The 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy
The 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy
Boom Or Doom? Taxonomy In The 21st Century
Part of the International Online Conference on Taxonomy series
Event's Timezone: Central European Time
1 September 2025
2 October 2025
27 November 2025
Advances in Molecular Systematics, Microbial Taxonomy, Animal Taxonomy, Plant Taxonomy, Old fossils - New Taxonomy
Only 1 week left for FREE registration to the IOCTX2025 Conference!
Register for FREE to receive your unique Zoom link to participate in the conference by 27 November https://sciforum.net/event/IOCTX2025?section=#registration
The full IOCTX2025 Program has been announced!
Day 1 (3 December 2025): https://sciforum.net/event/IOCTX2025?section=#IOCTX2025ProgramDay1
Day 2 (4 December 2025): https://sciforum.net/event/IOCTX2025?section=#IOCTX2025ProgramDay2
Abstract Book is available for download (for registered users only).
We look forward to your participation in the IOCTX2025 Conference!
Welcome from the Chair
Dear colleagues,
It is a pleasure to announce the 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy (IOCTX 2025), proudly organized by the MDPI open-access journal Taxonomy (ISSN: 2673-6500, Impact Factor: 1.5, CiteScore: 2.4). The IOCTX2025 will be held online from 3–4 December 2025. In line with our commitment to fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, this electronic conference provides a unique platform for researchers to showcase their work, discuss groundbreaking findings, and engage in meaningful conversations with fellow experts.
Conference Overview: This will be a virtual conference held at sciforum.net, a platform developed by MDPI to organize and provide technical support for electronic conferences. The virtual format offers the distinct advantage of eliminating the need for travel and its associated expenses, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the conference without any logistical constraints.
Key Themes - Sessions of the conference will be organized around the following topics:
- Advances in Molecular Systematics;
- Microbial Taxonomy;
- Animal Taxonomy;
- Plant Taxonomy;
- "Paleotaxonomy".
Conference Format: our conference will exclusively accept abstract submissions. Upon acceptance, we will notify you before the conference via a separate email regarding whether there will be the opportunity to be the selected speaker to give an oral presentation. In addition, we strongly encourage all authors to upload and display their posters on the conference website, enabling attendees to share their insights and feedback with other participants through the Comments Section provided at the bottom of each page.
Free of Charge Participation: we are pleased to inform you that participation in this conference is entirely free of charge for both authors and attendees.
Awards and Opportunities: participants who win the best oral presentation award or best poster award will receive a prize of CHF 200, along with an offer to publish an extended paper, free of charge, in the Special Issue of Taxonomy.
We encourage you to explore the conference platform and guidelines provided in advance for a seamless experience. Should you have any queries or require assistance, our dedicated support team is available to ensure your participation is smooth and rewarding.
I hope you will join this e-conference to exchange ideas, begin fruitful collaborations, and make the IOCTX2025 a great success.
Best regards,
Prof. Dr. Mathias Harzhauser
Geological-Paleontological Department, Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Chair of the 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy
Follow the conference organizer on Social Media
Program Overview
| Day 1 | Day 2 |
| 3 December - Morning 9:00 - 12:30 (CET) |
4 December - Morning 9:30 - 12:00 (CET) |
| Session 4. Plant Taxonomy Session 1. Advances in Molecular Systematics* |
Session 3. Animal Taxonomy (Part 1) |
| Break | |
| 3 December - Afternoon 14:00 - 17:35 (CET) |
4 December - Afternoon 14:00 - 16:40 (CET) |
| Session 5. "Paleotaxonomy" |
Session 3. Animal Taxonomy (Part 2) |
*There will be no live session for Session 1. Advances in Molecular Systematics. Selected oral presentation submissions from this session have been included in Session 4. Plant Taxonomy and Session 3. Animal Taxonomy (Part 2).
