Prof. Dr. M. (Menno) Schilthuizen
Permanent research scientist
- menno.schilthuizen@naturalis.nl
- Phone
- +31 (0)71 5687769
- Room Number
- Van Steenis Gebouw (Einsteinweg 2): A105 + A107
I study the ecological and evolutionary aspects of species-level biodiversity patterns in land snails and beetles (although in the past I have also worked with parasitic wasps, birds, and the bacterial symbiont Wolbachia). I hold a position as research scientist at NCB Naturalis, an endowed chair for Insect Biodiversity at the University of Groningen, and an associate professorship at Leiden University. I also hold a research associateship at the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, where I worked as an associate professor from 2000 until 2006. A list of scientific publications is given below. In addition to my scientific work, I have been active as a popular science writer since 1994, writing on ecology and evolution for Science, ScienceNOW, and Natural History, the Malaysian national newspaper The Star and for several Dutch newspapers and magazines, such as NRC Handelsblad, Bionieuws, de Volkskrant, and Intermediair. I have also written a book on speciation, entitled: Frogs, Flies & Dandelions; the Making of Species (Oxford University Press; translated into French and Dutch) and a book on the ecology of biodiversity, entitled: The Loom of Life: Unravelling Ecosystems (Springer Verlag; translated into Dutch). Most of my articles and columns can be found on the Popular Science pages in English and Dutch.
NEW: My book The Loom of Life is now available in Dutch under the title Waarom Zijn Er Zoveel Soorten?
Research interests
Broadly speaking, my chief research interest has been to understand the causes for evolutionary radiations in groups of related species. Working mainly with terrestrial gastropods and Coleoptera, I use taxonomy, paleontology, phylogenomics, microanatomy, evo-devo approaches (gene expression studies and morphogenetic modeling), and field ecology to build a comprehensive analysis of the evolutionary processes involved in the radiation of the group under study. To facilitate research, I encourage web-based taxonomy initiatives for the groups we work on. For Southeast-Asian gastropods, three Encyclopedia of Life pages have been set up by my PhD student Liew Thor-Seng...
Opisthostoma (fam. Diplommatinidae)
Peninsular Malaysian terrestrial mollusks
...while for Cholevidae beetles, a scratchpad has been set up and maintained by my MSc student Rik Lievers:
Cholevidae (also known as Cholevinae, Catopidae, and Catopinae) Scratchpad
Currently, I am working on the research projects as detailed below. Within each of these, smaller research projects ("stages") for students (Bachelor, Master, or "HBO") are available. I also occasionally help students design a project that is tailor-made to their wishes, provided it fits within one of my research interests. A list of available project synopses can be found here and at Naturalis "Students" page.
Link to the Kinabalu - Crocker Range Expedition page for information on this joint Sabah Parks / NCB Naturalis expedition
The evolution of a brass band
In Southeast Asia, limestone (a calcareous, alkaline habitat) occurs as thousands of small, isolated, and scattered outcrops, surrounded by non-calcareous, mostly acidic substrates. Many groups of terrestrial gastropods occur only on these karsts, where they exhibit as great a morphological diversity as do the instruments in a brass band, including some wonderful shapes, as shown by these Bornean species of Opisthostoma (Diplommatinidae), drawn by Jaap Vermeulen. Many species are endemic to single outcrops, and are sufficiently endangered to have been placed on the IUCN Red List. We are currently exploiting this fauna for studies to understand the diversification of shell shape as well as for community-ecological studies. The former project is run by PhD-student Liew Thor-Seng. Please refer to his homepage for more information on this project. The latter is run by postdoc Heike Kappes.
