Entomology: staff

Collections staff have varied research interests in the area of insect taxonomy, physiology and behaviour, and maintain an active acquisition policy. Further details of their work are summarised below, and a list of selected publications is available to download.

Assistant Curator: Mr D. J. Mann BTEC FLS FRES

Collections staff:
Mr J. Hogan BSc
Ms Z. M. Simmons BSc
Ms A. Spooner BSc
Ms K. Child BA

Honorary associate curators:
Mr D. M. Ackland
Mr J. Cooter BSc FMA
Mr Ray Gabriel
Dr J. W. Ismay BSc PhD
Mr I. Lansbury M Phil
Dr A. C. Pont MA DSc

Honorary research associates:
Mr R. Gallon BSc MSc
Dr P. Gatt BSc PhD
Dr J. A. Kathirithamby BSc PhD
Dr S. Longhorn MSc PhD
Dr G. C. McGavin BSc PhD FLS FRGS
Mr C. O'Toole MA status (Oxon) FRES
Mr Guillaume de Rougemont BA

Mr Darren Mann Assistant curator

Responsible for day to day running of the entomological collections.
Curatorial interests: collections management and the curation-conservation of historical entomological collections.
Research interests: general entomology; dung beetle (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) taxonomy and ecology; British dung beetle distribution patterns; taxonomy and biology of the cockroaches (Blattaria).
Current projects include: historic collections and their types in the OUMNH; ecology and distribution of Bolivian Scarabaeinae; British oil beetle (Coleoptera: Meloidae) distribution and conservation; national organiser for the U.K. Scarabaeoidea Recording Scheme; Bornean dung beetles ecology.
Teaching: entomology; field studies.

Mr James E Hogan Collections staff

Responsible for Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera collections.
Curatorial interests: curation and preservation of historic insect collections, preservation of DNA in insect specimens.
Current projects include: re-curation and re-housing of the Coleoptera collections. Systematics and biogeography of pedunculate ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Scaritinae).

Ms Zoë M Simmons Collections staff

Responsible for Arachnid and Myriapoda and Diptera.
Curatorial interests: re-curation and cataloguing of the family Erotylidae collections. Upkeep and curatorial maintenance of collections listed above and participation in the large-scale re-housing project currently underway.
Current projects include: re-housing, re-curation of the world Diptera collections; re-curation of the Arachnid collection; re-curation and taxonomy of the fungus beetle (Erotylidae) collection.

Ms Amoret Spooner Collections staff

Responsible for Hemiptera and small orders collections.
Curatorial interests: Histeridae
Current projects include: re-curation and conservation of historic entomological collections.

Ms Katherine Child Collections staff

Image capture of Lepidoptera types & historic entomological collections

Mr Michael Ackland Honorary associate curator

Curatorial interests: revision and curation of the collections of Anthomyiidae (Diptera).
Current projects include: taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical genera Delia and Calythea; the Anthomyiidae predators of blackflies (Simulidae) (collaboration with Dr D. Werner, Humboldt University, Berlin; identification and revision of the following material: Mongolian Anthomyiidae collected by Dr. Kaszab; Anthomyiidae collected by Dr A. Pont in the Republic of Georgia. Ongoing production of checklists of the Swiss Anthomyiidae (collaboration with Dr B. Merz, Museum of Natural History, Geneva); preparation of provisional keys and drawings for the identification of British Anthomyiidae, and their distribution for testing.

Mr Jon Cooter Honorary associate curator

Curatorial interests: British Coleoptera and World Leiodidae.
Current projects include: re-curation and re-housing of the Dale British insect collection. Re-curation of the Leiodidae collection.

Mr Ray Gabriel Honorary associate curator

Curatorial interests: revision and curation of the collections of bird-eating spiders (Theraphosidae), scorpions and smaller arachnid orders.
Current projects include: collation, taxonomy, re-curation, re-housing and cataloguing of the theraphosid collection. Taxonomy of Central and South American Theraphosidae focusing on the Panamanian species. Captive breeding and husbandry of bird-eating spiders (Theraphosidae) in relation to climate.
Collaborative projects include taxonomy, cataloguing of the Natural History Museum, London theraphosid collection with Richard Gallon and Jan Beccaloni.

Dr John Ismay Honorary associate curator

Curatorial interests: revision and curation of the collections of Chloropidae, Sphaeroceridae and small acalyptrate families (Diptera); curation of the British Diptera Collections, including the Reference Collection; curation and arrangement of the World Diptera Collections.
Current projects include: taxonomic revision of the Australasian and Oriental Chloropidae; preparation of a Royal Entomological Society Handbook on British Chloropidae (about 190 species); preparation of Species Account for Diptera, Acalyptratae for Joint Nature Conservation Committee; taxonomic research on World Chloropidae (collaboration with Ms B. Schulten, UK, and Dr. M. von Tschirnhaus, University of Bielefeld, Germany); revision of the Chloropidae of Namibia (in collaboration with Mr A. Kirk-Spriggs, South Africa); revision of the Chloropidae of Switzerland (in collaboration with Ms B. Schulten, UK and Dr B. Merz, Muséum d'histoire naturelle, Geneva, Switzerland).