IOCTX2025 Program (Day 1)
Date: 3 December 2025 (Wednesday)
Morning Session
Session 4. Plant Taxonomy
Session 1. Advances in Molecular Systematics
Time: 9:00 (CET, Basel) | 3:00 (EST, New York) | 16:00 (CST Asia, Beijing)
| Time in CET | Speaker | Title |
| 9:00-9:10 | Opening Remark from Conference Chair - Prof. Dr. Mathias Harzhauser | |
| 9:10-9:20 | Dr. Saraj Bahadur Session Chair |
Welcome from the Session Chair |
| 9:20-9:40 | Prof. Dr. REN Ming-Xun Invited Speaker |
Karst flora of Hainan Island, China |
| 9:40-10:00 | Prof. Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad Invited Speaker |
Asian Flora and the Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot: Integrating Modern Taxonomy with Interdisciplinary Science |
| 10:00-10:15 | Mian Muhammad Ahmed Oral Speaker |
Integrative Taxonomy of Wild Citrus Germplasm: Linking Molecular and Morphological Evidence to Stress Tolerance |
| 10:15-10:30 | Mariette Jackson Oral Speaker |
The systematics of Nemesia Vent. (Scrophulariaceae): The current status and New Insights |
| 10:30-10:45 | Opeyemi Muideen Mudasiru Oral Speaker |
Taxonomic Insights into Nigerian Terminaliinae (Combretaceae) Based on Molecular and Morphological Evidence: Implications for generic circumscription |
| 10:45-10:50 | SHIWA CHAUBEY Flash Poster Presenter |
Taxonomic Complexity and Ecological Adaptability of Lantana camara L. in India: A Morphological and Molecular Approach |
| 10:50-10:55 | Fateme Salmaniabeiat Flash Poster Presenter |
Morpho-anatomical taxonomic delimitation of Astragalus bruguieri and A. baba-alliar subsp. Nudicarpus |
| 10:55-11:00 | Farzaneh Jafari Flash Poster Presenter |
How to classify a species-rich genus |
| 11:00-11:05 | Thinhinan Khedim Flash Poster Presenter |
Uncovering karyotype and phylogenetic diversity within the North African Allium subgenus Amerallium Traub: Insights on taxonomy and evolution |
| 11:05-11:10 | Khansae Kamal Flash Poster Presenter |
First Record of Stranded Holopelagic Sargassum Morphotypes and Associated Fauna on the Moroccan Atlantic Coast |
| 11:10-11:15 | RAJENDRA YONZONE Flash Poster Presenter |
Cleisostoma linearilobulatum (Seidenfaden & Smitinand) Garay (Orchidaceae): a new record for West Bengal, India |
| 11:15-11:20 | Nina Machado Suzigan Flash Poster Presenter |
Exploring Knowledge Shortfalls on Legumes in the Tocantins-Araguaia Basin |
| 11:20-11:35 | João Carmo Oral Speaker |
Two new species of Hexasepalum (Spermacoceae, Rubiaceae) from the “campo rupestre” of Brazil |
| 11:35-11:50 | Hattos de Freitas Gomes Oral Speaker |
Fabaceae in the Morro do Macaco Environmental Protection Area (EPA), Iporá, Goiás, Brazil |
Afternoon Session
Session 5. "Paleotaxonomy"
Time: 14:00 (CET, Basel) | 8:00 (EST, New York) | 21:00 (CST Asia, Beijing)
| Time in CET | Speaker | Title |
| 14:00-14:10 | Dr. Davit Vasilyan Session Chair |
Welcome from the Session Chair |
| 14:10-14:40 | Dr. Thomas Neubauer Keynote Speaker |
Taxonomy in the 21st century: Machine-learning paves the way to bridging paleontology and biology |
| 14:40-15:00 | Dr. Lara Sciscio Invited Speaker |
Tetrapod Ichnotaxonomy: Preservation, practice, and meaning
|
|
15:00-15:15
|
Diana Osipova
Oral Speaker
|
Hidden species diversity of micro-gastropods from
the Late Pleistocene deposits in Taiwan
|
|
15:15-15:30
|
Antonios Isidoros Avrithis
Oral Speaker
|
The plant-insect interactions in a newly discovered Middle Miocene locality in Kos island, Greece
|
|
15:30-15:45
|
Dimitrios Protopapas
Oral Speaker
|
New Paleontological Evidence on Theodoxus micans (Gaudry & Fischer, 1867)
from the Megara Basin: A Potential Correlation with the Extant Species Theodoxus meridionalis (R. A. Philippi, 1836)
|
|
15:45-16:00
|
Christos Psarras
Oral Speaker
|
Clearing the Taxonomic Mist: New insights into Neogene Conidae diversity through UV imaging of type specimens
