Max-Planck doctoral student discovers 'livin...( w insect order for a period of 6 years....)

w insect order for a period of 6 years. The main aims of the research are to study the biology, ecology, occurrence, genetics, evolution and in particular the protection of the insects. This involves, amongst other things, developing a collection of newly described species in the museum in Namibia and the distribution of specimens to selected museums on all continents, training Namibian students in handling the animals in the field and in the laboratory, cooperation with internationally renowned scientists with the aim of producing joint publications of the results achieved and the organisation of third-party funds to finance further research.

The first scientific expedition to Namibia took place from 28th February to 19th March 2002 in order to look for a species, not yet described - working name "Gladiator", so called because of its similarity to the armoured combatants in the film of the same name - on the Brandberg mountain in Erongo province. The nearly 2,600 m high Inselberg has long been famous for the animal species which only occur here. The Brandberg region is a Namibian National Park and there are plans to propose it for UNESCO's World Heritage programme because of the unique rock drawings found there. The area may be entered only with permission, which is particularly important for the protection of the new insect order from bio-piracy. It turned out that scientists from the University of Leeds and the Windhoek Museum had already found specimens of this insect species on the Brandberg during joint expeditions between 1998 and 2000. The international team was also successful in finding living animals in 2002, not only on the Brandberg, but also in the Erongo mountains, where they found a further species of the order.

The "Gladiators" collected in the region around the Brandberg are now in the climate chambers of the Max-Planck-Institute for Limnology. First DNA analyses are already being undertaken in the molecular bi
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Contact: Prof. Dr. Joachim Adis
adis@mpil-ploen.mpg.de
49-45-22-763-262
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
17-Apr-2002

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