New identification manual "Introduction to #Nematodes of the Family Cephalobidae" was released as PDF on my ResearchGate account. Published with Sven Boström with support from @worm-lab.bsky.social and Swedish Museum of Natural History.
October 14, 2025 at 5:56 PM
New identification manual "Introduction to #Nematodes of the Family Cephalobidae" was released as PDF on my ResearchGate account. Published with Sven Boström with support from @worm-lab.bsky.social and Swedish Museum of Natural History.
Sorry for the delay but is was busy here. Collecting beetles, extracting nematodes, keeping cultures alive. I will try to catch up. Here we found a population of chafer grubs heavily infected with a Thelastomatid (Clade 3) Cephalobellus species, new to the Swedish fauna
July 2, 2025 at 5:22 AM
Sorry for the delay but is was busy here. Collecting beetles, extracting nematodes, keeping cultures alive. I will try to catch up. Here we found a population of chafer grubs heavily infected with a Thelastomatid (Clade 3) Cephalobellus species, new to the Swedish fauna
The ForBio/NRM course on the Identification of Soil and Freshwater #Nematodes is taking place in my office/lab at the Swedish Museum of Natural History www.nrm.se. Morning preparation for live display of fixed and live slide mounted nematodes in progress here.
June 4, 2025 at 4:59 PM
The ForBio/NRM course on the Identification of Soil and Freshwater #Nematodes is taking place in my office/lab at the Swedish Museum of Natural History www.nrm.se. Morning preparation for live display of fixed and live slide mounted nematodes in progress here.
An unidentified species of #Caenorhabditis from the Atacama desert in Chile is growing now in my lab :-)
May 14, 2025 at 1:26 PM
An unidentified species of #Caenorhabditis from the Atacama desert in Chile is growing now in my lab :-)
These are the approximate locations of sites I personally visited during four Atacama expeditions in Chile with
@worm-lab.bsky.social during past four years. Some of them we sampled, others - just visited. All in all, we covered a good part of the country.
@worm-lab.bsky.social during past four years. Some of them we sampled, others - just visited. All in all, we covered a good part of the country.
April 18, 2025 at 7:26 PM
These are the approximate locations of sites I personally visited during four Atacama expeditions in Chile with
@worm-lab.bsky.social during past four years. Some of them we sampled, others - just visited. All in all, we covered a good part of the country.
@worm-lab.bsky.social during past four years. Some of them we sampled, others - just visited. All in all, we covered a good part of the country.
And this is the view of Red Chasm dust trap
April 12, 2025 at 2:11 AM
And this is the view of Red Chasm dust trap
This is the view of Tabr dust trap
April 12, 2025 at 2:10 AM
This is the view of Tabr dust trap
But the dust traps are all set up along the Quebrada de Aroma. Hopefully, they will still be there when we come back to collect them several month from now.
April 12, 2025 at 2:03 AM
But the dust traps are all set up along the Quebrada de Aroma. Hopefully, they will still be there when we come back to collect them several month from now.
We also experienced an earthquake and passed by a “yellow alert” level volcano
April 12, 2025 at 1:15 AM
We also experienced an earthquake and passed by a “yellow alert” level volcano
Past few days were not without adventures: twice we had to turn around and go back where we came from, because the roads were impossible to pass, twice we visited the “vulcanizacion”, twice we “fixed” car breaks ourselves, and twice by professionals.
April 12, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Past few days were not without adventures: twice we had to turn around and go back where we came from, because the roads were impossible to pass, twice we visited the “vulcanizacion”, twice we “fixed” car breaks ourselves, and twice by professionals.
