SOSA’s publications cover research about various marine invertebrates, including their discovery, new insights, conservation and protection, and more. Check out the publications below for a list of all the research coming from SOSA authors and associated partners.
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Cremer, H. A. et al. Macroid formation in Salmacina stellaebayensis n. sp. from Mauritania’s Baie de l’Étoile with new insights on mitogenome evolution in Serpulidae (Annelida). Ecology and Evolution 16, e73016 (2026).
Knauber, H. & Brandt, A. Mehr Arten auf tausenden Kilometern: Das geheime Leben am Tiefseeboden. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/mehr-arten-auf-tausenden-kilometern-das-geheime-leben-am-tiefseeboden/ (2026).
Rospert, A., Santodomingo, N. & Bribiesca-Contreras, G. Verborgener Schatz der Tiefsee: Neue Korallenart auf Manganknollen entdeckt. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/verborgener-schatz-der-tiefsee-neue-korallenart-auf-manganknollen-entdeckt/ (2025).
Rospert, A., Santodomingo, N., Bribiesca-Contreras, G. & Decker, K. Hidden gems of the abyss: New Deep-Sea Coral Found Living on Nodules Targeted for Mining. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/en/press-releases/hidden-gems-of-the-abyss-new-deep-sea-coral-found-living-on-nodules-targeted-for-mining/ (2025).
Tockner, K. Statement Draft regulations on exploitation of Mineral resources in the Area ISBA/30/C/CRP.1. (2025).
Albano, P. G. et al. Upwelling generates a unique refugium from climate change in the fast warming Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Biodivers Conserv 35, 32 (2026).
Sigwart, J. & Riehl, T. Letter to the Secretariat of the International Seabed Authority concerning draft regulations on exploitation of Mineral resources in the Area ISBA/30/C/CRP.1. (2025).
Jenrette, J. et al. Giant isopods of the genus Bathynomus: global distribution and new insights into the genomic adaptions of B. giganteus. SSRN Scholarly Paper at https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5407539 (2025).
Vermeij, G. & Sigwart, J. Unequal sisters: Phenotypic feedbacks in the evolution of Conchifera (Mollusca). Paleobiology.
Machado, F. & et al. Non-indigenous mollusc species in Brazil: a first national inventory and distributional overview. Biological Invasions.
Ampuero, A. et al. A novel mantle-margin gland system in Tectura virginea (Patellogastropoda). Royal Society Interface.
Eilertsen, M. H. et al. Faunal communities of Arctic deep-water methane seeps are specialised with links to hydrothermal vents. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 225, 104594 (2025).
Voncina, K., Chen, Z., Schwabe, E., Hausdorfer, A. & Sigwart, J. Phylogenomic Analysis of Ultraconserved Elements Resolves Relationships and Morphological Evolution in Acanthochtionidae (Mollusca: Polyplacophora). Cladistics.
Riehl, T. et al. Confirmation of hard-substrate predictions in the abyssal Vema Fracture Zone. 12–2025, (2025).
Baena, P. et al. A deep dive into anthozoan communities of two Antarctic seamounts: a comparative study of Maud Rise and Astrid Ridge. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 767, 41–62 (2025).
Ogawa, A., Chen, C. & Sigwart, J. A new abyssal species of Acanthotrochus (Holothuroidea: Apodida) from the Aleutian Trench, North Pacific Ocean. Marine Science Bulletin.
Knauber, H., Brandt, A. & Riehl, T. Traversing the North Pacific: Biogeography and connectivity patterns of deep-sea isopods across three trench systems. Prog. Oceanog. 240, 103623 (2026).
Andrade, L. F., Allspach, A. & Riehl, T. A Long-Overlooked Giant: A New Species of Bathynomus from Historical Collections rediscovered in a Museum After Three Decades. (in prep.).
Sigwart, J. D., Georg, L. & Sumner-Rooney, L. Growing eyes on growing shells reveal how chitons scale vision. Biol. Lett. 21, 20250481 (2025).
Riehl, T. et al. Marine conservation: linking taxonomy, Red Listing, Public Engagement. Trends Ecol. Evol. (under review).
