Simon Maddock
@simonmaddock.bsky.social
Ecology, evolution and conservation of reptiles and amphibians • Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Evolution at Newcastle University • Scientific Associate at Natural History Museum, London • He/Him
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Early bird tickets are now on sale to everyone! Head to www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/croak-2026... to register and to www.croakconference.org/abstract-sub... if you want to present. Abstract submission closes soon!
We already have some amazing talks and posters lined up, can't wait to see everyone there!
We already have some amazing talks and posters lined up, can't wait to see everyone there!
July 20, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Early bird tickets are now on sale to everyone! Head to www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/croak-2026... to register and to www.croakconference.org/abstract-sub... if you want to present. Abstract submission closes soon!
We already have some amazing talks and posters lined up, can't wait to see everyone there!
We already have some amazing talks and posters lined up, can't wait to see everyone there!
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Abstract submissions for CROAK are now open! We welcome submissions for talks and posters on amphibians and reptiles from any sector and career stage 🦎🐸
Link & further details here: www.croakconference.org/abstract-sub...
[ 📸: Malayodracon robinsonii, @saunakpal.bsky.social ]
Link & further details here: www.croakconference.org/abstract-sub...
[ 📸: Malayodracon robinsonii, @saunakpal.bsky.social ]
July 2, 2026 at 9:44 AM
Abstract submissions for CROAK are now open! We welcome submissions for talks and posters on amphibians and reptiles from any sector and career stage 🦎🐸
Link & further details here: www.croakconference.org/abstract-sub...
[ 📸: Malayodracon robinsonii, @saunakpal.bsky.social ]
Link & further details here: www.croakconference.org/abstract-sub...
[ 📸: Malayodracon robinsonii, @saunakpal.bsky.social ]
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Awesome new pre-print:
@brennian.bsky.social and company back at it with the most glorious figures about glorious limb-reduced geckos.
doi.org/10.64898/202...
@brennian.bsky.social and company back at it with the most glorious figures about glorious limb-reduced geckos.
doi.org/10.64898/202...
June 26, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Awesome new pre-print:
@brennian.bsky.social and company back at it with the most glorious figures about glorious limb-reduced geckos.
doi.org/10.64898/202...
@brennian.bsky.social and company back at it with the most glorious figures about glorious limb-reduced geckos.
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Save the date!
We are very happy to announce the first CROAK - Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge - to be held at the Rigg and Furrow Brewery in Northumberland on 15 –16 September 2026.
We welcome delegates from all backgrounds and will soon open abstract submissions and registration. +
We are very happy to announce the first CROAK - Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge - to be held at the Rigg and Furrow Brewery in Northumberland on 15 –16 September 2026.
We welcome delegates from all backgrounds and will soon open abstract submissions and registration. +
June 25, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Save the date!
We are very happy to announce the first CROAK - Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge - to be held at the Rigg and Furrow Brewery in Northumberland on 15 –16 September 2026.
We welcome delegates from all backgrounds and will soon open abstract submissions and registration. +
We are very happy to announce the first CROAK - Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge - to be held at the Rigg and Furrow Brewery in Northumberland on 15 –16 September 2026.
We welcome delegates from all backgrounds and will soon open abstract submissions and registration. +
Reposted by Simon Maddock
We are very happy to announce that the first plenary speaker for CROAK 2026 will be Richard Griffiths, Emeritus Professor of Biological Conservation at Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent (www.kent.ac.uk/.../research...). Stay tuned for more information!
June 25, 2026 at 10:12 AM
We are very happy to announce that the first plenary speaker for CROAK 2026 will be Richard Griffiths, Emeritus Professor of Biological Conservation at Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent (www.kent.ac.uk/.../research...). Stay tuned for more information!
Reposted by Simon Maddock
We are very happy to announce that the second plenary speaker for CROAK 2026 will be Wolfgang Wüster, Professor of Zoology (Molecular Ecology) at Bangor University (www.bangor.ac.uk/.../sens/wol...).
