My research foci lie on deciphering the phylogeny and systematics of deep-sea sharks, where I am making use of morphological and phylogenomic methods (including sequencing of preserved museum material) to explore adaptation, diversity, phylogeography and population structures in present and past.

 

www.shark-references.com

https://www.facebook.com/sharkreferences

• Bachelor and master thesis supervision
• UiB BIO298: Workplace practice in Biology
• UiB BIO299: Research Practice in Biology
• High Throughput Sequencing - data types, data manipulation and analysis at ForBIO Research School for Biosystematics (https://www.forbio.uio.no/events/courses/2022/HTS_Bergen_2022.html)
• Systematics and Evolution of Marine Invertebrates: ForBio and UiB course (https://www.forbio.uio.no/events/courses/2022/Systematics%20and%20Evolution%20of%20Marine%20Invertebrates)
• BIO210: Evolutionary Biology team lecture
• Introduction to phylogenetic methods: ForBio and UiB course (https://www.forbio.uio.no/events/courses/2022/Bergen_Phylogenetics_2022.html)

 

2023

• Åshild Sunde Feyling Thorsen; Anne Helene S. Tandberg; Nicolas Straube (2023). På tokt med OceanX. (external link)
• Nicolas Straube; Madeline Steinberg (2023). Can We Film this Bioluminescent Shark?. (external link)
• Jürgen Pollerspöck; Danielle Cares; David A. Ebert et al. (2023). First in situ documentation of a fossil tooth of the megatooth shark Otodus (Megaselachus) megalodon from the deep sea in the Pacific Ocean. (external link)
• Manuel Andreas Staggl; Bernhard Ruthensteiner; Nicolas Straube (2023). Head anatomy of a lantern shark wet-collection specimen (Chondrichthyes: Etmopteridae). (external link)
• Jürgen Pollerspöck; Kent Albin Nielsen; Iris Feichtinger et al. (2023). New records of fossil deep-sea shark teeth from the Lillebælt Clay (Early–Middle Eocene) of Denmark. (external link)
• Madeline Steinberg; Øyvind Fiksen; Nicolas Straube et al. (2023). The Hidden Sea Creatures in Norway's Fjords - On Mission. (external link)
• Haakon Arthur Pedersen; Torkild Bakken; Mari Heggernes Eilertsen et al. (2023). Diversity of fish inside and around hydrothermal vent fields on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge.. (external link)
• Jürgen Pollerspöck; Simon Weigmann; Bernard Seret et al. (2023). Comment on “4.4 First record of the goblin shark Mitsukurina owstoni Jordan, 1898 (Lamniformes: Mitsukurinidae) in the Mediterranean Sea” by Athanasios Anastasiadis, Evangelos Papadimitriou and Frithjof C. Küpper in: Kousteni, V., Anastasiadis, A., Bariche, M., Battaglia, P., Bonifazi, A. et al. (2022). New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea (May 2022). Mediterranean Marine Science, 23 (3), 417-446. (external link)

2022

• Alexia Lourtie; Laurent Duchatelet; Nicolas Straube et al. (2022). Placoid scales in bioluminescent sharks: Scaling their evolution using morphology and elemental composition. (external link)
• Qian Wang; Leyli Dizai; Junman Huang et al. (2022). Molecular phylogenetics of the Clupeiformes based on exon-capture data and a new classification of the order. (external link)
• I. Feichtinger; G. Guinot; Nicolas Straube et al. (2022). Revision of the Cretaceous shark Protoxynotus (Chondrichthyes, Squaliformes) and early evolution of somniosid sharks. (external link)
• Stefanie Agne; Gavin J. P. Naylor; Michaela Preick et al. (2022). Taxonomic Identification of Two Poorly Known Lantern Shark Species Based on Mitochondrial DNA From Wet-Collection Paratypes. (external link)
• Jeremy McCormack; Michael L. Griffiths; Sora L. Kim et al. (2022). Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes. (external link)
• Jan Baer; Ulrich K. Schliewen; Frederic D. B. Schedel et al. (2022). Cryptic persistence and loss of local endemism in Lake Constance charr subject to anthropogenic disturbance. (external link)
• Stefanie Agne; Michaela Preick; Nicolas Straube et al. (2022). Simultaneous Barcode Sequencing of Diverse Museum Collection Specimens Using a Mixed RNA Bait Set. (external link)
• Melany Villate-Moreno; Juan Camilo Cubillos-M; Herwig Stibor et al. (2022). Molecular identification and first demographic insights of sharks based on artisanal fisheries bycatch in the Pacific Coast of Colombia: implications for conservation. (external link)
• Stefanie Agne; Merrick Ekins; Adrian Galitz et al. (2022). Keratose sponge MuseOMICS: setting reference points in dictyoceratid demosponge phylogeny. (external link)

