Beside the molluscs collection our team is also responsible for the collections of Foraminifera, Porifera, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Plathelminthes, Nemathelminthes, Annelida, Sipuncula, Bryozoa, Arachnida, Diplopoda, Chilopoda, Crustacea, Echinodermata, and Tunicata.
Our research contributes to the Research Field Biodiversity and Systematics.
Our main research is on the systematics and taxonomy of Palaearctic lymnaeid freshwater snails (Gastropoda: Basommatophora: Lymnaeidae). The shells of many species, especially members of the genus Radix, show a high intraspecific variability. This may blur the species limits and makes identification using shell morphology nearly impossible. Lymnaeid freshwater snails are important intermediate hosts in the life cycles of many pathogens (for example in fasciolosis, bilharziosis, opistharchiasis). Therefore, reliable identification is important not only to malacologists but also to parasitologists. Anatomical features of the reproduction system seem to be the most reliable characters for species differentiation. The morphological survey of this internal character complex is corroborated by molecular studies to clarify species limits.
Another part of our investigations in Saxony is the survey of the arthropod fauna in selected areas. Beside the Dresdner Heide the main focal point at the moment is the Königsbrücker Heide a wilderness area in the Western Upper Lusatia.
The mollusc collection houses approximately 1 million specimens of Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Cephalopoda, Polyplacophora, and Scaphopoda. The collected specimens are listed in the collection database AQUiLA.
The material originates from world-wide distributed localities with a special focus on Central Europe, South East Asia, the Russian Far East, Western Africa, and the Caribbean.
Historical important material is that of Theodor & Paul Reibisch (Dresden), Kurt Büttner (Zwickau), and Arthur Schlechter (Kamenz), which provides the probably most important archive of Saxonian land- and freshwater molluscs, completed by a substantial collection of freshwater pearl mussels.
An important part of our collection is comprised by that of Hermann Eduard Anton from Halle. In 1838, he described a number of new species in the publication of his inventory. The collection was regarded lost for a long time. Since 1995, publications on the type material are being published.
Within the diverse material of our section there are also some specimens of the collection of Rudolph Leuckart (parasites and marine species). This includes type material, e.g. of the sea pen Kophobelemnon leuckartii (Kölliker, 1872) as well as of the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis (Leuckart, 1863).
Reimann, A. (2025): Die Lonchaeidae (Diptera) Sachsens. – Entomologische Nachrichten und Berichte 69 (3): 375-381.
Reimann, A. (2025): Nachweise von Webspinnen (Araneae) und Weberknechten (Opiliones) aus der Dresdner Heide. – MSE-Online 2025-16: 1-14.
Reimann, A. & MacGowan, I. (2025): A new species of Lonchaeidae (Diptera) from Europe. –
Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 161: 241-246.
Reimann, A., Stuke, J.-H. & Doczkal, D. (2025): Checkliste der Zitterfliegen Deutschlands (Diptera: Pallopteridae). Version: 16.Januar 2025. – Catalogus dipterorum Germaniae 40: 1-13.
Reimann, A., Stuke, J.-H. (2025): Neue Funde von Lanzenfliegen aus Niedersachsen und Bremen (Diptera, Lonchaeidae). – Entomologische Nachrichten und Berichte 69: 104-107.
Stuke, J.-H., Reimann, A., Grossmann, A., Stark, A., Thomas-Cabianca, A., Ssymank, A., Grundmann, B., Kehlmaier, C., Kuhlisch, C., Markwardt, D., Werner, D., Drews, F., Kampen, H., Enß, J., Heller, K., Grabow, K., Jentzsch, M., Kracht, M., Tschirnhaus, M.v., & Heiss, R. (2025): Funde von Zweiflüglern (Diptera) während der 39. Tagung des Arbeitskreises Diptera auf Norderney (Niedersachsen) vom 21.–23. Juni 2024. – Berichte aus dem Nationalpark und der Biosphärenregion Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer 2025–01:1-60.
Reimann, A. (2024): Zur Fliegenfauna der Dresdner Heide – Schwebfliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae). – MSE-Online 2024-12: 1-25.
Reimann, A. (2024): Zur Fliegenfauna der Dresdner Heide – Waffenfliegen (Diptera; Stratiomyidae). – MSE-Online 2024-16: 1-9.
Kehlmaier, C., Schäfer, M., Reimann, A. & Ares, A. M. (2024): New host records of West Palaearctic spider flies (Diptera: Acroceridae) – Integrative Systematics 7 (1): 49–57. [DOI: 10.18476/2024.479160]
Stuke, J.-H., Pont, A., Reimann, A., Grossmann, A., Ssymank, A., Grundmann, B., Rulik, B., Kehlmaier, C., Lange, C., Kuhlisch, C., Enns, D., Whitmore, D., Markwardt, D., Werner, D., Drews, F., Geller-Grimm, F., Krüger, H. T., Ziegler, J., Kappert, J., Timaeus, L., Ristow, M., Fahldiek, M., Beuk, P., Heiss, R., van der Weele, R. (2024): Funde von Zweiflüglern während der 38. Tagung des Arbeitskreises Diptera im Naturpark Solling-Vogler (Niedersachsen) vom 16.–18. Juni 2023 (Diptera). – Entomologische Zeitschrift 134: 151–170.