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More information:
2006 Evolution paper
2011 Contributions to Zoology paper
Liew Thor-Seng's homepage
VPRO Noorderlicht: Video on extinction of limestone microsnails (in Dutch)
Evolution in the backyard
I am working on the classic model species Cepaea (the banded snail) to assess the evolutionary effects of human-induced climate and habitat change. Kick-started by the successful Darwin Year (2009) citizen science project Evolution Megalab, we are running studies in which we resample sites that have been sampled for Cepaea in the past, and, in combination with GIS and climate data, assess and interpret the adaptive changes in morph frequencies. A similar project aims at investigating the evolutionary adaptation of native herbivorous insects to introduced plants. Started in early 2008, the project aims to identify cases of normally oligophagous phytophagous insects that feed on woody plants without related native species (usually, trees and shrubs from other continents and/or genera with no European representatives). Once identified, the populations on the new host plant will be screened for morphometric or genetic differentiation from the population on the native host plant, to look for incipient sympatric speciation. This project is mainly carried out by PhD student Kim Meijer. An information sheet (in Dutch) on the project can be found here. A short video giving an impression of this project can also be viewed.
More information:
Evolution Megalab website (the same, in Dutch)
NCB Naturalis's page on the Evolution Megalab (in Dutch)
Instruction video on YouTube (in Dutch)
The PLoS ONE paper
Left Hand, Right Hand
Chirality is the phenomenon that, like hands, asymmetric objects can come in two mirror-image forms. Many organs and entire organisms are asymmetric. However, in most species, only one of the two mirror-images actually exists. In snails, for example, almost all species are entirely clockwise or anti-clockwise coiled. Rarely do both mirror-image forms occur mixed in the same population (a situation known as 'antisymmetry'). I am working on understanding the causes for this rarity of antisymmetry and the causes for antisymmetry when it does occur, in various groups of organisms, notably Amphidromus treesnails and insect genitalia. Within this project, postdoc Masaki Hoso is working on the mutual adaptation of clockwise and anticlockwise coiling snails and the snail-eating snakes that prey on them.
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More information:
Interview on Noorderlicht Nieuws (in Dutch)
Journal of Evolutionary Biology paper
Masaki Hoso's homepage
Publications
Naturalis Repository
1. Research papers
Groenenberg, D.S.J., W. Pirovano, E. Gittenberger & M. Schilthuizen, 2012. The complete mitogenome of Cylindrus obtusus (Helicidae, Ariantinae) using Illumina next generation sequencing. BMC Genomics, 13: 114. (FREE ONLINE)
Schilthuizen, M., M. Haase, K. Koops, S.M. Looijestijn & S. Hendrikse, 2012. The ecology of shell shape difference in chirally dimorphic snails. Contributions to Zoology, 81: 95-101.
Webster, N.B., T. Van Dooren & M. Schilthuizen, 2012. Phylogenetic reconstruction and shell evolution of the Diplommatinidae (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 63: 625-638.
Schilthuizen, M. & B.J. van Heuven, 2011. Dextral and sinistral Amphidromus inversus snails produce dextral sperm. Zoomorphology, 130: 283-287.
Ozgo, M. & M. Schilthuizen, 2011. Evolutionary change in Cepaea nemoralis shell colour over a 43-year period. Global Change Biology, 18: 74-81.Hoekstra, P. & M. Schilthuizen, 2011. Phylogenetic relationships between isolated populations of the limestone-dwelling microsnail Gyliotrachela hungerfordiana. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 49: 266-272.
Silvertown, J., Cook, L., Cameron, R., Dodd, M., McConway, K., Worthington, J., Skelton, P., Anton, C., Bossdorf, O., Baur, B., Schilthuizen, M., Fontaine, B., Sattmann, H., Bertorelle, G., Correia, M., Oliveira, C., Pokryszko, B., Ożgo, M., Stalažs, A., Gill, E., Rammul, U., Sólymos, P., Féher, Z., Juan, X. (2011). Citizen science reveals unexpected continental-scale evolutionary change in a model organism. PLoS ONE. (FREE ONLINE)
Schilthuizen, M., C. Scholte, R.E.J. van Wijk, J. Dommershuijzen, D. van der Horst, M. Meijer zu Schlochtern, R. Lievers & D.J. Groenenberg, 2011. Using DNA-barcoding to make the necrobiont beetle family Cholevidae accessible for forensic entomology. Forensic Science International, 210: 91-95.
