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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲
@swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
210 followers 460 following 280 posts
Entomologist, Sevilla, Spain ‪@ebdonana.bsky.social‬, Australian Fossils, climate change studies using Diptera fossils, insect decline and microplastic pollution - once @swarmofthoughts/ Investigador Ramon y Cajal en EBD-CSIC, Entomologo y Paleontologo
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 17d
Hi, I am Viktor! Pleased to meet you, I entomologist and paleontologist originally from Ukraine, now working in Spain, after a decade in German academia. I study amber fossils, Jurassic of Australia, Insect decline, climate change in the pas, and gleefully use Synchrotrons. Languages: EN, ES, DE, UA
Viktor sits on the side of the volcano on Tenerife, Canary Isles, Spain. Slope of the volcano is covered by the succulents and dry shrubbery Interactions of higher temperature and lower oxygen saturation with Chironomidae flies growth and resulting size. Arrow from low temperature to high, shows that flies are growing smaller at the higher temperature, as well as growing smaller at the lower oxygen concentration in the water, where they larvae developing - from Baranov et al., 2025 https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/een.13469 CT scan reconstruction of the fossil of Caddisfly larva (Lepidostomatidae) from Baltic amber, showing general body shape and upclose images of the head. From Baranov et al., 2023 https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2023/3938-caddisfly-larvae-from-amber?fbclid=IwY2xjawM8c6xleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFOS2J1REg2U1hHalRGTVNPAR6ETJYe1UcizRcTcfYbThRHsBMuPRMt6AEimp3kP3f9JUA6C78DzwmTI7gEqw_aem_g3VnlHq5LzbQyBDflhgveg Viktor next tot the hatch of the synchrotron in DESY, Hamburg, standing next to the "Prohibited zone/ Radiation" sign
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 35m
Thanks!
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
Valentyna Inshyna has supplied this amazing palaeoart with Rhaetosaurus brownei, Cavendrichties sp and newly described by us Telmatiomyia talbragarica fly, reconstructing late Jurasic of Australia #fossils 🦖🧪⚒️https://tinyurl.com/2v3kx4h7
Reconstruction of the lake shore of Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed, depicting several Tlmatomyia talbragarica on the foreground pupae attached to a rock underwater. Pair of Orthogonikleithridae fishes are patrolling the waters of the lake, while Rhoetosaurus brownei is approaching. Art by Valentyna Inshyna.
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
9/9
Me llevó siete años darme cuenta de que las pupas no estaban mal conservadas, sino que tenían un disco al final del cuerpo.
Un pequeño momento “¡Eureka!”, pero probablemente el más grande de mi carrera. ✨ @davidperis.bsky.social
Baranov et al. 2025, Gondwana Research
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.gr...
doi.org
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
8/9
Nuestro análisis filogenético sugiere un origen austral con una dispersión posterior hacia el norte.
Y deja una lección importante: el registro fósil está sesgado hacia el norte global.
Muchas piezas perdidas de la historia evolutiva aún yacen en el hemisferio sur.
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
7/9
Este fósil es el Podonominae (y Chironomidae) más antiguo del hemisferio sur.
En el norte (Mongolia y Siberia) hay fósiles de unos 180 millones de años.
Curioso, ya que la mayor diversidad actual está en el sur. ¿Se originaron en el norte o en el sur? 🤔
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
6/9
Telmatomyia pertenece a la subfamilia Podonominae, que hoy vive en Sudamérica, Australia, Sudáfrica y Nueva Zelanda: un ejemplo clásico de vicariancia.
Cuando Gondwana se fragmentó, estas poblaciones quedaron aisladas y evolucionaron de forma independiente (Brundin, 1966).
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
5/9
Sabíamos que los fósiles pertenecían a Chironomidae — mosquitos no picadores, parientes lejanos de los mosquitos.
Hoy existen unas 8.000 especies vivas.
Son indicadores esenciales de la calidad del agua dulce y, sorprendentemente, también de los movimientos continentales. 🌍
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
4/9
Las pupas (etapa intermedia como la crisálida de una mariposa) fueron descubiertas por mi colega y coautor Robert Beattie, del Museo Australiano.
Ofrecen una mirada única a la evolución temprana de los jejenes no picadores, un grupo ecológicamente clave.
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
3/9
Estudiamos seis fósiles —tanto pupas como adultos en emergencia— que mostraban una estructura en forma de disco terminal.
Este rasgo, típico de hábitats influenciados por las mareas, se creía exclusivo de especies marinas.
Pero Talbragar demuestra que también existía en ambientes de agua dulce.
Reconstruccion de T. talbragarica en jurassico de Australia, obra de Valentyna Inshyna "Ventosa" en ejemplar fossil "Ventosas" de Chironomidae modernos marinos
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
2/9
Telmatomyia significa “mosca de aguas quietas”.
Es el registro más antiguo de mosquitos no picadores del hemisferio sur, hallado en los famosos lechos de peces de Talbragar, una instantánea fósil de la vida en un lago que cubría parte de Nueva Gales del Sur hace unos 150 millones de años.