Martha, S. O. & Scholz, J. <strong>Shallow-water bryozoans collected during R.V. <em>Meteor</em> expedition 5/2 “MINDIK” from the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden, along the coasts of Djibouti and Yemen</strong>. Zootaxa 5689, 201–243 (2025).
Chen, C., Pradillon, F., Diaz-Recio Lorenzo, C. & Alfaro-Lucas, J. M. Integrative taxonomy of two new peltospirid gastropods from Mid-Atlantic Ridge hot vents, including a potentially symbiotic species. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 204, zlaf055 (2025).
Chen, C. & Sigwart, J. D. Diversity and potential parentage of molluscan (and likely-molluscan) eggs from the Aleutian Trench. Prog. Oceanog. 237, 103535 (2025).
Mamat, N.-S. et al. Combining shells and sequences to untangle taxonomy of abalone in Sabah, Malaysia. Front. Mar. Sci. 12, (2025).
Sigwart, J., Navareete-Mier, F., Ashton, E. & Wong, N. A sustainable future for aquaculture depends on diversity. npj Ocean Sustainability.
Chen, Z., Vončina, K. & Sigwart, J. D. Evaluating Probe Design for Phylogenomics Across Taxonomic Scales: First Steps for Applying Ultraconserved Elements in an Understudied Class (Mollusca: Polyplacophora). Mol. Ecol. Resour. 26, e70076 (2026).
Sigwart, J. D. et al. Collectomics – towards a new framework to integrate museum collections to address global challenges. Nat. Hist. Collect. Museomics 2, 1–20 (2025).
Letsch, H. et al. Type Genomics: A Framework for Integrating Genomic Data into Biodiversity and Taxonomic Research. Syst. Biol. syaf040 (2025)
Ross, E. G. et al. A Comprehensive DNA Barcode Reference Library for the Macroinvertebrates of Scottish Seagrass Beds Using Oxford Nanopore Flongle Flowcells. Ecol. Evol. 15, e72219 (2025).
Rospert, C., Torkov & Sigwart, J. D. Seit fast 40 Jahren vermisst: Meeresschnecke gilt seit heute als ausgestorben. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/seit-fast-40-jahren-vermisst-meeresschnecke-gilt-seit-heute-als-ausgestorben/ (2025).
Sigwart, J. D., Chen, Z. & Jördens, J. Ur-Mollusk: Harte Schale, keine Augen und eine Raspelzunge. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/ur-mollusk-harte-schale-keine-augen-und-eine-raspelzunge/ (2025).
Sigwart, J. D. & Chen, Z. Cracking the Mollusc Code: Genomes Reveal the Ancient Ancestor of Your Garden Snail. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/en/press-releases/cracking-the-mollusc-code-genomes-reveal-the-ancient-ancestor-of-your-garden-snail/ (2025).
Machado, F. M. et al. Spreading further: the first record of the alien bivalve Theora lubrica in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Front. Mar. Sci. 12, (2025).
Amati, B. & Renda, W. Shallow-water Rissooidea from Oman (Arabian Sea) (Caenogastropoda: Rissoidae, Lironobidae, Barleeiidae). Bollettino Malacologico 61, (2025).
Torkov, A. & Riehl, T. Die Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance – DISCOVER | PROTECT | INSPIRE. ZGAP Mitteilungen 41, 11–13 (2025).
Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance (SOSA) et al. Ocean Species Discoveries 13–27 — Taxonomic contributions to the diversity of Polychaeta, Mollusca and Crustacea. Biodivers. Data J. 13, e160349 (2025).
Sigwart, J. D. & Decker, K. Rebellische Fossilien: „Punk“ und „Emo“ mischen die Weichtier-Geschichte auf. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/rebellische-fossilien-punk-und-emo-mischen-die-weichtier-geschichte-auf/ (2025).
Lörz, A.-N. & Tandberg, A. H. S. North Atlantic Pleustidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) with a focus on cold-water coral associations. Eur. J. Taxon. 1009, 1–50 (2025).
