Martin Villet

Research interests

Systematics and biogeography

Southern African Forensic Entomology Research Laboratory

Martin Villet CV

Post-graduate supervision

Current students

1. Alistair Barker (PhD) - Coevolution of South African burchine beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and Acacia trees.
2. Terence Bellingan (PhD) - Impacts of exotic fishes on macroinvertebrate communities in the Amatola Mountains.
3. Lenin Chari (PhD) - The role of invertebrate aerial predators in cross-boundaries trophic subsidies in the Kowie River catchment.
4. Colleen hepburn (PhD) - Thrips (Thysanoptera) in macadamia crops.
5. Sydney Moyo (PhD) - The role of mayflies and caddisflies in cross-boundaries trophic subsidies in the Kowie River catchment.
6. John Midgley (PhD) – Epigaeic invertebrate biodiversity of the eastern Great Escarpment.
7. Kirstin Williams (PhD) – Systematics of Lucilia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Africa.
8. Goetz Neef (PhD) - Phylogeography of South African forest swallotails (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae).
   
9. Christian Deschodt (MSc) - Systematics of the flightless and habitat specific genus Macroderes Westwood (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).
10. Garreth Keevey (MSc) – Phylogeography of Aeropetes and Paralethe (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae).
11. Werner Strümpher (MSc) - Phylogeographic studies of Trogidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea)

Past students

1. Ashley Kirk-Spriggs (PhD) - Systematics and biogeography of the Afrotropical Curtonotidae (Diptera).
2. Helen Barber-James (PhD, 2011) - Systematics, morphology, phylogeny and historical biogeography of the mayfly family Prosopistomatidae (Ephemeroptera: Insecta) of the World (Employed at the Albany Museum).
3. Terence Bellingan (MSc, 2011) - Aquatic invertebrate biodiversity in the Tsitsikamma rivers.
4. Benjamin Price (PhD, 2010) - Molecular phylogeny of the southern African platypleurine cicadas.
5. Nolwazi Mkize (PhD, 2009) - Pests of cultivated (Olea europaea L.) and wild (Olea europea africana) olive trees in the Eastern Cape (Employed at the National Department of Agriculture).
6. Cameron Richards (PhD, 2008) - Thermoecology of blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in South Africa. (Employed at Natural History Museum, London)
7. Simon Kamande Kuria (PhD, 2007) - Influence of gall-dwelling ants on invertebrate biodiversity on the swollen-thorn acacia, Acacia drepanolobium in Kenya. (Employed by Walter Sisulu University).
8. Abraham Chawanji (PhD, 2007) - Comparative spermatology and reproductive strategies in cicadas: taxonomic and phylogenetic considerations (Emigrated to New Zealand).
9. Charles Warui (PhD, 2005) - Biomonitoring of grazing by cattle and indigenous herbivores in Kenyan savanna using spiders (Employed by National Museums of Kenya).
10. Mark Robertson (PhD, 2003) - Preditive modelling of species' potential geographical distributions (Employed by University of Pretoria).
11. Tamara Smith (PhD, 2003) - The Diamondback Moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and its biological control in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa (Employed by South African National Biodiversity Institute).
12. Colleen Hepburn (MSc cum laude, 2008) - Composition and phenology of insect pests in Capsicum (Solanaceae) cultivated in the Makana District, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. (Independent agricultural consultant)
13. Kierryn Gendall (MSc, 2008) - Agathis bishopi (Braconidae): its biology and usefulness as a biological control agent for false codling moth (FCM), Cryptophlebia leucotreta, on citrus.
14. John Midgley (MSc, 2008) - Aspects of the thermal ecology of six species of carcass beetles in South Africa. (Continued to PhD)
15. Unathi Heshula (MSc, 2005) - Biological control value of Falconia intermedia on Lantana camara in the Eastern Cape (Continued to PhD).
16. Alfred Stemele (MSc, 2005) - Effects of Bt and intercropping with Artemesia on Diamond-backed Moth (Plutella xylostella) and its parasitoids in small-scale cabbage farms (Registered at UFH).
17. Sicelo Nofemela (MSc, 2004) - The ecology of certain parasitoids of Plutella xylostella (Employed by Agricultural Research Council).
18. Nolwazi Mkize (MSc, 2004) - Control of diamondack moth on cabbages by small-scale farmers in the Eastern Cape (Employed by Agricultural Research Council; Continued to PhD).
19. Nomahlubi Sishuba (MSc, 2004) - Biological control of False Codling Moth (Cryptophlebia leucotreta) in citrus (Employed by Agricultural Research Council; Continued to PhD).
20. Kirstin Williams (MSc, 2003) - Spatial and temporal occurrence of forensically important South African blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) (Employed by Durban Natural Scieince Museum).
21. Angela Bownes (MSc, 2003) - The structure of ant communities and their impact on soil-pupating pests in citrus orchards in the Grahamstown area of the Eastern Cape (Employed by Agricultural Research Council; continued to PhD).
22. Nicola Lunt (MSc, 2003) - Applied studies of some Southerm African blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of forensic importance (Employed at Marwell Trust; continued to PhD).
23. Satch Moshiane (MSc, 2002) - The ecology of Diamond-backed Moth (Plutella xylostella) in canola crops (Employed by Agricultural Research Council).
24. Jennifer Youthed (MSc, 1997) - A predictive biogeography for selected alien plant invaders in South Africa. (Employed by Eastern Cape Government).