|
|
16:00-16:15
|
Vincenzo Gesualdi
Oral Speaker
|
Revisiting Megalosauripus transjuranicus: new ichnotaxonomical insights
from the Plagne tracksite (Tithonian, France) and implications for Late-Jurassic theropod ichnotaxonomy
|
|
16:15-16:30
|
Marcos Vinícius Coelho
Oral Speaker
|
Revisiting the fossil polypterid †Polypterus faraou:
taxonomic assessment based on cranial morphology
|
|
16:30-16:45
|
Evangelos Vlachos
Oral Speaker
|
Nomenclature is the scientific language of Taxonomy, and you already know everything about it
|
|
16:45-17:00
|
Paul S Mayer
Oral Speaker
|
Using New Technologies to Classify the Pennsylvanian (307 Million Years Old) Problematica Fossil, Tullimonstrum gregarium
|
|
17:00-17:05
|
Jonathan P. Miller
Flash Poster Presenter
|
Uncovering hidden diversity in Iberian freshwater fossil snails: an integrative approach to Horatia schlosseri (Royo-Gómez, 1922) (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)
|
|
17:05-17:10
|
Michael Steenhuyse-Vandevelde
Flash Poster Presenter
|
The morphology, phylogeny, and applications of Oligocene–Miocene Asterigerinoides (Foraminifera)
|
|
17:10-17:15
|
Ingrid M. Veiga
Flash Poster Presenter
|
Taxonomic paleodiversity of the Marizal Formation (Aptian), Tucano Basin (NE Brazil)
|
|
17:15-17:20
|
Eduardo I. Faúndez
Flash Poster Presenter
|
The female of the first Cretaceous velvet water bug Archaeohebrus alius Zhang, Ren & Yao 2024 (Heteroptera: Hebridae)
|
|
17:20-17:25
|
Thales Rodrigues Jardim Barreto
Flash Poster Presenter
|
Taxonomical Review of †Ichthyodectiformes—Actinopterygii, Teleostei—from Cretaceous Period in Brazil
|
|
17:25-17:30
|
Clarice Assumpção
Flash Poster Presenter
|
Taxonomic Review and Anatomical Analysis of Chondrichthyes from the Paraíba–Pernambuco Basin: Itamaracá, Gramame, and Maria Farinha Formations
|
|
17:30-17:35
|
Steven E. Jasinski
Flash Poster Presenter
|
Re-evaluation of the taxonomy of Compsemys: an enigmatic turtle from around the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary
|
IOCTX2025 Program (Day 2)
Date: 4 December 2025 (Thursday)
Morning Session
Session 3. Animal Taxonomy (Part 1)
(Chaired by Prof. Dr. Mathias Harzhauser, Conference Chair)
Time: 9:30 (CET, Basel) | 3:30 (EST, New York) | 16:30 (CST Asia, Beijing)
| Time in CET | Speaker | Title |
| 9:30-9:40 |
Prof. Dr. Mathias Harzhauser |
Welcome from the Conference Chair |
| 9:40-10:10 | Prof. Dr. Frank E. Zachos Keynote Speaker |
Of Species and Mountains – Grey areas in taxonomy, how they matter, and why they‘re here to stay |
| 10:10-10:25 | Austin Horenkamp Oral Speaker |
Diversity of the squid family Brachioteuthidae in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Southern Ocean |
| 10:25-10:40 | Najmudeen Mohamed Theparambil Oral Speaker |
Molecular evidence for mislabelling and taxonomic redundancy in public records of COI sequences of the genus Lethrinus (Teleostei: Lethrinidae) |
| 10:40-10:55 | M Carmen Cobo Oral Speaker |
Integrative Taxonomy as a foundation for understanding host relationships in Solenogastres |
| 10:55-11:10 | Marlies Monnens Oral Speaker |
Phylogenetic relationships of a new schizorhynch genus refute the monophyly of Schizochilus Boaden, 1963 (Platyhelminthes, Rhabdocoela) |
| 11:10-11:25 | Ana Ramos Oral Speaker |
Twenty years of taxonomic and ecological research on African marine benthos |
| 11:25-11:30 | Rasoul Karamiani Flash Poster Presenter |
Taxonomic Synopsis of the Slender Racer Snake Genus Platyceps Blyth, 1860 (Reptilia: Colubridae), from Iran |
| 11:30-11:35 | Onika Mabalabala Flash Poster Presenter |
Genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationships, and systematics of the species-rich Adeonella genus from two bays along the southern coast of South Africa |