Follow this page to stay up to date with CROAK news!
Follow this page to stay up to date with CROAK news!
June 25, 2026 at 10:14 AM
We are very happy to announce that the second plenary speaker for CROAK 2026 will be Wolfgang Wüster, Professor of Zoology (Molecular Ecology) at Bangor University (www.bangor.ac.uk/.../sens/wol...).
Follow this page to stay up to date with CROAK news!
Follow this page to stay up to date with CROAK news!
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Interesting new tool to extract phylogenies from images (Tremble). It is crazy that this is still something we have to do. doi.org/10.1093/bioi...
Treemble: a graphical tool to generate Newick strings from phylogenetic tree images
AbstractSummary. Phylogenetic trees are ubiquitous and central to biology, but most published trees are available only as visual diagrams and not in the ma
doi.org
May 27, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Interesting new tool to extract phylogenies from images (Tremble). It is crazy that this is still something we have to do. doi.org/10.1093/bioi...
Reposted by Simon Maddock
As a geoscientist with lots of biology in my background, training, & interests, I love these examples of how plate tectonics intersects with evolution: in this case, frog diversification driven by tectonic processes, with the latter also influencing climate. 🧪🪨⚒️🐸🌋
I am very happy to see Becci Morris' first ever paper published 🥳 In this study we find that the New Guinea frog genus Mantophryne diversified due to a combination of tectonic activity and climate reorganisation in the Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
🧪🐸
🧪🐸
May 25, 2026 at 2:13 PM
As a geoscientist with lots of biology in my background, training, & interests, I love these examples of how plate tectonics intersects with evolution: in this case, frog diversification driven by tectonic processes, with the latter also influencing climate. 🧪🪨⚒️🐸🌋
I am very happy to see Becci Morris' first ever paper published 🥳 In this study we find that the New Guinea frog genus Mantophryne diversified due to a combination of tectonic activity and climate reorganisation in the Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
🧪🐸
🧪🐸
May 6, 2026 at 6:46 PM
I am very happy to see Becci Morris' first ever paper published 🥳 In this study we find that the New Guinea frog genus Mantophryne diversified due to a combination of tectonic activity and climate reorganisation in the Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
🧪🐸
🧪🐸
Amazing first full day of our Newcastle University undergraduate Biology/Zoology Scotland fieldcourse. This year we have come to the shore of Loch Lomond. My group have been doing reptile and amphibian ecological surveys and we found adders, slow worms, frogs, toads, and palmate newts 🐍🐸🧪
May 5, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Amazing first full day of our Newcastle University undergraduate Biology/Zoology Scotland fieldcourse. This year we have come to the shore of Loch Lomond. My group have been doing reptile and amphibian ecological surveys and we found adders, slow worms, frogs, toads, and palmate newts 🐍🐸🧪
Our new paper (led by Rémi Martin) found that British toads have low genetic diversity and low geographic structuring. Most of the genetic differences were driven by isolation-by-distance. Levels of genetic diversity decreased the further north the population tinyurl.com/43wxrfuk 🧪🐸🌎🐍#consgen
April 2, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Our new paper (led by Rémi Martin) found that British toads have low genetic diversity and low geographic structuring. Most of the genetic differences were driven by isolation-by-distance. Levels of genetic diversity decreased the further north the population tinyurl.com/43wxrfuk 🧪🐸🌎🐍#consgen
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Adios *Anilios*! Glad our phylogeny was somewhat helpful in synonymising @simonmaddock.bsky.social! mapress.com/zt/article/v...
No justification for recognition of the blindsnake genera Anilios and Sundatyphlops (Squamata: Typhlopidae)
| Zootaxa
mapress.com
March 11, 2026 at 4:39 AM
Adios *Anilios*! Glad our phylogeny was somewhat helpful in synonymising @simonmaddock.bsky.social! mapress.com/zt/article/v...