Selected Forensic Research Publications

1. VILLET MH, 2011. African carrion ecosystems and their insect communities in relation to forensic entomology: a review. Pest Technology 5: in press.
2. VILLET MH, AMENDT J, 2011. Advances in entomological methods for estimating time of death. In: Turk EE, ed. Forensic Pathology Reviews. Heidelberg: Humana Press. in press.
3. SZPILA K, VILLET MH, 2011. Morphology and identification of first instar larvae of African blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) commonly of forensic importance. Med. Vet. Entomol.48:738-752. http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/ME10238
4. MIDGLEY JM, RICHARDS CS, VILLET MH, 2010. The utility of Coleoptera in forensic investigations. In: Amendt J, Campobasso CP, Goff ML, Grassberger M, eds. Current Concepts in Forensic Entomology. Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 57-68. http://www.springerlink.com/content/ntv4656460801739/
5. VILLET MH, RICHARDS CS, MIDGLEY JM, 2010. Contemporary precision, bias and accuracy of minimum post-mortem intervals estimated using development of carrion-feeding insects. In: Amendt J, Campobasso CP, Goff ML, Grassberger M, eds. Current Concepts in Forensic Entomology. Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 109-137. http://www.springerlink.com/content/q418835308325032/
6. MIDGLEY JM, VILLET MH, 2009. Development of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius 1794) (Coleoptera: Silphidae) at constant temperatures. Int. J. Legal Med.123:285-292. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00414-008-0280-0
7. MIDGLEY JM, VILLET MH, 2009. Effect of the killing method on post-mortem change in length of larvae of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius, 1794) (Coleoptera: Silphidae) stored in 70% ethanol. Int. J. Legal Med.123:103-108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00414-008-0260-4
8. RICHARDS CS, CROUS KL, VILLET MH, 2009. Models of development for the blow fly sister species Chrysomya chloropyga and C. putoria. Med. Vet. Entomol.23:56-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00767.x
9. RICHARDS CS, VILLET MH, 2009. Data quality in thermal summation models of development of forensically important blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae): a case study. Med. Vet. Entomol.23:269-276. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2009.00819.x
10. RICHARDS CS, PRICE BW, VILLET MH, 2009. Thermal ecophysiology of seven carrion-feeding blowflies in Southern Africa. Ent. Exp. Appl.131:11-19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1570-7458.2009.00824.x
11. RICHARDS CS, WILLIAMS KA, VILLET MH, 2009. Predicting geographic distribution of seven blowfly species (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in South Africa. Afr. Entomol.17:170-182. http://dx.doi.org/10.4001/003.017.0207
12. TOURLE RA, DOWNIE DA, VILLET MH, 2009. Flies in the ointment: a morphological and molecular comparison of Lucilia cuprina and L. sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in South Africa. Med. Vet. Entomol.23:6-14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00765.x
13. HARVEY ML, GAUDIERI S, VILLET MH, DADOUR IR, 2008. A global study of forensically significant calliphorids: implications for identification. Forensic Sci. Int.177:66-76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2007.10.009
14. RICHARDS CS, PATERSON ID, VILLET MH, 2008. Estimating the age of immature Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae), correcting for temperature and geographical latitude. Int. J. Legal Med.122:271-279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00414-007-0201-7
15. RICHARDS CS, VILLET MH, 2008. Factors affecting accuracy and precision of thermal summation models of insect development used to estimate postmortem intervals. Int. J. Legal Med.122:401-408. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00414-008-0243-5
16. VILLET MH, 2007. An inexpensive geometrical micrometer for measuring small, live insects quickly without harming them. Ent. Exp. Appl.122:279-280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1570-7458.2006.00520.x
17. WILLIAMS KA, VILLET MH 2006. A history of southern African research relevant to forensic entomology. South African Journal of Science 102, 59-65.
18. WILLIAMS KA, VILLET MH, 2006. A new and earlier record of Chrysomya megacephala in South Africa, with notes on another exotic species, Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Afr. Invert. 47:347-350.
19. VILLET MH, MACKENZIE B, MULLER WJ, 2006. Larval development of the carrion-breeding flesh fly Sarcophaga (Liosarcophaga) tibialis Macquart (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) at constant temperatures. Afr. Entomol. 14:357-366.
20. HARVEY ML, MANSELL MW, VILLET MH, DADOUR IR, 2003. Molecular identification of some forensically important blowflies of southern Africa and Australia. Med. Vet. Entomol. 17:363-369.
21. MUSVASVA E, WILLIAMS KA, MULLER WJ, VILLET MH, 2001. Preliminary observations on the effects of hydrocortisone and sodium methohexital on development of Sarcophaga (Curranea) tibialis Macquart (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), and implications for estimating post mortem interval. Forensic Sci. Int. 120:37-41.