Summary
Principal Curator of Lepidoptera. Responsible for the direct care, development and access of the Butterfly Collections at the Natural History Museum. Blanca is an entomologist working and publishing actively in the taxonomy, systematics, genomics and conservation of tropical butterflies across various international initiatives. Other relevant roles include appointments as Coordinator of the Tropical Andean Butterfly Diversity Project, Vice-President and Council member of the Linnean Society, Steering Committee of the IUCN Butterfly specialist group, Co-Chair of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action Group and Women's Network lead at NHM. Recently, she has been appointed as Ambassador of the Colombia country brand by ProColombia.
Qualifications
Degrees
- PhD, University College London, United Kingdom
- MSc in Advanced Methods in Taxonomy and Biodiversity, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
- Specialisation in Environmental Management and Education, Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas, Bogota, Colombia
- Lic. in Biology, Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, Bogotá, Colombia
Employment history
Academic
- Principal Curator of Lepidoptera, Natural History Museum, Science, United Kingdom, 2023 - ongoing
- Vice-President, Trustee and Fellow, Linnean Society, London, 2017 - ongoing
- Senior Curator, Natural History Museum, Science, United Kingdom, 2011 - ongoing
- Curator of Lepidoptera, Natural History Museum, Science, United Kingdom, 2005 - ongoing
- Databasing and training co-ordinator Tropical Andean Butterfly Diversity Project - Darwin Initiative, University College London, United Kingdom, 2005 - 2007
Highlighted publications
- Chisholm RA, Kristensen NP, Rheindt FE, Chong KY, Ascher JS, Lim KKP, Ng PKL, Yeo DCJ, Meier R, Tan HH, Giam X, Yeoh YS, Seah WW, Berman LM, Tan HZ, Sadanandan KR, Theng M, Jusoh WFA, Jain A, Huertas B, Tan DJX, Ng ACR, Teo A, Yiwen Z, Cho TJY, Sin YCK (2023) Two centuries of biodiversity discovery and loss in Singapore. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (51) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdoi: 10.1073/pnas.2309034120
- Huertas B, Lamas G, Fagua G, Mallet J, Nakahara S, Willmott K (2016) A remarkable new butterfly species from western Amazonia (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae). Conservacion Colombiana, (24) ProAves Foundation : 5 - 11.
- Van Swaay C, Regan E, Ling M, Bozhinovska E, Fernandez M, Huertas B, Phon C, Kőrosi A, Onildo A, Marini-Filho J, Meerman J, Peer G, Sáfián S, Sam L, Shuey J, Taron D, Terblanche R, Uehara-Prado M, Underhill LG (2015) Guidelines for Standardised Global Butterfly Monitoring. Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity GEOBON : null - null.
- Merckx, T. , Huertas B, Basset, Y. , Thomas, J. (2013) A global perspective on conserving butterflies and moths and their habitats. Key Topics in Conservation Biology 2. Macdonald DW, Willis KJ (Eds).John Wiley & Sons : null - null.
- ROSSER N, PHILLIMORE AB, HUERTAS B, WILLMOTT KR, MALLET J (2012) Testing historical explanations for gradients in species richness in heliconiine butterflies of tropical America. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, (3) Oxford University Press (OUP) : 479 - 497. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01814.x
- Huertas B (2011) A new species of satyrid butterfly from Peru (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Euptychiini).. Zootaxa, : 63 - 68.
- HUERTAS B, Rîos C, Le Crom J (2009) A new species of Splendeuptychia from the Magdalena Valley in Colombia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae). Zootaxa, : 51 - 58.
- Hoyal Cuthill JF, Guttenberg N, Huertas B Male and female contributions to diversity among birdwing butterfly images. Communications Biology, (1) Springer Science and Business Media LLCdoi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06376-2
- HUERTAS B A new species of Satyrinae butterfly from Peru (Nymphalidae: Satyrini: Euptychiina). Zootaxa, (1) Magnolia Pressdoi: 10.11646/zootaxa.2802.1.7
- Paterson G, Albuquerque S, Blagoderov V, Brooks S, Cafferty S, Cane E, Carter V, Chainey J, Crowther R, Douglas L, Durant J, Duffell L, Hine A, Honey M, Huertas B, Howard T, Huxley R, Kitching I, Ledger S, McLaughlin C, Martin G, Mazzetta G, Penn M, Perera J, Sadka M, Scialabba E, Self A, Siebert D, Sleep C, Toloni F, Wing P iCollections – Digitising the British and Irish Butterflies in the Natural History Museum, London. Biodiversity Data Journal, Pensoft Publishers : e9559 - e9559. doi: 10.3897/bdj.4.e9559
- ZUBEK A, PYRCZ T, LORENC-BRUDECKA J, BOYER P, CERDEÑA J, MAHECHA-JIMÉNEZ O, HUERTAS B Systematic revision of the Andean butterfly genus Orophila Staudinger, 1886 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Biblidinae). Zootaxa, (5) Magnolia Pressdoi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4258.5.3