Albano, P. G. et al. New records of non-indigenous species from the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Crustacea, Mollusca), with a revision of genus Isognomon (Mollusca: Bivalvia). PeerJ 12, e17425 (2024).
Steger, J. et al. Ecological baselines in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea shifted long before the availability of observational time series. Glob. Change Biol. 30, e17272 (2024).
Augustin, N., O’Keefe, D. I. & Riehl, T. Correction to: Fluke-less pygmy killer whale spotted on the central Atlantic. Mar. Biodivers. 55, 54 (2025).
Augustin, N., O’Keefe, D. I. & Riehl, T. Fluke-less pygmy killer whale spotted on the central Atlantic. Mar. Biodivers. 55, 19 (2025).
Riehl, T. M205 (“RUBBLE” — Rocky Seafloor – Under- Estimated Driver for Benthic Biodiversity Living in the Abyss and Its Evolution). 23 https://www.ldf.uni-hamburg.de/meteor/wochenberichte/wochenberichte-meteor/m201-m206/scr-m205.pdf (2024).
Bright, M. et al. Animal life in the shallow subseafloor crust at deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Nat Commun 15, 8466 (2024).
Tandberg, A. H. S. & Vader, W. Description of a new species of Stenula Barnard, 1962 (Amphipoda: Stenothoidae) from British Columbia, Canada associated with Bouillonia sp. (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Tubulariidae), with a key to the world species of Stenula. J. Crust. Biol. 44, ruae036 (2024).
Ramirez-Llodra, E. et al. The emerging picture of a diverse deep Arctic Ocean seafloor: From habitats to ecosystems. Elem Sci Anth 12, 00140 (2024).
Brandt, A. et al. Community composition and distribution of epi- and suprabenthic macrofauna in the bathyal, abyssal, and hadal zones of the northern North Pacific. Prog. Oceanog. 230, 103376 (2025).
Sigwart, J. D. et al. The first IUCN Red List of cold-water corals highlights global declines. Mar. Biodivers. 55, 51 (2025).
Renda, W., Gatì, I., Nofroni, I., Giacobbe, S. & Vannozzi, A. Menestho (s.l.) cf. enora (Dall & Bartsch, 1909) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pyramidellidae), a non-indigenous species newly established in Capo Peloro lagoon (Sicily). Archiv für Molluskenkunde International Journal of Malacology 295–304 (2025)
Steger, J. “Ocean Species Discoveries” — A new collaborative publication series to accelerate marine invertebrate species descriptions. Newsletter of the American Malacological Society (AMS) vol. 54 13–14 (2024).
Sigwart, J. D., Greve, C. & Mayer-Bömoser, S. Wahl zum „Internationalen Weichtier des Jahres 2024“. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/wahl-zum-internationalen-weichtier-des-jahres-2024/ (2024).
Sigwart, J. D., Tandberg, A. H. & Rospert, C. Sanfte Riesen in Gefahr. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/sanfte-riesen-in-gefahr/ (2024).
Sigwart, J. D., Tandberg, A. H. & Rospert, C. Gentle giants in trouble. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/en/press-releases/gentle-giants-in-trouble/ (2024).
Torkov, A., Riehl, T. & Jördens, J. Ocean´s Eleven: Neuentdeckungen aus dem Meer. Press release https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/oceans-eleven-neuentdeckungen-aus-dem-meer/ (2024).
Rospert, C., Torkov, A. & Riehl, T. The Race for Species Discovery: 11 new marine species and a new platform for rapid species description established. https://www.senckenberg.de/en/press-releases/the-race-for-species-discovery-11-new-marine-species-and-a-new-platform-for-rapid-species-description-established/ (2024).
Sigwart, J. D. et al. Genome of the enigmatic watering-pot shell and morphological adaptations for anchoring in sediment. BMC Genomics 26, 460 (2025).
Sigwart, J. D., Chen, C., Kamenev, G. M., Machado, F. M. & Schwabe, E. Distribution patterns of deep-sea molluscs from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Trench. Prog. Oceanog. 233, 103440 (2025).