2025

• Benedicte Garmann-Aarhus; Ekaterina Nikolaeva; Thomas Desvignes et al. (2025). Museomic analyses clarify species diversity in the icefish genus Channichthys. (external link)
• Aino Laila Johanna Hosia; Anne Helene S. Tandberg; Nicolas Straube (2025). 2023 Dypdykk med OceanX. (external link)
• Fereshteh Hemmateenejad; Sofia P. Ramalho; Pedro Ribeiro et al. (2025). Arctic Ocean and Barents Sea Fauna Catalogue. (external link)
• Nicolas Straube; Leif Inge Åstveit (2025). 2022 Hai på steinalderboplassen. (external link)
• Julius Nielsen; Jørgen Schou Christiansen; Kim Præbel et al. (2025). Spatial Distribution of Greenland Shark Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) Life Stages Across the Northern North Atlantic. (external link)
• Nicolas Straube; Jo Høyer (2025). 1910 Thorolv Rasmussen – eller «kunsten å tegne fisk». (external link)
• Shing-Lai Ng; Nicolas Straube; Kwang-Ming Liu et al. (2025). Confusions across the hemispheres: Taxonomic reevaluation of two lanternshark species, Etmopterus lucifer and E. molleri (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae). (external link)
• Sarah Schmid; Nicolas Straube; Camille Albouy et al. (2025). Unlocking natural history collections to improve eDNA reference databases and biodiversity monitoring. (external link)
• Nicolas Straube; Anne Helene S. Tandberg; Jon Anders Kongsrud (2025). 2019 Nye fisker og virvelløse dyr i Antarktis. (external link)
• Antonia Klöcker; Axel Schlindwein; Martin C. Arostegui et al. (2025). Giants in the cold: Morphological evidence for vascular heat retention in the viscera but not the skeletal muscle of the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus). (external link)

2019

• Timo Moritz; Nicolas Straube; Dirk Neumann (2019). The Garra species (Cyprinidae) of the Main Nile basin with description of three new species. (external link)
• Anne Helene S. Tandberg; Hans Tore Rapp; Anders Kjetland et al. (2019). Hvalsalen - Det store mylderet. (external link)
• Claudia Junge; Marlen Knutsen Myrlund; Rupert Wienerroither et al. (2019). Mission (im)possible: identifying skate species accurrately, fast, easy and untrained, is that possible?. (external link)

2024

• Nataliya Budaeva; Stefanie Agne; Pedro Ribeiro et al. (2024). Wide-spread dispersal in a deep-sea brooding polychaete: the role of natural history collections in assessing the distribution in quill worms (Onuphidae, Annelida). (external link)
• Mario Torralba Sáez; Michael Hofreiter; Nicolas Straube (2024). Shark genome size evolution and its relationship with cellular, life-history, ecological, and diversity traits. (external link)
• Fernando Lopes; Nicole Gunter; Conrad P.D.T. Gillett et al. (2024). From museum drawer to tree: Historical DNA phylogenomics clarifies the systematics of rare dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) from museum collections. (external link)
• Benedicte Garmann-Aarhus; Ekaterina Nikolaeva; Thomas Desvignes et al. (2024). Museomics informs about species diversity within the adaptive radiation of Antarctic notothenioid fishes. (external link)
• Arve Lynghammar; Nicolas Straube; Ole Thomas Albert (2024). Regional Overviews, Northern Europe, Norway. (external link)