| 11:35-11:40 | Fanny Sieler Flash Poster Presenter |
Integrating 3D-imaging with multi-locus phylogenetic analysis to update the diversity of the aegisthid genus Pontostratiotes Brady, 1883 (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) |
| 11:40-11:45 | Lais de Mattos Flash Poster Presenter |
Apteronotus albifrons (Otophysi: Gymnotiformes): limitations of pigmentation patterns for the taxonomy of a species complex |
| 11:45-11:50 | Noelia Veronica Guzman Flash Poster Presenter |
Exploring Machine Learning for Species Delimitation in the Trimerotropis pallidipennis Complex (Othoptera: Acrididae) |
| 11:50-11:55 | João Victor Couto Flash Poster Presenter |
AN INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS TO RESOLVE TAXONOMIC DEADLOCKS IN ERGASILID COPEPODS IN THE PLANET |
Afternoon Session
Session 3. Animal Taxonomy (Part 2)
(Chaired by Prof. Dr. Mathias Harzhauser, Conference Chair)
Session 2. Microbial Taxonomy
Time: 14:00 (CET, Basel) | 8:00 (EST, New York) | 21:00 (CST Asia, Beijing)
| Time in CET | Speaker | Title |
| Session 3 | ||
| 14:00-14:15 | Júlio César do Carmo Vaz Santos Oral Speaker |
Adaptive shifts and diversification of Ferricixius planthoppers in Brazilian caves (Hemiptera: Cixiidae) |
| 14:15-14:30 | Maria Eduarda Almeida dos Santos Oral Speaker |
Diversity of Calcinea (Porifera, Calcarea) from Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia: New species and wide distributions
|
|
14:30-14:45
|
Lorena Ailán-Choke
Oral Speaker
|
Integrative taxonomic assessment of Cruzia sp. (Nematoda: Cosmocercoidea, Kathlaniidae) from the Argentine black and white tegu lizard: insights into the long-standing Kathlaniidae taxonomic puzzle
|
|
14:45-15:00
|
Enrico Lopes Breviglieri
Oral Speaker
|
Phenotypic and vocal differentiation among subspecies of Piculus flavigula (Aves, Picidae) suggest a major taxonomic reassessment
|
|
15:00-15:15
|
Vanessa Yepes-Narvaez
Oral Speaker
|
The taxonomic robustness and complementarity of eDNA metabarcoding provide an effective fish biodiversity assessment in the offshore Colombian Eastern Tropical Pacific
|
|
Session 2
|
||
|
15:15-15:25
|
Dr. Matthias Sipiczki
Session Chair
|
Welcome from the Session Chair
|
|
15:25-15:40
|
Farzad Aliramaji
Oral Speaker
|
Unveiling Hidden Diversity: A New Laimaphelenchus Species from Elm Bark in Northern Iran |
|
15:40-15:55
|
Natalia Bojanić
Oral Speaker
|
Integrated morphometric and DNA metabarcoding assessment of ciliate biodiversity in the Adriatic Sea |
|
15:55-16:10
|
Ayixon Sánchez-Reyes
Oral Speaker
|
GenoScanner: Rapid Genome-Based Taxonomic Classification Using Phylophenetic Species Concept |
|
16:10-16:15
|
Ana Milićević
Flash Poster Presenter
|
Unveiling Cyanobacterial Diversity from Serbian Thermal Springs: Molecular Insights |
|
16:15-16:20
|
Vanessa Vaz Leonel
Flash Poster Presenter
|
Taxonomic characterization of lineages of the genus Ganoderma with emphasis on morphological and molecular analysis |
|
16:20-16:30
|
Closing Remark from Conference Chair - Prof. Dr. Mathias Harzhauser
|
|
Abstract Book
Event Chair
Geological-Paleontological Department, Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Mathias Harzhauser is a Professor at the Geological-Paleontological Department of the Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria. He holds a PhD from the University of Graz and specializes in mollusca, paleobiogeography, paleogeography, and stratigraphy. His research focuses on fossil mollusks to reconstruct ancient environments and biogeographical patterns. Prof. Harzhauser is the Chair of the IUGS Subcommission on GeoCollections and received the 2024 Science Award of Lower Austria for his contributions to paleontology. He is affiliated with the Natural History Museum Vienna, where he continues his research and academic work in geosciences.
