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Dr Rhian Guillem, BSc, MSc, PhD

Dr Rhian Guillem, BSc, MSc, PhD Image

University of Gibraltar:

Senior Research Associate
Research
Natural Sciences & Environment
FERG

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7149-8561

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rhian_Guillem

Research Background

Dr Rhian Guillem works at the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens as part of the Technical Team. Her background is in the biological sciences with a PhD in the chemotaxonomy of ants from the University of Sheffield. She is primarily an entomologist who specialises in the study of the taxonomy and faunistics of European and Mediterranean ants, in particular the myrmecofauna of Morocco and the area around the Strait of Gibraltar.

Her main research involves assessing the taxonomic status of Mediterranean ant species using surface chemistry (chemotaxonomy). She is also an active member of the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society (GONHS), working in the Invertebrates section.

Research Interests

Dr Rhian Guillem’s research interests are specialised in the taxonomy of Mediterranean ants. She is also working on cataloguing the Hymenoptera of Gibraltar. Rhian has contributed to over 24 scientific peer-reviewed research publications which have focused on ants, plants and birds.

She has produced notable research in the taxonomic status of ants, having produced papers identifying new species in different regions of Spain and documenting the species in Gibraltar and producing work on the behavioural traits of ant colonies. She also has contributed to projects involving the identification of all Lepidoptera species in Gibraltar and the ecology of bats, swifts and Crag Martins. Additionally, her work also focuses on identifying insect pest species, most specifically in Eucalyptus plants in Gibraltar.

Selected Publications

Guillem, R. 2010. A survey of the ants of Minorca (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with two new species for the island: Hypoponera punctatissima (Roger, 1859) and Temnothorax algiricus (Forel, 1894). Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomologia 33:447-460.

Guillem, R. and K. Bensusan. 2008. Technomyrmex vexatus (Santschi, 1919) from Gibraltar (Hymentoptera: Formicidae) a new ant species for Europe and genus for Iberia. Myrmecological News 11: 21-23.

Guillem, R. and K. Bensusan. 2009. Tetramorium parvioculum sp. n. (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), A new species of the T. simillmum group from Gibraltar. Boletin Sociedad Entomoligica Aragonesa, 45: 157-161.

Guillem, R.; Bensusan, K.; Torres, J. L.; Perez, C. 2010. The genus Pyramica Roger, 1862 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cádiz province (southern Spain), with a description of methods for their capture. Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomologia 33:461-468.

Tinaut, A.; Bensusan, K.; Guillem, R. 2011. Redescription of the queen of Anochetus ghilianii (Spinola, 1851) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomologia 35(1-2):157-167.

C Malumphy, R Guillem, C Perez, K Bensusan (2020) Insect pest species of Eucalyptus in Gibraltar. Entomologists Monthly Magazine, No.1, January-March 2020, pp 51-57. doi:10.31184/M00138908.1561.4010

C Malumphy & R Guillem (2020) First records of Cacopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama) and Macrohomotoma gladiata Kuwayama in Gibraltar (Hemiptera:  Psylloidea).  Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine, 156: 7-10.  [Affiliation given as Gibraltar Botanic Gardens]. doi: 10.31184/M00138908.1561.4016

Rhian M Guillem, Falko P Drijfhout, Stephen J Martin (2016) Species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon stability within European Myrmica Ants. Journal of Chemical Ecology, published online. doi:10.1007/s10886-016-0784-x

Full Publications List