Schilthuizen, M. & M. Haase, 2010. Disentangling true shape differences and experimenter bias: are dextral and sinistral snail shells exact mirror images? Journal of Zoology, 282: 191-200. (FREE ONLINE)Liew, T.S., M. Schilthuizen & M. bin Lakim, 2009. The determinants of land snail diversity along a tropical altitudinal gradient: insularity, geometry, and niches. Journal of Biogeography, 37: 1071-1078.
Liew, T.S., M. Schilthuizen & J.J. Vermeulen, 2009. Systematic Revision of the Genus Everettia Godwin-Austen, 1891 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Dyakiidae) in Sabah, Northern Borneo. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 157: 515-550.
Sheldon, F.H., J. Nail, M. Lakim, A. Tuuga, P. Malim, J. Majuakim, A. Lo, M. Schilthuizen, P.A. Hosner & R.G. Moyle, 2009. Observations on the distribution, ecology, and systematics of forest birds in Sabah, Malaysia. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 57: 577-586.
Schilthuizen, M. & S. Looijestijn, 2009. The sexology of the chirally dimorphic snail species Amphidromus inversus. Malacologia 51: 379-387.
Clements, R., T.S. Liew, M. Schilthuizen & J.J. Vermeulen, 2008. Further twists in gastropod shell evolution. Biology Letters, 4: 179-182.
Clements, R., X.X. Lu, S. Ambu, M. Schilthuizen & C. Bradshaw, 2008. Using biogeographical patterns of endemic land snails to improve conservation planning for limestone karsts. Biological Conservation, 141: 2751-2764.
Liew, T.S., R. Clements & M. Schilthuizen, 2008. Sampling micromolluscs in tropical forests: one size does not fit all. Zoosymposia, 1: 271-280.
Gomes, S.R., J.B. Picanço, M. Schilthuizen & J.W. Thomé, 2008. An endemic Veronicellid from Sundaland: redescription of Valiguna flava (Heynemann, 1885) (Gastropoda, Soleolifera). The Veliger, 50: 163-170.
Haase, M. & M. Schilthuizen, 2007. A new Georissa (Gastropoda, Neritopsida, Hydrocenidae) from a limestone cave in Malaysian Borneo. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 73: 215-221.
Benedick, S., T.A. White, J.B. Searle, K.C. Hamer, Nazirah Mustaffa, Chey Vun Khen, Maryati Mohamed, M. Schilthuizen & J.K. Hill, 2007. Impacts of habitat fragmentation on genetic diversity in a tropical forest butterfly on Borneo. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 23: 623-634, doi: 10.1017/S0266467407004543
Blakemore, R.J., C. Csuzdi, M.T. Ito, N. Kaneko, T. Kawaguchi, T. & M. Schilthuizen, 2007. Taxonomic status and ecology of Oriental Pheretima darnleiensis (Fletcher, 1886) and other earthworms (Oligochaeta : Megascolecidae) from Mt Kinabalu, Borneo. Zootaxa, 1613: 23-44.
Schilthuizen, M., P.G. Craze, A.S. Cabanban, A. Davison, E. Gittenberger, J. Stone & B.J. Scott, 2007. Sexual selection maintains whole-body chiral dimorphism. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 20: 1941-1949. (FREE ONLINE)
Schilthuizen, M., A. van Til, M. Salverda, T.-S. Liew, S.S. James, B. Elahan & J.J. Vermeulen, 2006. Micro-allopatric divergence in a snail associated with behavioural differences in its predator. Evolution, 60: 1851-1858.
Craze, P.G., B. Elahan & M. Schilthuizen, 2006. Spatial ecology of opposite shell-coiling morphs in a tropical land snail. Ecography, 29: 477-486.