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Workshop on #ConservationGenetics at #HWM2026 led by Axel Barlow and @simonmaddock.bsky.social of @bangoruniversity.bsky.social and Newcastle University -assessing participant knowledge and solving scenarios.
January 31, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Workshop on #ConservationGenetics at #HWM2026 led by Axel Barlow and @simonmaddock.bsky.social of @bangoruniversity.bsky.social and Newcastle University -assessing participant knowledge and solving scenarios.
Reposted by Simon Maddock
The most exciting find of my recent fieldwork: the Montane Mahé Caecilian. Only found on the highest peak in Seychelles, this Critically Endangered amphibian had not been observed since 2015.
📷: @simonmaddock.bsky.social
📷: @simonmaddock.bsky.social
December 8, 2025 at 8:05 PM
The most exciting find of my recent fieldwork: the Montane Mahé Caecilian. Only found on the highest peak in Seychelles, this Critically Endangered amphibian had not been observed since 2015.
📷: @simonmaddock.bsky.social
📷: @simonmaddock.bsky.social
Reposted by Simon Maddock
I have a new preprint demonstrating a genome-architecture-aware approach to inferring species trees and introgression landscapes from a small number of genomes. If you are interested in phylogenomics, birds, or hybridization, this is for you! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
December 1, 2025 at 7:35 PM
I have a new preprint demonstrating a genome-architecture-aware approach to inferring species trees and introgression landscapes from a small number of genomes. If you are interested in phylogenomics, birds, or hybridization, this is for you! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Over 41% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction. The challenges they face are huge—but so are the successes. I'm honored to contribute to this new paper offering a rare optimistic look at amphibian conservation.
👉rdcu.be/eQPL7
👉rdcu.be/eQPL7
November 21, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Over 41% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction. The challenges they face are huge—but so are the successes. I'm honored to contribute to this new paper offering a rare optimistic look at amphibian conservation.
👉rdcu.be/eQPL7
👉rdcu.be/eQPL7
Reposted by Simon Maddock
🚨Job opportunity🚨
We are hiring a 3yr research technician. If you love fieldwork, are passionate about forests & mountains, and want to up-skill in remote sensing, sensor networks and running field experiments this could be the dream job for you!
🧪🌳⛰️🛰️🌡️🍄
www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
We are hiring a 3yr research technician. If you love fieldwork, are passionate about forests & mountains, and want to up-skill in remote sensing, sensor networks and running field experiments this could be the dream job for you!
🧪🌳⛰️🛰️🌡️🍄
www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
Details | Working at Bristol | University of Bristol
www.bristol.ac.uk
November 14, 2025 at 9:38 AM
🚨Job opportunity🚨
We are hiring a 3yr research technician. If you love fieldwork, are passionate about forests & mountains, and want to up-skill in remote sensing, sensor networks and running field experiments this could be the dream job for you!
🧪🌳⛰️🛰️🌡️🍄
www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
We are hiring a 3yr research technician. If you love fieldwork, are passionate about forests & mountains, and want to up-skill in remote sensing, sensor networks and running field experiments this could be the dream job for you!
🧪🌳⛰️🛰️🌡️🍄
www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
Reposted by Simon Maddock
New and improved! (as of today, now with page numbers and an issue number ;)
"Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers"
Led by Dr. Libby Natola:
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
"Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers"
Led by Dr. Libby Natola:
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers
Abstract. Genomic differentiation usually accompanies speciation, but that differentiation is often highly heterogeneous across the genome. Understanding w
doi.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:59 PM
New and improved! (as of today, now with page numbers and an issue number ;)
"Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers"
Led by Dr. Libby Natola:
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
"Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers"
Led by Dr. Libby Natola:
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Day three of the #30DayMapChallenge - Polygons. This map shows the earths tectonic plates. I have overlayed all of the earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 4.0 over the last 20 years, coloured according to their magnitude (blue (smallest) - red (largest).
November 3, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Day three of the #30DayMapChallenge - Polygons. This map shows the earths tectonic plates. I have overlayed all of the earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 4.0 over the last 20 years, coloured according to their magnitude (blue (smallest) - red (largest).