Stuke, J.-H., Jentzsch, M. & Reimann, A. (2024): Checkliste der Käsefliegen
Deutschlands (Diptera: Piophilidae). Version: 30. April 2024. ‒ Catalogus dipterorum Germaniae 20: 1–14. [DOI: 10.20363/CdG.Piophilidae.2024.iv.30]
Reimann, A. & Rulik, B. (2024): The Lonchaeidae (Diptera) of the GBOL project, with the description of a new Priscoearomyia species. – Contributions to Entomology 74 (2), 165–179. [DOI: 10.3897/contrib.entomol.74.e12709]
Kehlmaier, C., Drews, F., Fahldieck, M., Heimburg, H., Heller, K., Jaume-Schinkel, S., Jentzsch, M., Jessat, M., Kampen, H., Markwardt, D., Reimann, A., Rulik, B., Stuke, J.-H., von Tschirnhaus, M., van der Weele, R. & Werner, D. 2023: Nachweise von Zweiflüglern (Diptera) während der 37. Tagung des Arbeitskreises Diptera 2022 in Landsweiler-Reden (Saarland, Deutschland). Abh. DELATTINIA 48: 195–227.
Haldemann, R. & Schniebs, K. 2023: Zum Verbleib der Sammlung ROBERT HALDEMANN. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft 108: 49.
Kehlmaier, C., Heiss, R., Hoffeins, C., Hoffeins, H.W., Jaschhof, M., Menzel, F., Nielsen, F., Nuss, M., Reimann, A., Schniebs, K. & Stark, A. In memoriam UWE KALLWEIT (1957-2022). Studia dipterologica 24(2) 2017: 143-154.
Faber, M.J. & Schniebs, K. 2022: Types specimens of Recent molluscs described by Anton (1838) 9. Rissooidea (Gastropoda). Miscellanea Malacologica 9(2): 25–28.
Schniebs, K., Sitnikova, T.Ya., Vinarski, M.V., Müller, A., Khanaev, I.V. & Hundsdoerfer, A.K. 2022: Morphological and genetic variability in Radix auricularia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) of Lake Baikal, Siberia: The story of an unfinished invasion into the ancient deepest lake. Diversity 14, 527.
MacGowan, I. & Reimann, A. 2021: A new species of Protearomyia (Diptera, Lonchaeidae) with a review of the genus in the Palearctic. Zootaxa 4966 (4): 487-493
Reinicke, G.-B., Schniebs, K. & Danker-Carstensen, P. 2021: Provenienz und Inventur der „Sammlung J. Sprick“ von Land- und Süßwasser-Conchylien aus Deutschland und Polen im Deutschen Meeresmuseum Stralsund. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft 104: 1-10.
Mengual, X., Bot, S., Chkhartishvili, T., Reimann, A., Thormann, J., von der Mark, L. (2020) Checklist of hover flies (Diptera, Syrphidae) of the Republic of Georgia. ZooKeys 916: 1–123.
Schniebs, K., Bössneck, U. & Hundsdoerfer, A. K. 2020: On the identity of Radix peregra (O. F. Müller) (Gastropoda: Basommatophora: Lymnaeidae) in the Azores. Journal of Conchology 43(5): 531-541.
Thormann, J., Ahrens, D., Anderson, C., Astrin, J. J., Mumladze, L., Rulik, B., Tarkhnishvili, D., Espeland, M., Geiger, M., Hein, N., Iankoshvili, G., Karalashvili, E., Mengual, X., Morkel, C., Neiber, M. T., Peters, R. S., Reimann, A., Ssymank, A., Wesener, T., Ziegler, J. & Misof, B. (2019) A prelude to the Caucasus Barcode of Life Platform (CaBOL): Biodiversity Days in Georgia in 2018 and 2019. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (2): 275–296.
Mumladze, L., Bikashvili, A., Kachlishvili, N., Grego, J., Japoshvili, B., Schniebs, K., Vinarski, M., Falniowski, A. & Palatov, D. 2019: progress towards research and conservation of Georgian freshwater molluscs. Tentacle 27:7-10.
Schniebs, Glöer, P., Vinarski, M., Beran, L. & Hundsdoerfer, A. K. 2019: Intraspecific morphological and genetic variability in the Palaearctic freshwater snail Radix ampla (Hartmann, 1821) (Gastropoda: Basommatophora: Lymnaeidae). Journal of Conchology 43(3): 245-267.
Wintergerst, J. & Reimann, A. 2019: Schwebfliegennachweise (Diptera, Syrphidae) aus der Dresdner Heide. Sächsische Entomologische Zeitschrift 9 [2016/2017]: 82-96.
Schniebs, K., Glöer, P., Quinonero-Salgado, S., Lopez-Soriano, J. & Hundsdoerfer, A.K. 2018: The first record of Galba cubensis (L. Pfeiffer, 1839) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) from open fields of Europe. Folia Malacologica 26(1): 3-15.
Schniebs, K. 2018: Bericht über die 53. Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft vom 6. bis 9. Juni 2014 in Meißen (Freistaat Sachsen) mit Nachweis von Mediterranea inopinata (Ulicny, 1887). Mitteilungen der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft 99: 51-60.
Türkay, M., Fritz, U., Schmitt, T., Xylander, W., Ernst, R., Kallweit, U., Klass, K.-D., Nuss, M., Päckert, M., Schmidt, C., Reimann, A., Schniebs, K., Stefen, C., Weck-Heimann, A. & Zarske, A. 2018: Frankfurt, Dresden, Görlitz, Müncheberg: Senckenberg: Its zoological collections and their histories. In: Beck, L.A. Zoological collections of Germany, Natural History Collections. Springer: 317-371.