Dave Britton
Collection Manager
Qualifications
Bachelor of Science (Honours) University of Melbourne
Master of Science La Trobe University
My interest in entomology and collecting started from a very young age. I made my first pinned insect collection when I was eight, although the primary school teacher who received the chocolate box of Redeyes (a common cicada, Psaltoda moerens) was less than impressed. She may have been expecting chocolates rather than insects. As a teenager, I collected all sorts of insects from terrestrial and aquatic habitats, particularly the smaller and more unusual beetles and flies rather than the large and flashy butterflies.
My first collecting efforts were encouraged by my parents and teachers, and assisted by getting entomological equipment from Australian Entomological Supplies. I went on to study zoology and botany at Melbourne University. After my undergraduate degree I went on to do an honours degree on the anatomy of mole cricket thoracic muscles. These muscles are used for singing in the flightless males and flying in the silent females.
A Masters degree researching the nutritional ecology of geometrid moths got me interested in the Lepidoptera, and I have worked on many aspects of moth and butterfly ecology and conservation since then. I have been lucky enough to work on projects which involve identification of flies, beetles, wasps and ants, so I have gradually broadened my entomological horizons to take on other groups.
Research Interests
- Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies)
I have broad interests, having studied the nutritional ecology of geometrid (looper) moths, the conservation biology of ant-attended lycaenid butterflies (Blues and Coppers), and the pest management of heliothine moths such as the Cotton Bollworm.
My current interest is in the systematics and biology of lithosiine lichen-feeding moths of the family Arctiidae (Tiger Moths) in south-eastern Australia.
Contact Details
Collection Manager, Entomology
Australian Museum
6 College St
Sydney New South Wales Australia 2010
Email Dave Britton
phone: (+612) 9320 6221
fax: (+612) 9361 5479
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