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Here is the link to the open access article academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
Island-hopping anurans: diversification dynamics in a widespread frog family
Abstract. Examining diversification patterns associated with dispersal, vicariance, and local adaptation is critical in elucidating drivers of speciation.
academic.oup.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Here is the link to the open access article academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
Awesome work by @deepakveerappan.bsky.social on this paper. Here we explore "Island-hopping anurans: diversification dynamics in a widespread frog family". The article is Open Access so go and check it out!
Hot off the press. Our study on the #biogeography of Ceratobatrachid #frogs is now out in @ZoolJLinnSoc.bsky.social
I had a chance to present this work at the World Congress of #herpetology last year. I tried to compile the highlights from this study. Read the open access paper for more details
I had a chance to present this work at the World Congress of #herpetology last year. I tried to compile the highlights from this study. Read the open access paper for more details
November 3, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Awesome work by @deepakveerappan.bsky.social on this paper. Here we explore "Island-hopping anurans: diversification dynamics in a widespread frog family". The article is Open Access so go and check it out!
Reposted by Simon Maddock
📢 We're excited to launch our AaRCademy Workshop Series kicking off October 7th online!
🧬Our first session, "aDNA Data Processing", will be led by Nikolay Oskolkov from Lund University.
📅 Registration closes September 7th! Sign up via the QR code or link below.
#aDNA @aarc-community.bsky.social
🧬Our first session, "aDNA Data Processing", will be led by Nikolay Oskolkov from Lund University.
📅 Registration closes September 7th! Sign up via the QR code or link below.
#aDNA @aarc-community.bsky.social
August 19, 2025 at 10:35 AM
📢 We're excited to launch our AaRCademy Workshop Series kicking off October 7th online!
🧬Our first session, "aDNA Data Processing", will be led by Nikolay Oskolkov from Lund University.
📅 Registration closes September 7th! Sign up via the QR code or link below.
#aDNA @aarc-community.bsky.social
🧬Our first session, "aDNA Data Processing", will be led by Nikolay Oskolkov from Lund University.
📅 Registration closes September 7th! Sign up via the QR code or link below.
#aDNA @aarc-community.bsky.social
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Thrilled that Rachel Gray had a successful viva today! 🐢🐢🧬🧬
My first PhD student #ProudPI
Major thanks to @simonmaddock.bsky.social and Axel Barlow for being examiners
@sciencesncl.bsky.social
My first PhD student #ProudPI
Major thanks to @simonmaddock.bsky.social and Axel Barlow for being examiners
@sciencesncl.bsky.social
July 4, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Thrilled that Rachel Gray had a successful viva today! 🐢🐢🧬🧬
My first PhD student #ProudPI
Major thanks to @simonmaddock.bsky.social and Axel Barlow for being examiners
@sciencesncl.bsky.social
My first PhD student #ProudPI
Major thanks to @simonmaddock.bsky.social and Axel Barlow for being examiners
@sciencesncl.bsky.social
Reposted by Simon Maddock
I'm not procrastinating.... making #Pride caecilian DNA stickers is a requirement of my dissertation. Schistometopum thomense and S. ephele, the iconic duo of my PhD work.
July 1, 2025 at 12:48 AM
I'm not procrastinating.... making #Pride caecilian DNA stickers is a requirement of my dissertation. Schistometopum thomense and S. ephele, the iconic duo of my PhD work.
Reposted by Simon Maddock
Returning from another amazing field course hosted at Leshiba Wilderness in South Africa. Wonderful students, great colleagues @simonmaddock.bsky.social and Marion! Highlight was the honey badger on the camera trap! @sciencesncl.bsky.social
June 24, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Returning from another amazing field course hosted at Leshiba Wilderness in South Africa. Wonderful students, great colleagues @simonmaddock.bsky.social and Marion! Highlight was the honey badger on the camera trap! @sciencesncl.bsky.social