2021

• I. Feichtinger; Sylvain Adnet; Gilles Cuny et al. (2021). Comment on “An early Miocene extinction in pelagic sharks”. (external link)
• Melany Villate-Moreno; Jürgen Pollerspöck; Friederike Kremer-Obrock et al. (2021). Molecular analyses of confiscated shark fins reveal shortcomings of CITES implementations in Germany. (external link)
• Rupert Wienerroither; Trygve H. Hesthagen; Otte Bjelland et al. (2021). Fisker (Myxini, Petromyzontiformes, Chondrichthyes, Osteichthyes). Norsk rødliste for arter 2021. (external link)
• Nicolas Straube; Mariana L. Lyra; Johanna L. A. Paijmans et al. (2021). Successful application of ancient DNA extraction and library construction protocols to museum wet collection specimens. (external link)
• Jürgen Pollerspöck; Nicolas Straube (2021). Phylogenetic placement and description of an extinct genus and species of kitefin shark based on tooth fossils (Squaliformes: Dalatiidae). (external link)
• Nicolas Straube; Michaela Preick; Gavin J.P. Naylor et al. (2021). Mitochondrial DNA sequencing of a wet-collection syntype demonstrates the importance of type material as genetic resource for lantern shark taxonomy (Chondrichthyes: Etmopteridae). (external link)

2020

• Loïs Rancilhac; Teddy Bruy; Mark D. Scherz et al. (2020). Target-enriched DNA sequencing from historical type material enables a partial revision of the Madagascar giant stream frogs (genus Mantidactylus). (external link)
• Anne Helene S. Tandberg; Aino Laila Johanna Hosia; Nicolas Straube et al. (2020). Two centuries of marine biodiversity collections and research. (external link)
• Nicolas Straube; Jürgen Pollerspöck (2020). Intraspecific dental variations in the deep-sea shark Etmopterus spinax and their significance in the fossil record. (external link)

2026

• Stefanie Agne; Patrick Arnold; Berthilde Belle et al. (2026). Mitogenomic Crocodylia phylogeny and population structure of Crocodylus porosus including the extinct Seychelles crocodile. (external link)

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Publications (selection)

 

Methods:

Straube, N. & Lyra, M.L. & Paijmans, J.L.A. & Preick, M. & Basler, N. & Penner, J. & Rödel, M.-O. & Westbury, M.V. & Haddad, C.F.B. & Barlow, A. & Hofreiter, M. (2021)Successful application of ancient DNA extraction and library construction protocols to museum wet collection specimens. Molecular Ecology Resources, 21(7), 2299–2315DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13433

Agne, S. & Straube, N. & Preick, M. & Hofreiter, M. (2022). Simultaneous barcode sequencing of diverse museum collection specimens using a mixed RNA bait set. Front. Ecol. Evol. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.909846

McCormack, J. & Griffiths, M.L. & Kim, S.L. & Shimada, K. & Karnes, M. & Maisch, H. & Pederzani, S. & Bourgon, N. & Jaouen, K. & Becker, M.A. & Jöns, N. & Sisma-Ventura, G. & Straube, N. & Pollerspöck, J. & Hublin, J.-J. & Eagle, R.A. & Tütken, T. (2022)Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes. Nature Communications, 13, Article 2980DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30528-9

Li, C. & Hofreiter, M. & Straube, N. & Corrigan, S. & Naylor G.J.P. (2013) Capturing protein-coding genes across highly divergent species BioTechniques 2013 54:6, 321-326

 

Museomics

Baer, Jan, Schliewen, Ulrich K., Schedel, Frederic D. B., Straube, Nicolas, Roch, Samuel, and Brinker, Alexander. 2023. “ Cryptic Persistence and Loss of Local Endemism in Lake Constance Charr Subject to Anthropogenic Disturbance.” Ecological Applications 33( 2): e2773. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2773

Agne, S. & Naylor, G.J.P. & Preick, M. & Yang, L. & Thiel, R. & Weigmann, S. & Paijmans, J.L.A. & Barlow, A. & Hofreiter, M. & Straube, N. (2022)Taxonomic Identification of Two Poorly Known Lantern Shark Species Based on Mitochondrial DNA From Wet-Collection Paratypes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, Article fevo.2022.910009DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.910009

Straube, N. & Preick, M. & Naylor, G.J.P. & Hofreiter, M. (2021)Mitochondrial DNA sequencing of a wet-collection syntype demonstrates the importance of type material as genetic resource for lantern shark taxonomy (Chondrichthyes: Etmopteridae). Royal Society Open Science, 8(9), Article 210474DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210474

