Dr Mark D. Scherz

12 Aug 2025

Thrilled to announce version 2.0 of my poster featuring some of Madagascar's endemic frog species, to scale! This version features 176 species—40 more than version 1.1 (now retired)! Check it out! 🐸🧪 www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Som...

candidate.hr-manager.netTenure Track Assistant Professor or Associate Professor and Curator of MammalsTenure Track Assistant Professor / Associate Professor, and Curator of Mammals at Natural History Museum Denmark The Natural History Museum Denmark wishes to ap

The deadline to apply as the new Mammal Curator at the Natural History Museum Denmark is coming up soon (2 November 2026)!! Get your application in, or forward the ad to someone you know who dreams of being a curator in a historical and important collection! 🧪

Dr Mark D. Scherz@markscherz.bsky.social

🚨We're hiring a new Curator of Mammals!!🚨 🦍🐕🦝🐅🦓🦌🐃🐖🐏🐫🐘🦏🦛🐿️🦔🦇🦥🦦🦨🦘🦡🐋🦭🦒🧸 Come join the Vertebrate Unit at @nhmdk.bsky.social—a fantastic team in the heart of Denmark's beautiful capital! Amazing collections, incredible history. Please share widely! 🧪🏛️ candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...

nature.comProfessorship (W2) of Computational Plant Systematics (6 years/tenure track) - Munich, Bavaria, Germany job with Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) | 12865714Professorship in computational plant systematics, focusing on plant evolution, adaptation to changing habitats, and taxonomy.

Most surprising beetle I’ve seen in years.

iNaturalist@inaturalist.bsky.social

Please pause your scroll for this spectacular weevil. You're looking at one of the first two iNaturalist records of Systaltocerus platyrhinus, shared just in the last month!

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

KunzLab@LMU

@kunzlab.bsky.social

Professorship (W2) of Computational Plant Systematics (6 years/tenure track). New job offer in our biology department @lmu.de 👇. Please apply and help to spread the word. www.nature.com/naturecareer... #PlantSciJob #PlantScience

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Ryan N. Felice

@rnf.bsky.social

great opportunity to do a PhD on croc evolution and extinction with @pdmannion.bsky.social and myself!

Phil Mannion@pdmannion.bsky.social

PhD applications are now open via @treesdla.bsky.social (14th Dec deadline), including this project @es-ucl.bsky.social supervised by @rnf.bsky.social & I on early crocodylian evolution & end-Cretaceous extinction selectivity: www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/ear...

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Marie Buhtz

@mbuhtz.bsky.social

Lingthusiasm absolutely deserves a spot in your podcast rotation! Or if you don't listen to podcasts, Lingthusiasm could be the first?

Gretchen McCulloch@gretchenmcculloch.com

Hey. The fragmentation of the social media landscape has been hard on indie #scicomm 🧪 projects So if you'd like to follow a podcast that's enthusiastic about #linguistics, could you check out @lingthusiasm.com? And if you think your followers might like to, could you give this a repost?

@markuseichhorn.bsky.social

It’s Spoopy Season, so here are some scaaaary things I found in the uninventoried part of the herpetology collection here at @nhmdk.bsky.social today! 🧪👻💀

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Markus Eichhorn

It's that time again.

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Ainsley S

@americanbeetles.bsky.social

Mommmmmm all the OTHER museums have life-sized model eurypterids, why can't WE install life-sized model eurypterids

Matt Friedman@friedmanlab.bsky.social

New exhibit at UMMNH. Come for the eurypterids, stay for the ostracoderms.

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

@thelabandfield.bsky.social

21 Sept

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Dr Alex Bond

15 Aug

New paper in @bou.org.uk's Ibis: there is still no comprehensive database of bird type specimens. Many major collections have no published type catalogue at all. Where they exist, they're often print-only, partial, or decades out of date. 🧵

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D.

@sarahmackattack.bsky.social

Good morning, team. We have 3.5 days until Drexel closes the Academy of Natural Sciences. It’s time for you- yeah YOU- to make some calls. Step 1: Tell the following people we need help pressuring Drexel to keep the museum open: Josh Shaprio 717-787-2500 Mayor Parker's 215-686-2181

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Michael Hiller

@hillermich.bsky.social

Happy to share results of the @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social phase 1, providing reference genomes covering 21 bat families. New insights into bat phylogeny, ancestral genome reconstruction, European origin & ancestral echolocation. Great work by a team of 100+ colleagues www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comReference genomes and fossils revise bat family phylogeny and biogeography - NatureAn updated phylogeny of bats is presented, based on new genome assemblies and many ancient fossils and including all known bat families.

21 Sept

16 Sept

Four-year-old asked me to guess what animal he was drawing on the whiteboard. The answer? A sea squirt.

