the resolution of cryptic animal species complexes through genomic and proteomic data, and the role of machine learning in automating the identification of both fossil and living taxa. Furthermore, the proceedings underscore a paradigm shift toward “integrative taxonomy,” where the fusion of morphological rigor with eDNA metabarcoding and automated genomic scanning provides a more robust framework for understanding global biodiversity hotspots. Ultimately, IOCTX2025 reaffirms taxonomy as a high-technology discipline essential for conservation biology and evolutionary theory, providing a standardized scientific language to describe the complexities of the tree of life across deep time and modern ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy)

8 pages, 6822 KB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

A Fossil of the Austral Tree Fern Genus Lophosoria (Dicksoniaceae) from Mid-Cretaceous Myanmar Amber

by Chunxiang Li, Junxian Lima, Ya Li and Junye Ma

Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2026, 60(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2026060002 - 25 Mar 2026

Viewed by 371

Abstract

A new tree fern species, Lophosoria myanmarica sp. nov. (Dicksoniaceae, Cyatheales), is described from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber. The fossil preserves a fertile lamina segment with well-defined sori, sporangia, paraphyses, and in situ trilete spores. It is characterized by exindusiate, round sori terminating free veins, abundant pluricellular paraphyses, sporangia with an oblique annulus, and distinctive trilete spores bearing a conspicuous equatorial flange and a pitted distal surface. The combination of flanged spores and exindusiate, paraphysate sori supports assignment to Lophosoria. The new species differs from the extant L. quadripinnata and the Early Cretaceous L. cupulata in its smaller spores and less deeply dissected pinnules. This fossil represents the earliest macrofossil evidence of Lophosoria from Southeast Asia and indicates that the genus had achieved a broader Cretaceous distribution than previously documented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy)

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16 pages, 55054 KB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

New Paleontological Evidence for Theodoxus micans (Gaudry & P. Fischer, 1867) from the Megara Basin (Greece) and Its Relationship to the Extant Species Theodoxus meridionalis (R. A. Philippi, 1836)

by Dimitrios Protopapas and Efterpi Koskeridou

Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2026, 60(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2026060003 - 13 May 2026

Viewed by 216

Abstract

The Megara Basin in Greece contains Neogene–Quaternary deposits rich in lacustrine and marine mollusc assemblages. The shell morphology of T. micans resembles that of both fossil and extant species, notably Theodoxus meridionalis, while intraspecific variability complicates taxonomic discrimination. The operculum appears to provide more stable diagnostic features. Material from the historical collection of the Museum of Geology and Paleontology (NKUA), including specimens from Alepochori and the Mavratza Ravine, yielded opercula identified as belonging to T. micans. These results support the interpretation that Theodoxus micans represents a junior synonym of the extant species Theodoxus meridionalis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy)

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