Systematics of Australian Ghost Moths. The Australian region is one of the evolutionary hotspots for the Ghost Moths (family Hepialidae), but the fauna is relatively poorly known. Several species in the region are pests (e.g. many species of the genus Oncopera), whereas others are of cultural importance since they form an important part of the traditional “witchetty grubs”. If practiced intelligently, wild harvesting of insect larvae for human food is an environmentally friendly land use, and a potentially sustainable land use practice. Many species a habitat specific and thus potentially sensitive to habitat disturbances; they can therefore be at risk when habitats are changed or developed for human use, and be used as important indicators for monitoring habitat condition. This study (co-funded by ABRS and NHM) aims at revising the 8 genera Aenetus, Abantiades, Bordaia, Elhamma, Jeana, Oncopera, Trictena, and Zelotypia (54 described species) based on both morphological and molecular characters. Furthermore, phylogenetic studies of Aenetus, the Abantiades-Bordaia complex, and Oncopera based on both morphology and DNA will aim not only to resolve the evolutionary relationships within the groups, but also clarify their historical zoogeography, and thereby yield new, important information on Australian biogeography.
2013
Simonsen, T. J. & Huemer, P. (in press). Phylogeography of Hepialus humuli (L.) (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) in Europe: short distance vs. large scale postglacial expansions from multiple Alpine refugia and taxonomic implications. Insect Systematics and Evolution.
Lowe, T., Garwood, R., Simonsen, T. J., Bradley, R. S. & Withers, P. J. (2013). Metamorphosis revealed: 3D imaging inside a living chrysalis. Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 10: 20130304
2012
Regier, J. C., Mitter, C., Solis, M. A., Hayden, J. E., Landry, B., Nuss, M., Simonsen, T. J. & Yen, S.-H. (2012). A molecular phylogeny for the pyraloid moths (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea) and its implications for higher-level classification. Systematic Entomology. 37: pp. 635-656.
Richards, C. S., Simonsen, T. J, Abel, R. L., Hall, M. J. R., Schywn, D. A., Wicklein, M. (2012). Virtual Forensic Entomology: Improving estimates of minimum post-mortem interval with 3D Micro-Computed Tomography. Forensic Science International. 220: pp. 251-264.
Bladogerov, V., Kitching, I. J., Livermore, L., Simonsen, T. J., Smith, V. S. (2012). No specimen left behind: industrial scale digitization of natural history collections. ZooKeys. 209: pp. 133-146
Simonsen, T. J., de Jong, R., Heikkilä, M. & Kaila, L. (2012). Butterfly morphology in a molecular age – does it still matter in butterfly systematics? Arthropod Structure and Development. 41: pp. 307-322.
2011
van Nieukerken, E., Kaila, L., Kitching, I. J., Kristensen, N. P., Lees, D. C., Minet, J., Mitter, C., Mutanen, M., Regier, J. C., Simonsen, T. J., Wahlberg, N., Yen, S.-H., Zahiri, R., Adamski, D., Baixeras, J., Bartsch, D., Bengtsson, B. Å., Brown, J. W., Bucheli, S. R., Davis, D. R., De Prins, J., De Prins, W., Epstein, M. E., Gentili-Poole, P., Gielis, C., Hättenschwiler, P., Hausmann, A., Holloway, J. D., Kallies, A., Karsholt, O., Kawahara, A. Y., Koster, J. C., Kozlov, M.V., Lafontaine, J. D., Lamas, G., Landry, J-F., Lee, S., Nuss, M., Park, K-T., Penz, C. M., Rota, J., Schintlmeister, A., Schmidt, B. C., Sohn, J-C., Solis, M. A., Tarmann, G. M., Warren, A. D., Weller, S., Yakovlev, R. V., Zolotuhin, V. V., Zwick, A. (2011). Order Lepidoptera. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. et al. Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa. 3148: pp. 212-221.
Simonsen, T. J., Zakharov, E. V., Djernaes, M., Cotton, A., Vane-Wright, R. I. & Sperling, F. A. H. (2011): Phylogeny, host plant associations and divergence time of Papilioninae (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) inferred from morphology and seven genes with special focus on the enigmatic genera Teinopalpus and Meandrusa. Cladistics. 27: pp. 113-137.
Penz, C, Simonsen, T. J. & DeVries, P. (2011). A new Orobrassolis butterfly (Nymphalidae, Brassolini): a casualty of habitat destruction? Zootaxa. 2740: pp. 35-43.