Kamenev, G. M. & Sigwart, J. D. Geographical and vertical distribution of Axinulus (Bivalvia: Thyasiridae): New data on distribution in the North Pacific and description of a new species. Prog. Oceanog. 231, 103408 (2025).
Ampuero, A. & Sigwart, J. D. Inside out Monoplacophora: revisiting Neopilina galatheae Lemche, 1957 using µCT scanning. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 203, zlae168 (2024).
Vončina, K. & Sigwart, J. D. Historic DNA extraction: genetic potential of chiton museum specimens. Org. Divers. Evol. 25, 357–364 (2025).
Torkov, A. & Jördens, J. „Heiße Schnecke in Deiner Nähe“. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/heisse-schnecke-in-deiner-naehe/ (2024).
Sigwart, J. D., Greve, C. & Decker, K. Ein Tiefsee-Oktopus ist die „Molluske des Jahres 2025. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/ein-tiefsee-oktopus-ist-die-molluske-des-jahres-2025/ (2025).
Sigwart, J. D., Greve, C. & Decker, K. A Deep-sea Octopus is the “Mollusk of the Year 2025”. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/en/press-releases/a-deep-sea-octopus-is-the-mollusk-of-the-year-2025/ (2025).
Ampuero, A. & Sigwart, J. D. Common but unseen: anatomical redescription of Tectura virginea (Müller, 1776) (Patellogastropoda: Lottioidea: Tecturidae). Journal of Molluscan Studies 91, eyaf009 (2025).
Chen, Z. et al. A genome-based phylogeny for Mollusca is concordant with fossils and morphology. Science 387, 1001–1007 (2025).
Ampuero, A., Vončina, K., Parkinson, D. Y. & Sigwart, J. D. Aesthete Pattern Diversity in Chiton Clades (Mollusca: Polyplacophora): Balancing Sensory Structures and Strength in Valve Architecture. Journal of Morphology 285, e21784 (2024).
Miguez-Salas, O., Saeedi, H., Brandt, A. & Riehl, T. Seafloor bioturbation intensity on the deep sea: More complex than organic matter. Limnol. Oceanogr. 69, (2024).
Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance (SOSA) et al. Ocean Species Discoveries 1–12 — A primer for accelerating marine invertebrate taxonomy. Biodivers. Data J. 12, e128431 (2024).
Sutton, M. D. et al. New Silurian aculiferan fossils reveal complex early history of Mollusca. Nature 637, 631–636 (2025).
Voncina, K., Schwabe, E., Sirenko, B. & Sigwart, J. Annotated checklist of Recent Polyplacophora (2025, 1st edition). Zootaxa.
Sigwart, J. D., Li, Y., Chen, Z., Vončina, K. & Sun, J. Still waters run deep: Large scale genome rearrangements in the evolution of morphologically conservative Polyplacophora. eLife 13, (2025).
Knauber, H., Schell, T., Brandt, A. & Riehl, T. Across trench and ridge: description of five new species of the Haploniscus belyaevi Birstein, 1963 species complex (Isopoda, Haploniscidae) from the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench region. Zoosyst. Evol. 101, 813–853 (2025).
Riehl, T., Schienbein, K. & Mifsud, C. A new species of Mexicope Hooker, 1985 (Crustacea, Isopoda) — the first record of Acanthaspidiidae Menzies, 1962 from the Mediterranean Sea. Biodivers. Data J. 12, e121508 (2024).
Riehl, T. & Torkov, A. Ein neuer Taxonomie-Service zur Beschleunigung der Beschreibung mariner Invertebraten. GfBS Newsletter (2023).
Casaubon, A. & Riehl, T. Shape matters: investigating the utility of geometric morphometric techniques in the deep-sea isopod family Macrostylidae (Isopoda: Asellota). Front. Mar. Sci. 11, (2024).
Sigwart, J. D., Jackson, P. N. W. & Parkes, M. A. A new chiton (Mollusca: Polyplacophora: Paleoloricata) from the Mississippian of Hook Head, Co. Wexford, Ireland. ijes 42, 119–124 (2024).
Torkov, A. Unterstützung für die Rote Liste: Senckenberg wird Teil des IUCN-Netzwerkes. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/unterstuetzung-fuer-die-rote-liste-senckenberg-wird-teil-des-iucn-netzwerkes/ (2023).