Mr I Lansbury Honorary associate curator

Curatorial interests: aquatic Hemiptera
Current projects include: re-curation and re-housing of the aquatic Hemiptera collections.

Dr Adrian Pont Honorary associate curator

Curatorial interests: revision and organisation of the world collections of Sepsidae, Fanniidae and Muscidae (Diptera); cataloguing and curation of the types of Diptera described by Verrall and Collin (funded by the Pilgrim Trust, 1992), the Bigot Collection of Exotic Diptera (funded by the Pilgrim Trust, 1997), and the Palaearctic Diptera Collection (funded by the Designation Challenge, 2001).
Current projects include: species of Atherigona from South-East Asia; species of Lispe and Limnophora from Australia; taxonomy of Palaearctic Muscidae, especially of arcto-alpine species and of predaceous species; catalogues of the World species of Fanniidae and Muscidae (some 5,000 species).
Collaborative projects include Muscidae from Russia (with N.Vikhrev, Moscow, and V.S.Sorokina, Novosibirsk); Muscidae of Fiji and the Pacific (with M.S.Couri, Rio de Janeiro); Diptera predators of blackflies (Simuliidae) (with D. Werner, Berlin); classification of the Muscidae (with C.J.B. de Carvalho, Curitiba, and S.N.Kutty, Singapore); historical aspects of Dipterology (with N.L.Evenhuis, Honolulu); the on-line Biosystematic Database of World Diptera. (with F.C.Thompson, Washington, N.L.Evenhuis, Honolulu, and T.Pape, Copenhagen).

Mr Richard Gallon Honorary research associate

Curatorial interests: Araneae, Theraphosidae
Research interests: Taxonomy and biology of African Theraphosidae; Taxonomy and identification of British Arachnida.
Current projects include: The taxonomy of African Theraphosidae with recent emphasis being on the Harpactirinae and Ischnocolinae; Compilation of taxonomic and biological research of African Theraphosidae into a book; Area co-ordinator for the National Spider Recording Scheme (UK).
Collaborative projects: Cataloguing of the Natural History Museum, London theraphosid collection with Ray Gabriel and Jan Beccaloni.

Dr Paul Gatt Honorary research associate

Curatorial interests: Diptera, Empidoidea
Research interests: : Palaearctic Sphaeroceridae; Taxonomy and biology of Sarcophagidae, Culicidae and Mediterranean dune and marine coastal diptera assemblages; Medical entomology, especially mosquito borne disease.
Current projects include: The taxonomy of the old “Microphoridae” of the Empidoidea, with special interest in the genus Micophorella Becker; The empidoid genera Platypalpus Macquart, Chersodromia Walker and Hilara Meigen with several new species from the mediterranean awaiting description.

Dr Stuart Longhorn Honorary research associate

Curatorial interests: Araneae, Theraphosidae
Research interests: Arthropod systematics, especially phylogenetic relationships within the Theraphosidae.
Current projects include: Diversity and identification of Honduran Arachnida, especially the Mygalomorph spiders (Theraphosidae and allies); DNA sampling of world Theraphosidae for use in phylogenetic studies.

Dr George McGavin Honorary research associate
www.georgemcgavin.co.uk

Curatorial interests: true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera).
Research interests: insect biodiversity; Hemiptera (Heteroptera); the insects associated with tropical tree canopies, especially in East African savanna systems; arthropod communities of caves; plant-insect interactions; insect ecology.
Teaching: entomology; ecology; field studies; public understanding of science.

Mr Chris O'Toole Honorary research associate

Curatorial interests: the types of Aculeate Hymenoptera, especially those series which were split between the OUM and NMH London); the uncatalogued type material of bees; identification of British and Mediterranean bees in the HEC.
Research interests: the taxonomy, floral relations and biogeography of anthophorine bees; nesting biology of osmiine bees managed intensively for the pollination of orchard crops.
Public lectures: bee biology, pollination ecology.

Dr J A Kathirithamby Honorary research associate
J A Kathririthamby web page

Current projects include: systematics, developmental biology and biodiversity of Strepsiptera.

Mr Guillaume de Rougemont Honorary research associate

Curatorial interests: Rove beetles (family Staphylinidae) curation of the collection.
Current projects include: working up the museum's collection of Bornean Staphylinidae. Taxonomy of the Staphylinidae.
Collaborative projects include Staphylinid beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) of Yemen, with Dr Vladimir Gusarov (University of Oslo). Taxonomy of certain Omaliinae with Dr Harald Schillhammer (Naturhistorische Museum, Wien).

Selected publications from the entomology collections (PDF, 109kB)
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Enquiries regarding the collections should be sent to: entomology@oum.ox.ac.uk