Session Chairs
Dr. Matthias Sipiczki
Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Professor of the University of Debrecen, Hungary. Founder and head (for 25 years) of the Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology of the University. Dean and vicechancellor of the University. In the meantime: visiting professor of the Chiba University (Japan) and the Bordeaux University (France). Honorary member of the Learned Society of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Czechoslovak Society for Microbiology. Member of organising committees of numerous ISSY and other international scientific meetings. Research interest: genetics, molecular taxonomy, diversity and phylogenesis of yeasts; wine yeasts and antimicrobial antagonism of yeasts. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Matthias-Sipiczki
S2. Microbial Taxonomy
Dr. Saraj Bahadur
School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Dr. Saraj Bahadur is an accomplished botanist specializing in plant taxonomy, systematics, and phylogenetics. He has published 100 peer-reviewed articles, accumulating 2,992 citations with an h-index of 34 and an i10-index of 64, contributing a total impact factor of 214. Dr. Bahadur has completed 348 verified peer reviews for leading international journals, including those published by Elsevier, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, Frontiers, MDPI, and Springer. He serves as an associate editor for Frontiers in Plant Science, Rodriguésia, and Ethnobotany Research and Applications. His research focuses on plant taxonomy, phylogenetics, evolution, and ecotaxonomy. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Saraj-Bahadur?ev=hdr_xprf
S4. Plant Taxonomy
PD Dr. Davit Vasilyan
JURASSICA Museum, Route de Fontenais 21, 2900 Porrentruy, Switzerland
Davit Vasilyan is a senior lecturer and researcher at the JURASSICA Museum, Porrentruy, Switzerland. His research focuses on different aspects of the Cenozoic continental ectothermic vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles), such as taxonomy, paleoecology, palaeobiogeographic patterns and their paleoclimatic applications. https://www.jurassica.ch/en/Science/Scientific-team/PD-Dr-DV/PD-Dr-Davit-Vasilyan.html
S5. "Paleotaxonomy"
Event Committee
Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio Snc, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
research in taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of Coleoptera Chrysomelidae; relationships leaf beetles–host plants; species distribution modelling; ecological niche modelling; conservation biology
lichenology, taxonomy, biodiversity informatics.
mycology, fungal biodiversity, fungal taxonomy, molecular systematics, DNA barcoding
Laboratory of Zoological Collections, Butantan Institute,
São Paulo, 05503-900 SP, Brazil
Herpetology; Snakes; Taxonomy; Systematic; Geographic distribution, Conservation; Morphology
taxonomy; systematics; vertebrate biology; herpetology; comparative anatomy; conservation biology; biodiversity
Department of Biology and Geobiotec–Geobiosciences, Geotechnologies and Geoengineering Research Centre, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
diatom ecology and taxonomy; community structure diversity and individual valve teratologies; freshwater quality assessment
Thomas Neubauer is a conservator for fossil invertebrates at the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology in Munich. He has been Privatdozent at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich since 2024, and he is a member of the Steering Committee of the World Register of Marine Species. His research primarily centers around fossil freshwater mollusks, their evolution, biodiversity, biogeography, paleoecology, taxonomy, and systematics. His current project focuses on developing a novel machine-learning approach to combine extant and fossil data for a unified species delimitation. https://bspg.snsb.de/sektion-mitarbeiter/thomas-alan-neubauer/?lang=en
Mollusca; freshwater; fossils; biodiversity; paleobiogeography; statistical analyses
JURASSICA Museum, Route de Fontenais 21, 2900 Porrentruy, Switzerland,
Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du musée 6, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
Dr. Lara Sciscio is a geoscientist specializing in vertebrate ichnology, with a passion for uncovering the stories preserved in fossil footprints. Her research spans dinosaur tracks from the Triassic–Jurassic of southern Africa to Jurassic–Cretaceous sites across Europe and the Americas, focusing on ichnotaxonomy, palaeoecology, and palaeobiogeography. While her expertise centres on Mesozoic ecosystems, her collaborative work extends into the Mio-Pliocene. As Curator of Digital Collections at the JURASSICA Museum, she combines traditional fieldwork with digital methods to enhance the accessibility and interpretation of ichnological data. https://www.jurassica.ch/en/Science/Scientific-team/Dr-LS/Dr-Lara-Sciscio.html
Ichnology, Sauropod, Tridactyl, Tracks, Triassic, Jurassic, Palaeoecology, Karoo Basin
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State
University, University Park, PA 16802, USA,
Honorary Research Associate, South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda 6139, South Africa
