Summary
I am a systematic phylogenetic entomologist undertaking collections-based research to understand the evolution, ecology, biogeography and taxonomy of Lepidoptera with particular reference to the hawkmoths (Sphingidae) and their relatives. With colleagues in Europe and North America, I am investigating: the evolution of the visual and olfactory sensory systems and the genetic mechanisms underlying the transition from nocturnal to diurnal flight; the co-evolution between hawkmoths and their bat predators; the importance and influence of hybridization in the origin of species in the genus Hyles; and the utility of hawkmoths as a macroecological indicator group. In addition, I am developing the Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory to make taxonomic data on this group of charismatic moths widely available, as well as converting the LepIndex, generic Names and HOSTS databases to a Species File, to produce a community editable, global taxonomic resource for all with an interest in Lepidoptera systematics. I am also part of the Mosquito Group, undertaking phylogenetic analyses of the highly economically important group of disease-vectoring insects.
Qualifications
Degrees
- PhD, Imperial College, United Kingdom
Employment history
Academic
- Junior Research Fellow to Band 3, Natural History Museum, Life Sciences, United Kingdom, 1982 - ongoing
Highlighted publications
- SIMONSEN TJ, KITCHING IJ (2014) Systematic Entomology, (3) Wiley : 606 - 618. doi: 10.1111/syen.12067
- ARDITTI J, ELLIOTT J, KITCHING IJ, WASSERTHAL LT (2012) ‘Good Heavens what insect can suck it’- Charles Darwin, Angraecum sesquipedale and Xanthopan morganii praedicta. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, (3) Oxford University Press (OUP) : 403 - 432. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01250.x
- Zahiri R, Kitching IJ, Lafontaine JD, Mutanen M, Kaila L, Holloway JD, Wahlberg N (2011) A new molecular phylogeny offers hope for a stable family level classification of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera). Zoologica Scripta, (2) Wiley : 158 - 173. doi: 10.1111/j.1463-6409.2010.00459.x
- Hundsdoerfer AK, Rubinoff D, Attié M, Wink M, Kitching IJ (2009) A revised molecular phylogeny of the globally distributed hawkmoth genus Hyles (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae), based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, (3) Elsevier BV : 852 - 865. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.05.023
- Kawahara AY, Mignault AA, Regier JC, Kitching IJ, Mitter C (2009) Kawahara, A.Y., Mignault, A.A., Regier, J.C., Kitching, I.J. & Mitter, C. Phylogeny and biogeography of hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae): evidence from five nuclear genes. PLoS One, (5) Public Library of Science (PLoS) : e5719 - null.
- REINERT JF, HARBACH RE, KITCHING IJ (2009) Phylogeny and classification of tribe Aedini (Diptera: Culicidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, (4) Oxford University Press (OUP) : 700 - 794. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00570.x
- Kitching I, Rougerie R, Zwick A, Hamilton C, St Laurent R, Naumann S, Ballesteros Mejia L, Kawahara A A global checklist of the Bombycoidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Biodiversity Data Journal, Pensoft Publishers : e22236 - e22236. doi: 10.3897/bdj.6.e22236