Some roads are not marked, and not present on any maps. So for a moment we ended up travelling back in time to somewhere in Paleozoic, with giant horsetails roaming the land
April 7, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Some roads are not marked, and not present on any maps. So for a moment we ended up travelling back in time to somewhere in Paleozoic, with giant horsetails roaming the land
We set up two different types of dust traps along the ”transect”, but here it is difficult to sample along the straight line or at equal distances without using a helicopter
April 7, 2025 at 1:13 AM
We set up two different types of dust traps along the ”transect”, but here it is difficult to sample along the straight line or at equal distances without using a helicopter
Today was spent collecting freshwater nematodes and setting up dust traps along the Quebrada de Aroma, a place we first sampled in October 2022
April 7, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Today was spent collecting freshwater nematodes and setting up dust traps along the Quebrada de Aroma, a place we first sampled in October 2022
Sampling in Atacama is not without dangers. One wrong left turn and you may meet someone you would rather not, right @worm-lab.bsky.social
April 6, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Sampling in Atacama is not without dangers. One wrong left turn and you may meet someone you would rather not, right @worm-lab.bsky.social
Another example of the same Urmenetea atacamensis, but a different beauty, again in the reflected #ultraviolet light taken with a #fullspectrum modified camera and a UV-pass filter
April 5, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Another example of the same Urmenetea atacamensis, but a different beauty, again in the reflected #ultraviolet light taken with a #fullspectrum modified camera and a UV-pass filter
This is the image in the reflected #ultraviolet light taken with a #fullspectrum modified camera and a UV-pass filter (an old hobby of mine), showing the part of the world our vision can not appreciate #sciart
April 5, 2025 at 10:04 PM
This is the image in the reflected #ultraviolet light taken with a #fullspectrum modified camera and a UV-pass filter (an old hobby of mine), showing the part of the world our vision can not appreciate #sciart
Instead, here is a picture of a Urmenetea atacamensis, an endemic plant with interesting properties, native to Northern Chile and Argentina. This is a regular image of a pretty specimen, growing among the vicuña droppings.
April 5, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Instead, here is a picture of a Urmenetea atacamensis, an endemic plant with interesting properties, native to Northern Chile and Argentina. This is a regular image of a pretty specimen, growing among the vicuña droppings.
In addition to freshwater samples, were on a lookout for potential habitats for #cryptobiotic Panagrolaimus and Cephalobidae - this location at 4495 m a.s.l. Is the highest I ever sampled (so far)
April 3, 2025 at 1:06 AM
In addition to freshwater samples, were on a lookout for potential habitats for #cryptobiotic Panagrolaimus and Cephalobidae - this location at 4495 m a.s.l. Is the highest I ever sampled (so far)
And pristine high altitude streams propriatised by vicuñas, like this Rio de Juana
April 3, 2025 at 1:04 AM
And pristine high altitude streams propriatised by vicuñas, like this Rio de Juana
Today we continued sampling both anthropogenically changed streams, like this Rio Salado
April 3, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Today we continued sampling both anthropogenically changed streams, like this Rio Salado
Today’s sampling was focused on freshwater nematodes, so the first sampling site was a stream between Toconao and Talabre, south east of Calama. We will see tomorrow what nematodes live there.
April 1, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Today’s sampling was focused on freshwater nematodes, so the first sampling site was a stream between Toconao and Talabre, south east of Calama. We will see tomorrow what nematodes live there.
And there are rivers, quebradas, lakes, lagunas, and salars with unique fauna of freshwater or salt-tolerant nematodes
April 1, 2025 at 10:26 PM
And there are rivers, quebradas, lakes, lagunas, and salars with unique fauna of freshwater or salt-tolerant nematodes
But there are altiplano and puna, which are arid but still get enough precipitation to sustain a diverse nematode fauna, including a number of new species (there will be a separate thread about it)
April 1, 2025 at 10:24 PM
But there are altiplano and puna, which are arid but still get enough precipitation to sustain a diverse nematode fauna, including a number of new species (there will be a separate thread about it)
@worm-lab.bsky.social and @holovachov.bsky.social are at it again - fourth expedition to the #Atacama desert in Chile started today with the aim to study #nematode dispersal
March 31, 2025 at 6:37 PM
@worm-lab.bsky.social and @holovachov.bsky.social are at it again - fourth expedition to the #Atacama desert in Chile started today with the aim to study #nematode dispersal