Pupa de mosquito no picador moderno (Lasiodiamesa sp) y fossil de nuevo especie - Telmatomyia talbragarica Yacimiento de Talbragar en Australia Fossil de Pez de Yacimiento de Talbragar en Australia Fossil de Agathis jurasica de Yacimiento de Talbragar en Australia
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
1/9
Cómo una mosca australiana de 150 millones de años con una ventosa nos ayudó a entender la deriva continental 🪰🌏
Telmatomyia — mosquito no picador del Jurásico de Australia, que vivió en el lago poco profundo de los lechos fósiles de Talbragar. @pakozoic.bsky.social tinyurl.com/2v3kx4h7
The oldest Gondwanan non-biting midge (Diptera, Chironomidae, Podonominae) sheds light on the historical biogeography of the clade
Podonominae, a group of non-biting midges within the Chironomidae family, serves as an important biogeographical model. For a long time, it was believ…
tinyurl.com
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 1h
we have published a really bizzare jurassic #fossil midge today, with cool "sucker" on the end of abdomen, might be of interest for some of you @franzanth.bsky.social @jopabinia.bsky.social @jacquelyngill.bsky.social @stephenbheard.bsky.social
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
thread 1/9
How a 150 MYA fly from Australia helped us understand continental drift 🪰🌏🧪🦖
Meet Telmatomyia talbragarica — a new Jurassic non-biting midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) from the Talbragar Fish Beds, NSW. It once clung to life in a Jurassic lake. @ebdonana.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/2v3kx4h7
The oldest Gondwanan non-biting midge (Diptera, Chironomidae, Podonominae) sheds light on the historical biogeography of the clade
Podonominae, a group of non-biting midges within the Chironomidae family, serves as an important biogeographical model. For a long time, it was believ…
tinyurl.com
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
9/9
took me 7 years to realize the pupae weren’t just poorly preserved — they had a disc at the end of their body.
tiny “Eureka!” moment — but probably the biggest of my career. ✨ @nataliajagielska.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social
Baranov et al. 2025, Gondwana Research
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.gr...
doi.org
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
8/9
Our phylogenetic analysis suggests a southern origin — with later northward dispersal.
It’s also a reminder: fossil records are biased toward the Global North.
Many “missing pieces” of evolutionary history are still buried in the Southern Hemisphere.
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
7/9
This fossil is the oldest Podonominae (and Chironomid) from the Southern Hemisphere.
Northern Hemisphere fossils (Mongolia, Siberia) are ~180 million years old.
Curious, since most modern diversity is southern — did they originate in the north, or the south? 🤔
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
6/9
Telmatomyia belongs to the subfamily Podonominae, found today across South America, Australia, South Africa & New Zealand — a classic case of vicariance.
As Gondwana broke apart, these insect lineages were separated and evolved independently (Brundin, 1966).
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
5/9
We knew the fossils belonged to Chironomidae — non-biting midges, distant cousins of mosquitoes.
Today, there are ~8,000 living species.
They’re key indicators of freshwater quality — and, as it turns out, of continental movement too. 🌍
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
4/9
The pupae (like the “chrysalis” stage in butterflies) were discovered by my colleague and co-author Robert Beattie from the Australian Museum.
They offered a rare glimpse into the early evolution of non-biting midges — one of the most ecologically important fly groups.
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
3/9
We studied six fossil specimens — both pupae and emerging adults — all showing a terminal disc structure.
This feature, used by larvae in tide-influenced habitats, was once thought to occur only in marine species.
But the Talbragar fossils prove it also existed in freshwater environments!
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
2/9
Telmatomyia means “fly from standing water.”
It’s the oldest record of non-biting midges from the Southern Hemisphere — from the famous Talbragar Fish Bed, a fossil snapshot of life in a lake that covered parts of New South Wales ~150 million years ago.
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 8h
thread 1/9
How a 150 MYA fly from Australia helped us understand continental drift 🪰🌏🧪🦖
Meet Telmatomyia talbragarica — a new Jurassic non-biting midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) from the Talbragar Fish Beds, NSW. It once clung to life in a Jurassic lake. @ebdonana.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/2v3kx4h7
The oldest Gondwanan non-biting midge (Diptera, Chironomidae, Podonominae) sheds light on the historical biogeography of the clade
Podonominae, a group of non-biting midges within the Chironomidae family, serves as an important biogeographical model. For a long time, it was believ…
tinyurl.com
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 2d
At Lac du Bourget enjoying company of the crested Grebes before @ialipa2025.bsky.social #France #Lake #Limnology
Juvenile crested Grebes at the lake surfaces Alpine lake at the dusk, framed by the mountains Alpine lake at the dusk, framed by the mountains Pierce of motorboats at the dusk, with mountains at the background
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 5d
Replica of the Cambrian jellyfishes imprints from GeoPark "Medusas del Cámbrico Inferior de Constantina" in Andalucia www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambient...
#Fossils #Fossilfriday 🦖
Also an ichnite on a Sandstone - all from @casacienciasevcsic.bsky.social
Replica of fossil jellyfish imprints Ichnite- fossil trace of the organism in the sediment
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swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲 @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social · 5d
#Fossilfriday - fossil 🦀 from Pleistocene of Andalucia in @casacienciasevcsic.bsky.social "GeoSevilla" exhibition
Pleistocene marine fossils from Andalucia - mostly sand dollars, and fossil crabs Pleistocene marine fossils from Andalucia - fossil crabs - Goneplax goulderi
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Reposted by Dr. Viktor Baranov🧪🦟🐛🪲
pakozoic.bsky.social
Francesc Gascó-Lluna @pakozoic.bsky.social · 9d
Este viernes 3 de octubre a las 20:00h en la Casa del Cine en Almería daré una conferencia sobre la paleontología en el cine, para hablar principalmente de la representación de los dinosaurios y otros bichos extintos en las películas.
¿Alguien por Almería este viernes?
www.ual.es/vida-univers...
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