2010
Simonsen, T. J., Wahlberg, N., Warren, A. D. & Sperling, F. A. H. (2010): The evolutionary history of Boloria (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): phylogeny, zoogeography and larval foodplant relationships. Systematics and Biodiversity. 8: pp. 513-529.
Simonsen, T. J. & Brown, R. L. (2010): Evolution of Host Preferences in Cactus-feeding Pyralidae, p. 20 in Research to Support Integrated Management Systems of Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Species, MS Madsen, J.D. et al. (Eds). Geosystems Research Institute GRI#5039, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State.
Blagoderov, V., Kitching, I., Simonsen, T. J. & Smith, V. (2010). Report on trial of SatScan tray scanner system by SmartDrive Ltd. Nature Preceedings.
Roe, A. D., Weller, S., Baixeras, J., Brown, J. W., Cummings, M., David, D., Kawahara, A. Y., Parr, C. S., Regier, J. C., Rubinoff, D., Simonsen, T. J., Wahlberg, N. & Zwick, A. (2010): Evolutionary framework for Lepidoptera model systems, pp. 1-24 in Genetics and Molecular Biology of Lepidoptera, M Goldsmith and F. Marec (eds.)
2009
Simonsen, T. J. (2009): Wing vestiture of the newly described monotrysian Lepidoptera family Andesianidae Davis and Gentili suggests affinity with the putative Tischerioidea -Ditrysia clade (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 44: pp. 109-114.
Simonsen, T. J. & Roe, A. D. (2009): Phylogenetic utility and comparative morphology of the composite scale brushes in male phycitine moths (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae). Zoologischer Anzeiger. 248: pp. 119-136.
Kaaber, S., Kristensen, N. P. & Simonsen, T. J. (2009): Sexual dimorphism and geographical male polymorphism in the ghost moth Hepialus humuli (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae): scale ultrastructure and evolutionary aspects. European Journal of Entomology. 106: pp. 303-313.
Simonsen, T. J., Dombroskie, J. J. & Pohl, G. R. (2009): Melitara Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in western Canada: the documentation of M. subumbrella (Dyar) in the Prairie Provinces demonstrates the value of regional collections and species lists. Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society. 63: pp. 31-36.
2008
Simonsen, T. J. (2008): Phylogeny of the cactus-feeding phycitines and their relatives (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) based on adult morphology: evaluation of adult character-systems in phycitine systematics and evidence for a single origin of Cactaceae-feeding larvae. Insect systematics and evolution. 39: pp. 303-325
Simonsen, T. J., Dombroskie, J. J. & Lawrie, D. L. (2008): Behavorial observations on the dobsonfly, Corydalis cornutus (Megaloptera: Corylidae) with photographic evidence on the use of the elongate mandibles in the males. The American Entomologist. 54: pp. 167-169.
Simonsen, T. J., Brown, R. L. & Sperling, F. A. H. (2008): Tracing an invasion: Phylogeography of the invasive cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in southeastern USA based on mitochondrial DNA. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 101: pp. 899-905.
2007
Simonsen, T. J. (2007): Comparative morphology and evolutionary aspects of the reflective under wing scale-pattern in Fritillary butterflies (Nymphalidae: Argynnini). Zoologischer Anzeiger. 246: pp. 1-10.
2006
Simonsen, T. J., Wahlberg, N., Brower, A. W. Z. & de Jong, R. (2006) Molecules, morphology and Fritillaries: a combined approach towards the phylogeny of Argynnini (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Insect Systematics and Evolution. 37: pp. 405-418.
Simonsen, T. J. (2006): Fritillary phylogeny, classification and larval hostplants: reconstructed mainly on the basis of male and female genitalic morphology (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Argynnini). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 89: pp. 627-673.
Simonsen, T. J. (2006): The male genitalia segments in Fritillary butterflies: comparative morphology with special reference to the ‘rectal plate’ in Issoria (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). European Journal of Entomology. 103. pp. 425-432.
Simonsen, T. J. (2006): Glands, muscles and genitalia. Morphological and phylogenetic implications of histological characters in the male genitalia of Fritillary butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Argynnini). Zoologica Scripta, 35: pp. 231-241.
2005
Simonsen, T. J. (2005): Boloria phylogeny (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): tentatively reconstructed on the basis of male and female genitalic morphology. Systematic Entomology. 30: pp. 653-665.
