Robin Thomson

robin thomson
Curator
Insect Collection
[email protected]
612 625 2548

Hodson Hall
1980 Folwell Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55108
United States

University of Minnesota Insect Collection
Education

B.A. Biology, Gustavus Adolphus College, 2006

Ph.D. Entomology, University of Minnesota, 2014

Research

My research focuses on the systematics and taxonomy of Hydroptilidae, a family of caddisflies known for being small in body size and large in species numbers.

2022-2027: THOMSON, R. National Science Foundation. CAREER: Microcaddisflies, Morphology, and Modern Molecular Methods: Using Collections-Based Research to Establish the Microcaddisfly Phylogeny and Create Educational Opportunities. $962,142.

2019-2022: THOMSON, R. & Holzenthal, R.W. National Science Foundation. Collaborative Research: Digitization TCN: Digitizing collections to trace parasite-host associations and predict the spread of vector-borne disease. $163,824.

2016-2019: THOMSON, R. & Holzenthal, R.W. National Science Foundation. Digitization TCN: Collaborative Research: Lepidoptera of North America Network: Documenting Diversity in the Largest Clade of Herbivores. $97,048.       

2016-2020: THOMSON, R., Holzenthal, R.W., & Short, A. National Science Foundation. CSBR: Natural History: Stabilization and Accessibility of the National Water-Quality Assessment Macroinvertebrate Collection. $452,348.

Select Publications

THOMSON, R.E. (2023) Catalog of the Hydroptilidae (Insecta, Trichoptera). ZooKeys 1140:1-499. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1140.85712

THOMSON, R.E., FRANDSEN, P.B., & HOLZENTHAL, R.W. (2022) A preliminary molecular phylogeny of the family Hydroptilidae (Trichoptera): an exploration of combined targeted enrichment data and legacy sequence data. In: Special Issue in Honor of Ralph W. Holzenthal for a Lifelong Contribution to Trichoptera Systematics Eds. Pauls, S.U., Thomson, R.E., & Rázuri-Gonzales, E. ZooKeys 1111: 467-488. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1111.85361

THOMSON, R.E., ARMITAGE, B.J., & HARRIS, S.C. (2022) The Trichoptera of Panama. XIX. Additions to and a review of the genus Leucotrichia (Trichoptera, Hydroptilidae) in Panama. In: Special Issue in Honor of Ralph W. Holzenthal for a Lifelong Contribution to Trichoptera Systematics Eds. Pauls, S.U., Thomson, R.E., & Rázuri-Gonzales, E. ZooKeys 1111:425-466. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1111.77371

HILDEBRAND, C.S., CERVENKA, V.J., MOON, R.D., & THOMSON, R.E.  (2021) Calliphoridae (Diptera) on decomposing pig carcasses and human cadavers in the upper Midwest of North America. Journal of Medical Entomology tjab163:1-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab163

THOMSON, R.E., & ARMITAGE, B.J. (2021) The Trichoptera of Panama. XV. Six new species and four new country records of microcaddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) from Mount Totumas Cloud Forest and Biological Reserve. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 92:e923631. http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2021.92.3631

ARMITAGE, B.J., HARRIS, S.C., BLAHNIK, R.J., & THOMSON, R.E., RIOS GONZÁLEZ, T.A., & AGUIRRE, Y. (2020). The Trichoptera of Panama XIII. Further new country records for caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Republic of Panama. Insecta Mundi 0744: 1-8

THOMSON, R.E. (2019) A revision of the Neotropical caddisfly genus Ascotrichia Flint, 1983 (Trichoptera, Hydroptilidae). PeerJ 7:e7560. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7560      

THOMSON, R.E., & ARMITAGE, B.J. (2018). The Trichoptera of Panama VI. Seven new species of microcaddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) from Mount Totumas Cloud Forest and Biological Reserve. Insecta Mundi 0613: 1-15.

RIOS-TOUMA, B.R., HOLZENTHAL, R.W., HUISMAN, J, THOMSON, R.E., & RÁZURI-GONAZLES, E. (2017). Diversity and distribution of the caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) of Ecuador. PeerJ 5:e2851. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2851

ARMITAGE, B.J., HARRIS, S.C., BLAHNIK, R.J., & THOMSON, R.E. (2016). The Trichoptera of Panama IV. New records for caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Republic of Panama. Insecta Mundi 0511:1-13.

FRANDSEN, P.B., &THOMSON, R.E. (2016) Collection and preservation of Trichoptera for use in DNA research. Zoosymposia 10(1): 200-202. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zoosymposia.10.1.17

THOMSON, R.E., & HOLZENTHAL, R.W. (2015). A revision of the Neotropical caddisfly genus Leucotrichia Mosely, 1934 (Hydroptilidae, Leucotrichiinae).  ZooKeys 499:1-100. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.499.8360 

VSHIVKOVA, T.S., FLINT, O.S., HOLZENTHAL, R.W., KJER, K.M., FRANDSEN, P.B., THOMSON, R.E., & EGOROV, A.B. (2012) First data on Trichoptera fauna (Insecta) of streams and ponds of Vostok Bay Basin (Peter the Great Bay, Primorye Territory. In: Freshwater Life Ed. Makarchenko, E.A. Dalnauka. Pages 123-143.

THOMSON, R.E. (2012) Descriptions of new species of Leucotrichiinae (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) from Brazil. Psyche 2012, Article ID 916718, 7 pages. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/916718

THOMSON, R.E., & HOLZENTHAL, R.W. (2012) New species and records of Hydroptilidae (Trichoptera) from Venezuela. ZooKeys 185:19-39. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.185.2909

THOMSON, R.E., & HOLZENTHAL, R.W. (2010). New Neotropical species of the genus Austrotinodes Schmid (Trichoptera: Ecnomidae). Zootaxa 2437(1):38-50. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2437.1.2

Book Chapters and Other Publications

PAULS, S.U, THOMSON, R., RÁZURI-GONZALES, E. (Eds.) (2022) Special Issue in Honor of Ralph W. Holzenthal for a Lifelong Contribution to Trichoptera Systematics. ZooKeys 1111:1-488.

HOLZENTHAL, R.W., THOMSON, R.E., & RIOS-TOUMA, B. (2015) Order Trichoptera. In: Ecology and General Biology: Thorp and Covich’s Freshwater Invertebrates Eds. Thorp, J., & Rogers, D.C. Academic Press. Pages 965-1002.