I am a Distinguished Professor of Ichthyology and an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. My research centers on the alpha taxonomy of freshwater fishes from Africa, Central America, and North America. Since 2021, I have described 4 species in the genus Serranochromis from Angola Stauffer, et al 2021), two species of bubble-nesting fishes from Angola (Skelton et al 2021), two new shell-dwelling fishes from Lake Malawi (Miller et al. 2021), an elongate species from Lake Malawi (Stauffer and Konings 2023), a rock-dwelling cichlid that reinvaded the sand in Lake Malawi ( Konings et el. 2024), and a new species of bass from Lake Erie (Ross and Stauffer 2024). I continued my work on the native fauna of Pennsylvania (Clark et al 2021, Clark et al, 2022, Stauffer et al. 2023). Additionally, I have published reviews of schistosomiasis (Madsen et al 2022, Madsen and Stauffer 2022, Madsen and Stauffer 2024). I provided tools to assess the sustainability of biodiversity (Hanson and Stauffer 2024) and provided commentaries on the determination of value of endangered fishes (Stauffer and Morgan 2022, Fischer et al. 2024), the threat of invasive fishes to native ones (Stauffer et al 2022), and the difficulties that would ensue if you changed scientific names (Stauffer 2024). https://ecosystems.psu.edu/directory/vc5
Endangered fishes; freshwater fish behavior; impact of introduced fishes; systematics and zoogeography of freshwater fishes
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden "Jevremovac", Department of Algology and Mycology, Takovska 43, Belgrade, Serbia
Faculty of Biology page: https://bio.bg.ac.rs/zaposleni/popovic-sladjana/ ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sladana-Popovic
Fundamental and applied algology, Cyanobacteria, algae, extremophiles, biofilm, geoheritage, cultural heritage, cave phototrophs - entrance zone and lampenflora, thermal springs, algal cultures
College of Food Science and Light Engineering, Nanjing Tech University No. 30 Puzhu Road South, Nanjing, China
amplification, DNA, DNA Analysis, DNA extraction, fish products, Salmonidae ingredient, seafood
Keynote Speakers
Taxonomy in the 21st century: Machine-learning paves the way to bridging paleontology and biology
Thomas Neubauer is a conservator for fossil invertebrates at the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology in Munich. He has been Privatdozent at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich since 2024, and he is a member of the Steering Committee of the World Register of Marine Species. His research primarily centers around fossil freshwater mollusks, their evolution, biodiversity, biogeography, paleoecology, taxonomy, and systematics. His current project focuses on developing a novel machine-learning approach to combine extant and fossil data for a unified species delimitation. https://bspg.snsb.de/sektion-mitarbeiter/thomas-alan-neubauer/?lang=en
Mollusca; freshwater; fossils; biodiversity; paleobiogeography; statistical analyses
Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria,
Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Of Species and Mountains – Grey areas in taxonomy, how they matter, and why they‘re here to stay
I studied biology, philosophy and history of science and received my PhD for an evolutionary thesis on roe deer in 2005; in 2009, I got my habilitation for zoology and evolutionary biology, and since 2011 I have been head of the mammal collection at the Natural History Museum Vienna in Austria. Since 2019, I have also been an affiliated professor with the Department of Genetics at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. I am particularly interested in biodiversity, evolution, systematics and conservation of mammals and birds as well as in history and philosophy of biology, in particular theoretical aspects of taxonomy and the species problem. More information: https://www.nhm.at/en/frank_emmanuel_zachos Photographer: Minitta Kandlbauer
mammals, systematics/taxonomy, evolutionary biology, conservation, history and philosophy of biology
Invited Speakers
JURASSICA Museum, Route de Fontenais 21, 2900 Porrentruy, Switzerland,
Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du musée 6, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
Dr. Lara Sciscio is a geoscientist specializing in vertebrate ichnology, with a passion for uncovering the stories preserved in fossil footprints. Her research spans dinosaur tracks from the Triassic–Jurassic of southern Africa to Jurassic–Cretaceous sites across Europe and the Americas, focusing on ichnotaxonomy, palaeoecology, and palaeobiogeography. While her expertise centres on Mesozoic ecosystems, her collaborative work extends into the Mio-Pliocene. As Curator of Digital Collections at the JURASSICA Museum, she combines traditional fieldwork with digital methods to enhance the accessibility and interpretation of ichnological data. https://www.jurassica.ch/en/Science/Scientific-team/Dr-LS/Dr-Lara-Sciscio.html
Ichnology, Sauropod, Tridactyl, Tracks, Triassic, Jurassic, Palaeoecology, Karoo Basin
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Pakistan
Asian Flora and the Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot: Integrating Modern Taxonomy with Interdisciplinary Science
