Mariella Herberstein (she/her) 🌈
@mherberstein.bsky.social
I am a behavioural ecologist working with spiders. I recently moved from Macquarie University (Sydney) to the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Hamburg.
We just released a new open resource for studying evolution, ecology, colour, behaviour & biodiversity. OzButterflies 🦋 ✨ 4,000+ individuals 🌈 Visible + UV images 🧬 CO1 barcodes 📈 Spectral reflectance data 🏞️ 125 species doi.org/10.1093/data... @mherberstein.bsky.social @livuni-ives.bsky.social
Congrats to @monashbiol.bsky.social @jackmanera.bsky.social for receiving a best oral presentation award at #ISBE2026. #BobWongLab
Meet the people behind those yellow t-shirts! 💛 With endless enthusiasm, dedication and countless hours of hard work our LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITEE made this extraordinary week possible!
ISBE2026 has come to an end! Over the past week we've shared exciting science, inspiring discussions, and started new collaborations. We hope all our delegates leave Turin energized by the unique atmosphere that only this city can offer, with fresh perspectives and lasting memories of ISBE2026.
OzButterflies – a high quality open database of multispectral images and spectra of tropical to temperate Australian butterflies academic.oup.com/database/art...
OzButterflies – a high quality open database of multispectral images and spectra of tropical to temperate Australian butterflies
Abstract. Butterflies have been a model system for studying the evolution of colour. This is partly due to their complex patterns that reflect human-visibl
academic.oup.com
Free afternoon on wednesday! Delegates enjoying volley on the beach and frisbee tournaments
Ready to welcome you today at 4:00 PM at Lingotto Congress Centre! 🚇 METRO LINGOTTO. Exit towards Lingotto Fiere / Congress Centre. ⬆️ Take the stairs up to Via Nizza 🚶 Walk straight, keeping the Lingotto building on your right. 👀 Look for our banner—you’ll spot the entrance! See you soon!
After a Sunday filled with smiles, laughter, and a warm welcome we're ready to kick off the scientific program today! Welcome to everyone joining us, and let's make it a fantastic start!
Having a great time @isbe2026.bsky.social thanks for organising such a great conference
I just received over email the programme that @isbe2026.bsky.social has prepared for the children who will be using the daycare service during the conference! 🤩 BIG thanks to ISBE and the other scientific societies which have come this far to improve inclusivity at their scientific meetings 🙌🏽
Sid The Science Kid and Friends Dancing
ALT: Sid The Science Kid and Friends Dancing
static.klipy.com
Conference participants: don’t forget to fill out the form for ISBE SOCIAL EVENTS Your input helps us organize the best possible social program during the conference week and plan activities that match your interests. ➡️Check your mailbox, you’ll find the link to the form in our latest email!
The unusual food provisioning by males beyond mating in the spider Manogea porracea (Araneidae) #PreyOfferings #Spider doi.org/10.1093/behe...
Fighter–pilot parents: relationships of nest defense with species, nest stage, and brood quality #NestDefense #birds #OffspringTraits doi.org/10.1093/behe...
📢 Check out the new issue of Behavioral Ecology: Volume 37, issue 3 (May/June 2026) ➡️ academic.oup.com/beheco/issue... #AnimalBehavior #Ecology #Behaviour
Join us in shaping the future of ornithological collections and research! We're looking for a Curator of Ornithology in Hamburg to help advance collection-based biodiversity science, research infrastructure, and long-term knowledge on birds worldwide 🐦🌍
Mariella Herberstein (she/her) 🌈@mherberstein.bsky.social · 2mo agoWe are hiring a curator for the ornithology section at the @leibnizlib.bsky.social in Hamburg. Please apply or share: www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/careers/j...
We are hiring a curator for the ornithology section at the @leibnizlib.bsky.social in Hamburg. Please apply or share: www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/careers/j...
Leibniz Association: Detail
leibniz-gemeinschaft.de
Spiders wriggling their butt - What more could you ask for???
Daniela Rößler@roesslerdaniela.bsky.social · 2mo ago🚨 TWERK ALERT 🚨 New publication from @sleeblab.bsky.social ! This was a very fun project to write up, co-lead by @nadjageiger.bsky.social and Chiara Hirschkorn. If you are interested why these spiders might bob their abdomen: link.springer.com/article/10.1... (Short thread following soon)
Great collaboration with @samjakeengland.bsky.social ♥️
Sam England@samjakeengland.bsky.social · 3mo agoOut today in @royalsocietypublishing.org - we show that crab spiders (the ones you usually see ambushing pollinators on flowers 🕷️🌸) get worse at hunting if their eyes are covered!🫣 Sounds obvious? It's actually quite surprising, here's why... 👀 (1/8) royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
Even more! When we look at the brains of the spiders, we find that they also haven't invested very much in the parts that process visual information 🧠👀 (Yes, spider central nervous systems look a bit like rubber ducks lol 🦆)... (5/8)
Typically, spiders that hunt with vision, like jumping spiders, have large eyes, that also vary a lot in size between different eyes of the same animal - probably adapted to different tasks. BUT! When we measure with microCT, the crab spiders don't! Their eyes are small and similar in size! (4/8)
Nice! This expands the list of spiders for which we know that vision is used in hunting, like the charismatic jumping spiders e.g. below 👀 Though crab spiders likely don't use it for complicated visual predatory tasks, it's still very useful behavioural info! But here's where it gets weird...(3/8)
So, we conducted a simple behavioural experiment; placing crab spiders in arenas with flies and seeing how successful the spiders were at catching their prey - we used spiders with normal vision, and others we had painted over the eyes - they got worse at hunting when they couldn't see 🕷️🪰 (2/8)
Out today in @royalsocietypublishing.org - we show that crab spiders (the ones you usually see ambushing pollinators on flowers 🕷️🌸) get worse at hunting if their eyes are covered!🫣 Sounds obvious? It's actually quite surprising, here's why... 👀 (1/8) royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
It was so lovely working on this with wonderful co-authors @lucillejmrose.bsky.social (her first paper! 🥳), @vanspidergirl.bsky.social 🧠, @mherberstein.bsky.social 🕷️, and @laurensr.bsky.social 👁️ @multipleye-lab.bsky.social @mfnberlin.bsky.social (7/8)
Excellent innovation this year. Made our own bingo cards for the party. Everybody had their own randomized version made from a larger pool of options. 16th year since @mherberstein.bsky.social introduced me to @eurovision.tv (as well as scones with clotted cream).
An insect that produces a nasty secretion to defend the local group against predators. Our commentary on some brilliant fieldwork by @caritalindstedt.bsky.social & Raphael www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... @asgriffin.bsky.social
An insect that cooperates like bacteria | PNAS
An insect that cooperates like bacteria
pnas.org
Earth’s earliest history is written in tiny glass beads. Impact spherules from South Africa carry geochemical fingerprints of meteorite impacts over 3 billion years ago, offering clues to processes shaping the young Earth and Solar System. #LIBresearch © NASA Earth Observatory (public domain) 1/3