Benedick, S., J.K. Hill, Nazirah Mustaffa, Chey Vun Khen, Maryati Mohamed, J.B. Searle, M. Schilthuizen & K. C. Hamer, 2006. Impacts of rain forest fragmentation on butterflies in northern Borneo: species richness, turnover and the value of small fragments. Journal of Applied Ecology, 43: 967-977.
Uit de weerd, D.R., D.S.J. Groenenberg, M. Schilthuizen & E. Gittenberger, 2006. Reproductive character displacement by inversion of coiling in clausiliid snails (Gastropoda, Pulmonata). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 88:155-164.
Schilthuizen, M. B.J. Scott, A.S. Cabanban & P.G. Craze, 2005. Population structure and coil dimorphism in a tropical land snail. Heredity, 95: 216-220.
Moyle, R., M. Schilthuizen, M. Abdul Rahman, & F.H. Sheldon, 2005. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the White-crowned forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti) in Borneo. Journal of Avian Biology, 36: 96-101.
Schilthuizen, M., T.-S. Liew, B. Elahan & I. Lackman-Ancrenaz, 2005. Effects of karst forest degradation on Pulmonate and Prosobranch land snail communities in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Conservation Biology, 19: 949-954.
Schilthuizen, M., A.S. Cabanban & M. Haase, 2005. Possible speciation with gene flow in tropical cave snails. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 43: 133-138.
Charlat, S., E.A. Hornett, E.A. Dyson, P.H.Y. Ho, N.T. Loc, M. Schilthuizen, N. Davies, G.K. Roderick & G.D.D. Hurst, 2005. Is extreme male-killer prevalence a local or common event in the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina? A survey across Indo-Pacific populations. Molecular Ecology, 14: 3525-3530.
Schilthuizen, M., E. Gutteling, F.W. Welter-Schultes, C.H.M. van Moorsel, M. Haase & E. Gittenberger, 2004. Phylogeography of the land snail Albinaria hippolyti from Crete, based on ITS-1 sequences. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 83: 317-326.
Schilthuizen, M., H.-N. Chai, T.E. Kimsin & J.J. Vermeulen, 2003. Abundance and diversity of land snails on limestone in Borneo. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 51: 35-42.Schilthuizen, M., M.I.F. Teräväinen, Noor Faezamoltha Kartini Tawith, Hamidah Ibrahim, Sim Mei Chea, Chong Pow Chuan, Leonardo Jeffery Daim, Amirzaidi Jubaidi, Mohammed Juni Madjapuni, Muhafizar Sabeki & Adnan Mokhtar, 2002. Microsnails at microscales in Borneo: distributions of Prosobranchia versus Pulmonata. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 68: 259-262.
Schilthuizen, M. & H.A. Rutjes, 2001. Land snail diversity in a square kilometre of tropical rainforest in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 67: 417-423.
Schilthuizen, M., R.F. Hoekstra & E. Gittenberger, 2001. The “rare allele phenomenon” in a ribosomal spacer. Molecular Ecology, 10: 1341-1345.
Schilthuizen, M., R.F. Hoekstra & E. Gittenberger, 1999. Selective increase of a rare haplotype in a land snail hybrid zone. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 266: 2181-2185.
Schilthuizen, M., J.J. Vermeulen, G.W.H. Davison & E. Gittenberger, 1999. Population structure in a snail species from isolated Malaysian limestone hills, inferred from ribosomal DNA sequences. Malacologia 41: 271-284.
Schilthuizen, M. & R. Stouthamer, 1998. Distribution of Wolbachia among an assemblage associated with the parthenogenetic gall wasp Diplolepis rosae. Heredity, 81: 270-274.
Schilthuizen, M., J. Honda & R. Stouthamer, 1998. The parthenogenesis‑inducing Wolbachia in a Californian Trichogramma species originates from a single infection. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 91: 410-414.Schilthuizen, M. & E. Gittenberger, 1998. Screening mollusks for Wolbachia infection. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 71: 268-270.