Academician Professor Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad, TWAS Fellow, PIFI-CAS Fellow, and Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS), is an internationally recognized authority in Plant Systematics and Biodiversity. He is widely acknowledged as a distinguished keynote speaker and a leading figure in the field of plant taxonomy. Prof. Ahmad earned his Master’s degree in Plant Taxonomy in 2003, followed by a PhD in Plant Systematics and Biodiversity in 2008. His commitment to advancing botanical science led him to pursue two postdoctoral fellowships, the first in Plant Biodiversity at Universiti Sains Malaysia (2013) and the second at the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2024, he was awarded a prestigious Visiting Scientist Fellowship at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS), Beijing, where he conducted specialized research on the Himalayan flora. Prof. Ahmad’s research integrates species diversity, floristics, and an interdisciplinary approach to taxonomy and biodiversity, with a special emphasis on the Himalayan region. His scholarly impact is reflected in his extensive publication record of over 990 peer-reviewed articles, 60 books and monographs, and his role as supervisor to 47 PhD and 180 MPhil scholars. His mentorship and research leadership have significantly contributed to advancing botanical sciences in Asia and beyond. Recognized globally for his expertise, Prof. Ahmad’s work bridges classical plant taxonomy with modern biodiversity science, contributing to conservation strategies, sustainable utilization of plant resources, and interdisciplinary linkages between systematics, ecology, and ethnobotany. His scientific legacy continues to inspire new generations of taxonomists and biodiversity researchers worldwide.
Plants Systematics, Biodiversity, Flora of Asia, Himalayan region.
Hainan University and Hainan Institute of National Park, China,
Director of the International Joint Center for Terrestrial Biodiversity around South China Sea of Hainan Province, China
Karst flora of Hainan Island, China
Academician Professor Dr. REN Ming-Xun is acknowledged as a distinguished scientist in the field of plant island biogeography, molecular ecology and conservation genetics. Prof. REN Ming-Xun earned his Master’s degree in environmental science in 2001, followed by a PhD in Plant Systematics and reproductive ecology in 2005. His commitment to advancing botanical science led him to pursue three postdoctoral fellowships, the first in Plant Biodiversity at Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2006), and the second is Botanical Institute of Barcelona, Spain (2012) and the third at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy (2013). In 2018, he was awarded a prestigious Visiting Scientist Fellowship at the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he conducted specialized research on the island flora. Prof. REN Ming-Xun studt on plant diversity, floristics, and an interdisciplinary approach to taxonomy and biodiversity, with a special emphasis on the Hainan Island and the region around South China Sea. His scholarly impact is reflected in his extensive publication record of over 80 peer-reviewed articles, 5 books and monographs, and his role as supervisor to 5 postdocs, 9 PhD and 35 MPhil scholars. He had published 6 new species. His mentorship and research leadership have significantly contributed to advancing botanical sciences in Hainan and tropical regions in China. Recognized for his expertise, contributions provided by Prof. REN Ming-Xun bridges classical plant taxonomy with modern biodiversity science about island flora, involving conservation genetics, ethnobotany, and ecological cultures. Now he works in Hainan University and Hainan Institute of National Park, being the director of the International Joint Center for Terrestrial Biodiversity around South China Sea of Hainan Province.
Registration
Registration for IOCTX 2025 will be free of charge! The registration includes attendance at all conference sessions.
If you are registering several people under the same registration, please do not use the same email address for each person, but their individual university email addresses. Thank you for your understanding.
Please note that the submission and registration are two separate parts. Only scholars who registered can receive a link to access the conference live streaming. The deadline for registration is 27 November 2025.
Instructions for Authors
The 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy will accept abstracts only. The accepted abstracts will be available online on Sciforum.net during and after the conference.
2. Abstract Acceptance Notification: 2 October 2025.
1. The abstract structure should include the introduction, methods, results, and conclusions sections of about 200–300 words in length.
2. All accepted abstracts will be published in the conference report of The 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy in Biology and Life Sciences Forum (ISSN: 2673-9976); if you wish to publish an extended proceeding paper (4-8 pages), please submit it to the same journal after the conference.
3. All abstracts should be submitted and presented in clear, publication-ready English with accurate grammar and spelling.
4. You may submit multiple abstracts. However, only one abstract will be selected for oral presentation.
5. All abstracts accepted for presentation will be collected in a book of abstracts, which will be published on the website after the conference.