16 Sept

We recently watched Life on Earth episode 5, The Conquest of the Waters, which opens with Sir David sitting on a rock and talking about sea squirt anatomy and their connection to chordates.

16 Sept

The fact that he retained a simplified picture of what these obscure little creatures look like, enough to draw one on the whiteboard, really left me dumbfounded.

@sarahmackattack.bsky.social

11 Sept

The office today, reading through some proofs. 🧪🦎

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D.

5 Sept

Please repost! Drexel announced that it will close the Academy of Natural Sciences public museum- the oldest nat history museum in the US. There are 2 petitions to support the academy. Please sign both & come to our rally Tues. actionnetwork.org/petitions/pe... www.change.org/p/the-academ...

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Alexandra Weber

@toedtoad.bsky.social

31 Aug

My first paper is officially out in @currentbiology.bsky.social ! We found that snake embryos coil due to a mismatch in growth rates between the gut and spine. This tight coil is one of the reasons why snakes are able to get so long. Read the paper here!

@sarahseeandersen.bsky.social

31 Aug

Trying to piece together the steps I took to do a species delimitation analysis whilst sleep deprived in the rainforest six months ago is not going well. Which software did I run? Which version is the most recent? Why does my Mac think all files in the whole folder were created simultaneously?🧪🐸

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Sarah Andersen

29 Aug

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Kathryn R Elmer

@profkathrynelmer.bsky.social

25 Aug

We have a ca 1.5 yr postdoc available in our team, asking, 'what is the shape of the fitness landscape between oviparity and viviparity?' and 'what drives viviparity to evolve'? 🧬 using 🦎 as a model. closes 16 Sept. Details on EvolDir evoldir.net/brian/evoldi... @glasgow.ac.uk @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk

24 Aug

Can anyone help me track down a book by W. C.A. Bokermann? 'Lista anotada das localidades tipo de anfíbios brasileiros' published 1966 in São Paulo: Servicio de Documentacão, Universidade Rural São Paulo. Looks like no PDFs exist, but we need some of the data in there! #canhazpdf 🧪🐸🇧🇷

17 Aug

Here are two of the four new species of moss-camouflaged frogs we just described in the journal Salamandra: Spinomantis fohitstilo and S. chlorostictus! The article is OA, available here: www.salamandra-journal.com/salamandra/6... 🧪🐸

30 July

Reminder that what your child is interested in at the age of six could well foreshadow their entire career path. It did mine, at least. 🧪🦎

26 July

Say hello to Quentin’s Diamond Frog, Rhombophryne quentini. 🧪🐸 #NewSpecies

27 July

Now meet the six other #NewSpecies we described alongside R. quentini!! 🧪🐸

I am thrilled to introduce seven new species of diamond frogs from Madagascar! A new monograph on the genus Rhombophryne published #OpenAccess in Vertebrate Zoology. 🧪🐸 doi.org/10.3897/vz.7...

One of the key takeaways from our work though is that there is more work to be done! There are still undescribed species that we couldn't yet name. We regularly discover previously unknown species in this genus, and we lack basic biological knowledge on all known species 🧪🐸

Still, I am very happy to have put out this new reference work on the genus to which I have devoted so much of my attention over the last twelve years. The work goes on. And I particularly look forward to watching this work become outdated as our knowledge grows in the years ahead. 🧪🐸

I am thrilled to introduce seven new species of diamond frogs from Madagascar! A new monograph on the genus Rhombophryne published #OpenAccess in Vertebrate Zoology. 🧪🐸 doi.org/10.3897/vz.7...

Rhombophryne quentini is an orange-thighed species from high-elevation in northern Madagascar. In 2020 I named the closely related R. ellae after my partner, Ella—so I took particularly great pleasure in naming this new species after our son, Quentin. A little family of frogs. 🧪🐸 📸 M. Vences

This little pebble is Rhombophryne kilonjy, a small, poorly known and obscure species related to R. ellae and R. quentini but found in lowland forest close to the coast in northwestern Madagascar. The name kilonjy means ‘pebble’ in Malagasy because, well, just look at it. 🧪🐸 📸 F. Andreone

I am thrilled to introduce seven new species of diamond frogs from Madagascar! A new monograph on the genus Rhombophryne published #OpenAccess in Vertebrate Zoology. 🧪🐸 doi.org/10.3897/vz.7...