Schilthuizen, M., G. Nordlander, J.J.M. van Alphen & R. Stouthamer, 1998. Morphological and molecular phylogenetics in the genus Leptopilina (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Eucoilidae). Systematic Entomology, 23: 253-264.
Schilthuizen, M. & R. Stouthamer, 1997. Horizontal transmission of parthenogenesis‑inducing symbionts in Trichogramma. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, series B, 264: 361-366.
Schilthuizen, M. E. Gittenberger & A. Gultyaev, 1995. Phylogenetic relationships inferred from the sequence and secondary structure of ITS1 rRNA in Albinaria and putative Isabellaria species (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Clausiliidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 4: 457‑462.
Schilthuizen, M. & M. Lombaerts, 1995. Life on the edge: a hybrid zone in Albinaria hippolyti from Crete. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 54: 111‑138.
Schilthuizen, M., 1995. A comparative study of hybrid zones in the polytypic land snail Albinaria hippolyti (Pulmonata: Clausiliidae). Netherlands Journal of Zoology, 45: 261‑290.Schilthuizen, M. & E. Gittenberger, 1994. Parallel evolution of an sAat "hybrizyme" in hybrid zones in Albinaria hippolyti (Boettger). Heredity, 73: 244‑248.
Huis, A. van, P.W. Arendse, M. Schilthuizen, P.P. Wiegers, H. Heering, M. Hulshof & N.K. Kaashoek, 1994. Uscana lariophaga, egg parasitoid of bruchid beetle storage pests of cowpea in West Africa: the effect of temperature and humidity. Entomologia applicata et experimentalis, 70: 41‑53.
Schilthuizen, M., Th.C.M. Kemperman & E. Gittenberger, 1994. Parasites and predators in Albinaria (Gastropoda Pulmonata: Clausiliidae). Bios (Macedonia, Greece), 2: 177‑186.Schilthuizen, M., 1994. Reproductive isolation in snails of the genus Albinaria. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 52: 317‑324.
Schilthuizen, M. & M. Lombaerts, 1994. Population structure and levels of gene flow in the Mediterranean land snail Albinaria corrugata (Pulmonata: Clausiliidae). Evolution, 48: 577‑586.
2. Book chapters
Schilthuizen, M. & B.J. Scott, 2003. Allopatric speciation: not so simple after all. Book chapter in Evolution: From Molecules to Ecosystems (A. Moya & E. Font, eds.). Oxford University Press.
3. Opinion papers and (book) reviews
Schilthuizen, M. & Y. Lammers, 2013. Hybrid zones, barrier loci and the 'rare allele phenomenon'. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 26: 288-290.
Schilthuizen, M. & B. Gravendeel, 2012. Left-right asymmetry in plants and animals: a gold mine for research. Contributions to Zoology, 81: 75-78.
Schilthuizen, M., 2011. Lopsided love. New Scientist, 2817: 42-45.
Schilthuizen, M., M.C.W.G. Giesbers & L.W. Beukeboom, 2011. Haldane's Rule in the 21st century. Heredity, 107: 95-102.
Schilthuizen, M., 2011. Community ecology of tropical forest snails: 30 years after Solem. Contributions to Zoology, 80: 1-15. (FREE ONLINE)
Schilthuizen, M., N. Raes, P. Linder, K. Triantis, J.M. Fernandez-Palacios & R.J. Whittaker, 2010. Evolutionary islands: 150 years after Darwin. Journal of Biogeography, 37: 983.
Schilthuizen, M., 2007. The evolution of chirally dimorphic insect genitalia. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 150: 347-354.
Clements, R., N.S. Sodhi, M. Schilthuizen & P. Ng, 2006. Karsts of Southeast Asia: neglected and imperiled arks of biodiversity. BioScience, 56: 733-742.