1. The submitting author must ensure that all co-authors are aware of the contents of the abstract.
2. Please select only one presenter for each submission. If you would like to change the presenter after submission, please email us accordingly.
Note: We only accept live presentations.
The slot for the oral presentation is 15 mins. We advise that your presentation lasts for a maximum of 12 mins, leaving at least 3 mins for the Q&A session.
Authors are encouraged to prepare a presentation in PowerPoint or similar software, to be displayed online along with the abstract. Slides, if available, will be displayed directly on the website using the proprietary slide viewer at Sciforum.net. Slides can be prepared in exactly the same way as for any traditional conference where research results are presented. Slides should be converted to PDF format prior to submission so that they can be converted for online display.
- Should include the title, authors, contact details and main research findings, as well as tables, figures and graphs where necessary.
- Size in pixel: 1080 width x 1536 height–portrait orientation.
- Size in cm: 38,1 width x 54,2 height–portrait orientation.
- Font size: ≥16.
- Examples of successful submissions can be viewed here at the following links: (1), (2), (3).
- You can use our free template to create your poster.
The poster template can be downloaded HERE. We will reach out to you closer to the dates of the conference with more information.
It is the authors' responsibility to identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of clinical research. If there is no conflict, please state "The authors declare no conflicts of interest." This should be conveyed in a separate "Conflict of Interest" statement preceding the "Acknowledgments" and "References" sections at the end of the manuscript. Any financial support for the study must be fully disclosed in the "Acknowledgments" section.
MDPI, the publisher of the Sciforum.net platform, is an open access publisher. We believe authors should retain the copyright to their scholarly works. Hence, by submitting an abstract to this conference, you retain the copyright to the work, but you grant MDPI the non-exclusive right to publish this abstract online on the Sciforum.net platform. This means you can easily submit your full paper (with the abstract) to any scientific journal at a later stage and transfer the copyright to its publisher if required.
Publication Opportunities
1. Taxonomy Journal Publication
Participants in this conference are cordially invited to contribute a full manuscript to the conference's Special Issue, published in Taxonomy (ISSN: 2673-6500, Impact Factor: 1.5, CiteScore: 2.4), with a 20% discount on the publication fee. Please note, if you have IOAP/association discounts, conference discounts will be combined with IOAP/association discounts. Conference discounts cannot be combined with reviewer vouchers. All submitted papers will undergo MDPI’s standard peer-review procedure. The abstracts should be cited and noted on the first page of the paper.
2. Proceeding Paper Publication
All accepted abstracts will be published in the conference report of IOCTX 2025 in Biology and Life Sciences Forum journal (ISSN: 2673-9976) after a quality check. If you wish to publish an extended proceeding paper (4-8 pages), please submit it to the same journal after the conference. Publication of the proceedings will be free of charge. Authors are asked to disclose that it is a proceeding paper of the IOCTX 2025 conference paper in their cover letter. Carefully read the rules outlined in the 'Instructions for Authors' on the journal’s website and ensure that your submission adheres to these guidelines.
Proceedings submission deadline: 20 January 2026
Manuscripts for the proceedings issue must be formatted as follows:
Title;
Full author names;
Affiliations (including full postal address) and authors' e-mail addresses;
Abstract;
Keywords;
Introduction;
Methods;
Results and Discussion;
Conclusions;
Acknowledgements;
References.
Please click HERE (to be updated) to submit your proceeding paper to the Biology and Life Sciences Forum.
Biology and Life Sciences Forum Template
Event Awards
To acknowledge the support of the conference's esteemed authors and recognize their outstanding scientific accomplishments, we are pleased to announce that the conference will provide six awards including Best Oral Presentation Awards and Best Poster Awards.
The Awards
Number of Awards Available: 6
The Best Oral Presentation Awards are given to the submission judged to make the most significant oral contribution to the conference.
The Best Poster Awards are given to the submission judged to make the most significant and interesting poster for the conference.
There will be six winners selected for these awards. The winner will receive a certificate and 200 CHF each, along with an offer to publish an extended paper, free of charge, in the Special Issue of Taxonomy.
Sponsors and Partners
For information regarding sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please click here.
Organizers
Media Partners
Conference Secretariat
Ms. Harley Chen
Dr. Patwira Boonjing
Email: ioctx2025@mdpi.com
For inquiries regarding submissions and sponsorship opportunities, please feel free to contact us.