Li, C. & Corrigan, S. & Yang, L. & Straube, N. & Harris, M. & Hofreiter, M. & White, W.T. & Naylor, G.J.P. (2015)DNA capture reveals transoceanic gene flow in endangered river sharks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(43), 13302–13307DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1508735112

 

Technical comment:

Feichtinger, I. & Adnet, S. & Cuny, G. & Guinot, G. & Kriwet, J. & Neubauer, T.A. & Pollerspöck, J. & Shimada, K. & Straube, N. & Underwood, C. & Vullo, R. & Harzhauser, M. (2021)Comment on “An early Miocene extinction in pelagic sharks”. Science, 374(6573), Article abk0632DOI: 10.1126/science.abk0632

 

Phylogenetics & Evolution

Wang, Q. & Dizaj, L. P. & Huang, J. & Sarker, K. K. & Kevrekidis, C. & Reichenbacher, B. & Esmaeili, H. R. & Straube, N. & Moritz, T. & Li, C. (2022) Molecular phylogenetics of the Clupeiformes based on exon-capture data and a new classification of the order, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution,Volume 175,2022,107590,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107590

Claes, J.M. & Nilsson, D.-E. & Mallefet, J. & Straube, N. (2015)The presence of lateral photophores correlates with increased speciation in deep-sea bioluminescent sharks. Royal Society Open Science, 2, Article 150219DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150219

Claes, J.M. & Nilsson, D.-E. & Straube, N. & Collin, S.P. & Mallefet, J. (2014)Iso-luminance counterillumination drove bioluminescent shark radiation. Scientific Reports, 4, Article 4328DOI: 10.1038/srep04328

Straube, N. & Li, C. & Claes, J.M. & Corrigan, S. & Naylor, G.J.P. (2015)Molecular phylogeny of Squaliformes and first occurrence of bioluminescence in sharks. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 15, Article 162 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0446-6

 

Conservation

Villate-Moreno, M, & Cubillos-M, J.C. & Stibor, H. & Crawford, A.J. & Straube, N. (2022)Molecular identification and first demographic insights of sharks based on artisanal fisheries bycatch in the Pacific Coast of Colombia: implications for conservation. PeerJ, 10, Article e13478DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13478

Villate-Moreno, M. & Pollerspöck, J. & Kremer-Obrock, F. & Straube, N. (2021)Molecular analyses of confiscated shark fins reveal shortcomings of CITES implementations in Germany. Conservation Science and Practice, 3(6), Article e398DOI: 10.1111/csp2.398

Palaeontology

Pollerspöck, J. & Güthner, T. & Straube, N. (2022)Re-evaluation of the Lower Miocene (Burdigalian, Ottnangian) elasmobranch fauna (Elasmobranchii, Neoselachii) from Upper Austria (Allerding, near Schärding, Austria) with comments on the paleogeographic distribution of the recorded squaliform sharks. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, Series A, 122, 87–163

Feichtinger, I. & Guinot, G. & Straube, N. & Harzhauser, M. & Auer, G. & Ćorić, S. & Kranner, M. & Schellhorn, S. & Ladwig, J. & Thies, D. & Pollerspöck, J. (2022)Revision of the Cretaceous shark Protoxynotus (Chondrichthyes, Squaliformes) and early evolution of somniosid sharks. Cretaceous Research, 140, Article 105331DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105331

Pollerspöck, J. & Beaury, B. & Straube, N. & Feichtinger, I. (2021)Oldest evidence of the genus Squalus in the north alpine realm with remarks on its evolution and distribution through time. Paleoichthys, 2, 1–9

Pollerspöck, J. & Beaury, B. & Straube, N. & Feichtinger, I. (2021)Oldest evidence of the genus Squalus in the north alpine realm with remarks on its evolution and distribution through time. Paleoichthys, 2, 1–9

Pollerspöck, J. & Straube, N. (2021)Phylogenetic placement and description of an extinct genus and species of kitefin shark based on tooth fossils (Squaliformes: Dalatiidae). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 19(15), 1083–1096DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2021.2012537

 

 

 

 

• Phylogenomics of archival DNA (German research Foundation; project number 351649567)
• Lions in Bergen – provenance of three collection specimens of Panthera leo in the University Museum of Bergen (Meltzer Fund)
• Type Specimen Museomics (Meltzer Fund)