Schilthuizen, M., 2006. After the Sarawak Law: evolutionary biology in Borneo since 1855. Borneo Research Bulletin, 36: 200-212.Schilthuizen, M. & A. Davison, 2005. The convoluted evolution of snail chirality. Naturwissenschaften, 92: 504-515.
Schilthuizen, M., 2005. The darting game in snails and slugs. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 20: 581-584.
Schilthuizen, M., 2005. On the origin of reproductive isolation. BioEssays, 27: 669-670.Schilthuizen, M., R.F. Hoekstra & E. Gittenberger, 2004. Hybridization, rare alleles, and adaptive radiation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 19: 404-405.
Schilthuizen, M., 2004. Southwood's Kaleidoscope. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 17: 931-932.
Schilthuizen, M. 2004. Land snail conservation in Borneo: limestone outcrops act as arks. Journal of Conchology Special Publications, 3: 149-154.
Schilthuizen, M., 2004. A unique life. Science, 305: 39. (on Ernst Mayr's death)
Schilthuizen, M., 2004. Rats tell Polynesian story. Science, 304: 1742.
Schilthuizen, M., 2004. Borneo jungle vanishing. Science, 303: 952. (on deforestation of Borneo's rainforests)
Schilthuizen, M., 2004. A Paradox to Everyone but Himself. Natural History, 113: 58-62. (on Alfred Russel Wallace)
Schilthuizen, M., 2003. Sexual selection on land snail shell ornamentation: a hypothesis that may explain shell diversity. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2003, 3: 13. (FREE ONLINE; HIGHLY ACCESSED)
Schilthuizen, M., 2003. Forest ecologists go mega. Science, 300: 1872. (on the Malua biodiversity experiment in Sabah)
Schilthuizen, M., 2002. Mollusca: an evolutionary cornucopia. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 17: 8-9.
Schilthuizen, M., 2002. A grand old synthesizer's overview. Science, 295: 50.
Schilthuizen, M., 2002. Caution: species crossing. Natural History, 111: 62-71.
Schilthuizen, M., 2002. The unselfish genome--the case for cooperating genes. Natural History, 111: 68-69.
Schilthuizen, M., 2001. Dutch ecology under attack. Science, 292: 1055.
Schilthuizen, M., 2001. Long-lost bird raises its head. Science, 291: 2309.
Schilthuizen, M., 2000. Bimodal hybrid zones and the scale of a snail. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 15: 469.
Schilthuizen, M., 2000. Ecotone--speciation prone. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 15: 130-131.
Schilthuizen, M., 2000. Dualism and conflicts in understanding speciation. BioEssays, 22: 1134-1141.
Schilthuizen, M., 1999. Eating like a bird after bad grub. Science, 285: 1845.
Schilthuizen, M., 1999. Synchronised sex; how a jolt to the body clock can drive evolution. New Scientist, 161: 15
Schilthuizen, M., 1999. Cloning Odysseus and the seed of speciation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 14: 90-91.
Hurst, G.D.D. & M. Schilthuizen, 1998. Selfish genetic elements and speciation. Heredity, 80: 2-8.
4. Selected taxonomic and faunistic papers and books
Das, I. & M. Schilthuizen, 2011. Asthenodipsas malaccanus (Malaysan Slug Snake) diet. Herpetological Review, 42: 610-611.
Schilthuizen, M. J.J. Vermeulen & Maklarin Lakim, 2011. The land and mangrove snail fauna of the islands of Banggi and Balambangan (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation, 8: 1-7.
Schilthuizen, M. & T.-S. Liew, 2008. The slugs and semislugs of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo (Gastropoda, Pulmonata: Veronicellidae, Rathouisiidae, Ariophantidae, Limacidae, Philomycidae) . Basteria, 72: 287-306.
Schilthuizen, M. & H.J. Vallenduuk, 1998. Kevers op Kadavers. Wetenschappelijke Mededelingen KNNV, 222: 1-150.