Rhombophryne anatiala is a very poorly known species very closely related to R. sonaliae but found further north and differing subtly. The name anatiala means ‘in the forest’ in Malagasy, referring to the forest habitat of these frogs. 🧪🐸 📸 F. Andreone

Rhombophryne kotrobaratra is a species from northeastern Madagascar with unusually long and strong hindlimbs. The name kotrobaratra means ‘thunder and lightning’ in Malagasy, and refers to the inclement weather that seems to bring these frogs out (true for all Rhombophryne, really). 🧪🐸 📸 F. Andreone

I am thrilled to introduce seven new species of diamond frogs from Madagascar! A new monograph on the genus Rhombophryne published #OpenAccess in Vertebrate Zoology. 🧪🐸 doi.org/10.3897/vz.7...

Rhombophryne mavokely is a wee species from the northeast. Mavokely is Malagasy for ‘pink’ but literally translates as ‘small yellow’ (mavo = yellow, kely = small). I LOVE this. As they're small, sometimes pink and sometimes yellowish, the name seemed apt. This one is for @gretchenmcculloch.com 🧪🐸

Rhombophryne sonaliae is a rather well known species from eastern Madagascar that's previously been called R. alluaudi—until we showed in 2019 that the name belonged in fact to a species of Plethodontohyla from southern Madagascar! We dedicated this species to our esteemed colleague Sonali Garg. 🧪🐸

I am thrilled to introduce seven new species of diamond frogs from Madagascar! A new monograph on the genus Rhombophryne published #OpenAccess in Vertebrate Zoology. 🧪🐸 doi.org/10.3897/vz.7...

markscherz.comUnearthing seven new diamond frogs!Seven charming new frogs in the genus Rhombophryne, also known as Diamond Frogs!

This is the culmination of a project I started about twelve years ago. You can read a little about the journey here: www.markscherz.com/archives/6349 🧪🐸

But I want to introduce BlueSky to the seven new species in turn. Let's start with Rhombophryne maraorao. This is a burrowing species from the northeast of Madagascar. The name maraorao means ‘rough to the touch’ in Malagasy, referring to the rough skin of this species. 🧪🐸 📸 F. Andreone

21 July

I am very excited: a paper I have been working on for a very long time, including descriptions of seven new frog species, will be dropping tomorrow apparently! If you are a #SciComm journalist and interested in covering the story, hit me up! 🧪🐸

tetzoo.comSnake Men by Zach St. George — Tetrapod ZoologyA fun, fast-paced new book covers taxonomic vandalism in the reptile world, and one notorious vandal in particular…

13 July

Glorious to be able to watch @criticalrole.bsky.social with Edinburgh Castle as a backdrop!

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Darren Naish

@tetzoo.bsky.social

9 July

New at Tetrapod Zoology.... a brand new book on TAXONOMIC VANDALISM and one notorious vandal in particular... tetzoo.com/blog/2026/7/... #herpetology #snakes #books

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Pasha van Bijlert

@pashavanb.bsky.social

8 July

Had a great time presenting my final PhD chapter yesterday at SEB 2026 in Florence @sebiology.bsky.social Did you miss it, or just want to discuss dinosaur or emu locomotion? Come find me at the conference!

drive.google.comSMBE_2026_Tue_Wed_side_by_side_timeblocks_10pt_compact_consecutive.pdf

5 July

‘Playground’ time with an animal kid

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Pavel Payne

@pavelpayne.bsky.social

30 June

#SMBE2026 I thought maybe this table-layout of the programme might be handy for more of us: drive.google.com/file/d/1tYF3...

Dr Mark D. Scherz reposted

Petra Korlević

@petrathepostdoc.bsky.social

30 June

scientists, you don't need AI for your conference posters, what you need is a lil bird calling a t-rex mommy!

Dr Mark D. Scherz@markscherz.bsky.social

Yesterday I presented what I think was the first conference poster of my career 😅 at #SMBE2026, talking about my ERC StG project on the genomics of miniaturisation in vertebrates—GEMINI. Really happy for the discussions it sparked. Thanks everyone who stopped by! 🧪

30 June

27 June

Incredible. That’s Frankfurt, London, and the Smithsonian all with calls for herpetology curators open at the same time. Unheard of!

Prosanta Chakrabarty@prosanta.bsky.social

Y'all - the Smithsonian is hiring three new curators - herpetology, ichthyology, and ornithology! Notably, this is a 2nd fish curator position - i.e., not the same as the one advertised last month. So if you applied for that one apply again. www.usajobs.gov/job/873849000

academic.oup.comIQ-TREE 3: phylogenomic inference software using complex evolutionary modelsAbstract. IQ-TREE (https://iqtree.github.io/) is a widely used open-source software tool for efficiently inferring phylogenetic trees under maximum likelih

5 June

🧪

naturepoker@binomicalabs.org

Hey IQTree3 paper is out. Bread and butter for tree building anything in my workflow. They have a pretty standout documentation too. 🖥️🧬 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...