2004-1996 (pre-PhD)
Simonsen, T. J. & Kristensen, N. P. (2003): Scale length/wing length correlation in Lepidoptera (Insecta). Journal of Natural History. 37: pp. 673-679.
Kristensen, N. P. & Simonsen, T. J. (2003): 'Hairs' and scales. pp. 9-22 in Kristensen, N. P. (ed): Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies 2: Morphology, Physiology and Development. Handbook of Zoology vol. IV, part 36. Walter de Gruyter. Berlin/New York.
Simonsen, T. J. (2002): Wing scale covering supports close relationships between Callipielus and Dalaca, austral South American Ghost Moths (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae). Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 37: pp. 65-69.
Simonsen, T. J. (2001): The wing vestiture of the non-ditrysian Lepidoptera (Insecta). Comparative morphology and phylogenetic implications. Acta Zoologica. 82: 275-298.
Simonsen, T. J. (2001): An electron microscope look at wing scales in "greasy" Lepidoptera. Nota Lepidopterologica. 24: 89-92.
Simonsen, T. J. & Kristensen, N. P. (2001): Agathiphaga wing vestiture revisited: evidence for complex early evolution of lepidopteran scales (Lepidoptera: Agathiphagidae). Insect Systematics and Evolution. 32: 196-175.
Boesgaard, T. M., Jørgensen, A., Schandorff, S., Schiøtt, M. & Simonsen, T. J. (1996): Uegnede målsætninger for monitering i Øresund. Vand & Jord. 6: 234-235. (in Danish)
Karsholt, O., Kristensen, N. P. K., Simonsen, T. J. & Ahola, M. (in prep.): Lepidoptera – moths and butterflies. Book chapter in ‘The Entomofauna of Greenland’ (running title), Jens J. Bocher (ed.), Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen.
Simonsen, T. J. (2007): Five chapters (in all 34 pages): Odonata, Blattodea, Neuoptera, Mecoptera and Butterflies in ‘Insects in Colours’ published in Danish and Swedish by Politikens Forlag Aps. Copenhagen, Denmark.
Roe, A. D. & Simonsen, T. J.: ' Phycitinae '. On the "LepTree" project.
Simonsen, T. J., Wahlberg, N. & Brower, A. V. Z.: ‘Argynnini’. On the “Tree of Life Web Project”
Simonsen, T. J., Wahlberg, N. & Brower, A. V. Z.: ‘Brenthis’. On the “Tree of Life Web Project”
Simonsen, T. J., Wahlberg, N. & Brower, A. V. Z.: ‘Boloria’. On the “Tree of Life Web Project”
Simonsen, T. J.: ‘Melitara dentata’. Species page on the “E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum, Virtual Museum”
Simonsen, T. J.: ‘Melitara subumbrella’. Species page on the “E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum, Virtual Museum”
Simonsen, T. J.: ‘Zophodia grosulariella’. Species page on the “E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum, Virtual Museum”
Simonsen, T. J.: ‘Acrobasis tricolorella’. Species page on the “E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum, Virtual Museum”
Simonsen, T. J.: ‘Pyla aeneoviridella’. Species page on the “E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum, Virtual Museum”
Simonsen, T. J. (2011): "Zygaenid Moths of Australia" - Book Review. Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society. 65: pp. 202-203.
Simonsen, T. J. (2007): Look out for the gray cactus moth. ALG News. 3(1): 4-5.
Simonsen, T. J. (2004): Insekter og andejagt på kollisionskurs. Bladloppen. 23: 3-4. (in Danish)
Simonsen, T. J. (2004): Dagsommerfugle i tilbagegang – hvad er årsagen og er billedet så entydigt. Bladloppen. 22: 3-4. (in Danish)
Simonsen, T. J. (2004): Perlemorssommerfuglene – et studie i udbredelse. Dyr i Natur og Museum. 2004/2: 10-12. Zoologisk Museum, Københavns Universitet. (in Danish)
Simonsen, T. J. (2003): Sommerfuglenes Vingebeklædning. Naturens Verden. 86(2): 14-19. (in Danish)
Simonsen, T. J. (2000): Sommerfuglestøv under luppen. Dyr i Natur og Museum. 2000/2: 5-8. Zoologisk Museum, Københavns Universitet. (in Danish).