Schilthuizen, M., F.W. Welter‑Schultes & V. Wiese, 1993. A revision of the polytypic Albinaria hippolyti (Boettger, 1878) from Crete (Gastropoda Pulmonata: Clausiliidae). Zoologische Mededelingen, Leiden, 67: 137‑157.Gittenberger, E. & M. Schilthuizen, 1992. The earliest name in Albinaria Vest clarified after two centuries. Basteria, 56: 159-161.
Schilthuizen, M. & E. Gittenberger, 1991. A new Albinaria species from Central Crete (Gastropoda Pulmonata: Clausiliidae). Basteria, 55: 111‑114.
Schilthuizen, M. & E. Gittenberger, 1990. Zur Formenbildung und Verbreitung der Albinaria‑Arten von Kreta; neue Taxa der "Gruppe der candida" (Gastropoda Pulmonata: Clausiliidae). Basteria, 54: 131‑142.
Schilthuizen, M., 1990. A revision of Choleva agilis (Illiger, 1798) and related species (Coleoptera: Staphylinoidea: Cholevidae). Zoologische Mededelingen, Leiden, 64: 121‑153.
5. Popular articles
Below are links to a small selection of popular science articles I have written. See the "Popular Science Writing" page for full-text content of my more than 220 newspaper and magazine articles in Dutch and in English.
Synchronised sex; how a jolt to the body clock can drive evolution (16 January 1999)
When the biological clocks of males and females are out of sync, their sex lives suffer. Or at least it does if they are melon flies, Japanese entomologists have found. They say that differences in daily rhythms might even promote the evolution of new species...
A Paradox to Everyone but Himself (September 2004)
Last month my students and I took a field trip to a small forest reserve a couple of miles from our university campus in Malaysian Borneo. Slip-sliding down a steep jungle path, clutching the soggy stems of wild yams in a futile attempt to stay upright, we collapsed into a pebbly streambed...
Dutch ecology under attack (Science, 292: 1055)
In a cost-saving move, Leiden University in the Netherlands has proposed excising five sections--including two internationally prominent research groups...
The race for solid semen (24 November 2003)
Chimps are the most notorious swingers among the great apes. Their wanton sex lives, in which males compete to impregnate females, have led males to evolve huge testicles, three times the size of humans'...
Miljoenen torren wachten aan Zwitserse grens (17 augustus 1996)
Eén document moet er nog worden getekend, dan verhuist de befaamde kevercollectie-Frey van Duitsland naar Zwitserland. De strijd in de familie Frey is beslecht...
Gepassioneerd zoeker naar de waarheid (19 januari 1996)
Hij geldt als een van de grootste biologen van deze eeuw en op zijn vijfenzeventigste heeft hij nog niets van zijn scherpte verloren: de Britse evolutiebioloog John Maynard Smith. 'Sinds mijn vijftiende besef ik dat ik slechts het produkt van natuurlijke selectie ben. En ik ben daar gelukkig mee.'...
Wormen (16 februari 1995)
'Mensen, houdt die wurm goed onder water, anders droogt uw preparaat uit en dan kunt u het weggooien', schalt de stem van Gerrit Anker door de luidsprekers...
Menno Schilthuizen is ziek van geesten (15 oktober 2004)
Een doordeweekse namiddag een tijdje geleden. Het is buiten al aan het schemeren en dan ineens: grote consternatie op de gang van het instituut. Firdaus heeft een spook gezien!...
De ring gebroken (20 november 2004)
De ringsoort van het zilvermeeuw-complex. Hele generaties biologen zijn ermee opgegroeid, maar na DNA-analyse blijkt dit schoolvoorbeeld van de evolutiebiologie niet te kloppen. "Er blijft helemaal niks van over."...
Giants of the mountain (17 August 2004)
Legend has it that a giant dragon dwells on the summit of Mount Kinabalu. Kinabalu, at 4,095 m the tallest peak in Southeast Asia, is climbed by thousands of hikers each year, and the dragon remains undiscovered...
Sunday, March 17, 2013