Torkov, A. Support for the Red List: Senckenberg Becomes Part of the IUCN Network. Senckenberg Press Release Website https://museumfrankfurt.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/support-for-the-red-list-senckenberg-becomes-part-of-the-iucn-network/ (2023).
Miguez-Salas, O. & Riehl, T. Still images from the KuramBio expedition 2012 (Stations 3-6, 8-11) obtained with the Ocean Floor Observation System. Zenodo (2023).
Miguez-Salas, O. & Riehl, T. Lebensspuren and benthic fauna diversity and density data obtained from KuramBio 2012 expedition still images (50 still images per 8 deep-sea stations). Zenodo (2023).
Miguez-Salas, O., Brandt, A., Knauber, H. & Riehl, T. Diversity and density relationships between lebensspuren and tracemaking organisms: a study case from abyssal northwest Pacific. Biogeosciences 21, 641–655 (2024).
Sigwart, J. D., Pollom, R. & Böhm, M. The IUCN Species Survival Commission launches a new Red List Authority to assess marine invertebrates. Oryx 57, 418–419 (2023).
Sigwart, J. D., Chen, C., Tilic, E., Vences, M. & Riehl, T. Why is there no service to support taxonomy? BioEssays 45, 2300070 (2023).
Sigwart, J. D. et al. Heterogeneity on the abyssal plains: A case study in the Bering Sea. Front. Mar. Sci. 9, (2023).
Liu, X., Sigwart, J. D. & Sun, J. Phylogenomic analyses shed light on the relationships of chiton superfamilies and shell-eye evolution. Mar Life Sci Technol 5, 525–537 (2023).
Kaiser, S. et al. Diving through the darkness; Species information is vital for effective marine conservation [Senckenberg Policy Brief – Appeal to Montreal] (2022).
Fonfría, E. S. et al. Copula lucentia sp. nov., a new box jellyfish (Cnidaria: Cubozoa: Carybdeida) from Western Mediterranean Sea. Mar. Biodivers. 54, 68 (2024).
Chen, C. & Sigwart, J. D. <strong>The lost vent gastropod species of Lothar A. Beck</strong>. Zootaxa 5270, 401–436 (2023).
Brandt, A., Chen, C., Tandberg, A. H. S., Miguez‐Salas, O. & Sigwart, J. D. Complex sublinear burrows in the deep sea may be constructed by amphipods. Ecol. Evol. 13, e9867 (2023).
Sigwart, J. D., Ogawa, A. & Chen, C. “Dreamer holothurians” in the north. Mar. Biodivers. 53, 8 (2023).
Kaiser, S. et al. Editorial: Recent and Emerging Innovations in Deep-Sea Taxonomy to Enhance Biodiversity Assessment and Conservation. Front. Mar. Sci. 9, 1–5 (2022).
Miguez-Salas, O. et al. Marine lebensspuren: improving the classification of seafloor traces from underwater imagery and observations. Front. Mar. Sci. 11, 1–12 (2024).
Vončina, K., Mikkelsen, N. T., Morrow, C., Ang, R. & Sigwart, J. D. Clarification of the taxonomic status of Acanthochitona discrepans (Brown, 1827) with new data for the North-East Atlantic Acanthochitona (Polyplacophora, Acanthochitonidae). Biodivers. Data J. 11, e109554 (2023).
Sirenko, B. I. & Sigwart, J. D. The forgotten species Leptochiton alascensis (Thiele, 1909) (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) and its relatives. archmoll 151, 119–130 (2022).
Thomas, E. A., Sigwart, J. D. & Helyar, S. J. New evidence for a cosmopolitan holothurian species at deep-sea reducing environments. Mar. Biodivers. 52, 63 (2022).
Knauber, H., Silberberg, J. R., Brandt, A. & Riehl, T. Evolution and biogeography of the Haploniscus belyaevi species complex (Isopoda: Haploniscidae) revealed by means of integrative taxonomy. Syst. Biodiv. 20, 2099477 (2022).