Research
Arthropod Phylogeny, Evolution and Biogeography
Systematics, Biogeography, and Evolution of centipedes (Myriapoda, Chilopoda)
Soclopendra
morsitans (Scolopendromorpha,
Scolopendridae)
from the Todgha
Gorges in Morocco
Centipedes are one of the most important soil predators inhabiting all sorts of terrestrial environments in all continents except Antarctica. The group recognizes five main lineages or orders: Scutigeromorpha, Lithobiomorpha, Craterostigmomorpha, Scolopendromorpha, and Geophilomorpha.
Greg
Edgecombe from
The Natural History
Museum (London) has
dedicated major resources
to study the taxonomy
and systematics of
several groups of
centipedes, especially
Scutigeromorpha, Lithobiomorpha,
Craterostigmomorpha
and Scolopendromorpha.
Gonzalo Giribet's
primary interest in
centipedes, also shared
with Edgecombe, are
the phylogeny and
biogeography of centipedes.
Both laboratories
at The Natural History
Museum and the Museum
of Comparative Zoology
have established a
fruitful collaboration
in centipede research
in an integrated way
using morphological
and molecular information.
Varpu Vahtera holds a
postdoctoral Fellowship from the Academy of Finland
to work on scolopendromorph
systematics and biogeography.
She received her PhD
from the University
of Helsinki and the
Finnish Museum of
Natural History.
Jerome Murienne is
a Marie Curie postdoctoral
Fellow working on
different aspects
of arthropod and onychophoran
phylogeny and biogeography
and he is currently
addressing questions
of the deep phylogeny
of centipedes.
In collaboration
with Bob
Mesibov (Tasmania)
and graduate srtudent Sebastián
Vélez we
are investigating
the phylogeographic
patterns of the
Tasmanian Craterostigmus
tasmanianus. Craterostigmomorpha
is an order of centipedes
with two described
species, including
the one described
for New Zealand
by Greg Edgecombe
and Gonzalo Giribet
in 2008.
