Dimitri Forero

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Heteroptera Systematics Lab at the Department of Entomology of the University of California Riverside. My goal is to revise and produce phylogenetic hypotheses for the large reduviid genus Apiomerus (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae: Apiomerini). This will be achived through the analysis of morphological and molecular data. This project will involve graduate students as well as other researchers outside the Heteroptera Lab.

Until recently I was a graduate student of the joint program between the American Museum of Natural History and the Department of Entomology at Cornell University, from which I obtained my Ph.D.  As a student I was part of the Plant-Bug PBI project. The PBI project focused on study of two subfamilies of Miridae, the Phylinae and Orthotylinae. My dissertation project dealt with the Zanchius group, a Pantropical orthotyline group. Within the Orthotylinae there are currently three recognized tribes of which the Orthotylini is the one with most unsatisfactory classification. The nominal has been divided in four generic assemblages: the Falconia, Orthotylus, Sericophanes, and Zanchius groups (Schuh 1974) .

I did a phylogenetic analysis of the genera of the Zanchius group, for which I studied most of the genera included and proposed several to be part of this redefined group. As a result of the analysis, I found the Zanchius group to be monophyletic. I also did a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the Australian fauna, as well as other smaller projects on other Orthotylini from the Nearctic and the Neotropical region.

Besides my interest in the families Reduviidae and Miridae -the two more diversified groups within Heteroptera- my research touches upon the taxonomy and systematics of Heteroptera as a whole. I am also interested in the theoretical side of phylogenetic reconstruction, the philosophy of science, and how to tackle the immense task of describing and understanding the relationships of the biota in a timely manner before it vanishes.

List of Publications

 If you want any of these publications, please send me an e-mail. [ ]

 Refereed Papers

Chaverra-Rodríguez, D.; Forero, D.; Jaramillo O., N.; Triana Ch., O. In press. New record and ecological notes of Phimophorus spissicornis (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phimophorinae) in Colombia. Revista Colombiana de Entomologia. 

FORERO, D. In press. Revision of the genus Carvalhomiris (Hemiptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae). Entomologica Americana.

Gil-Santana, H. R. & Forero, D. 2009. A new species of Notocyrtus, a new synonym of Coilopus, and new records and notes on other Harpactorini (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae) from South America. Zootaxa 2148: 55-67. [Abstract ]

FORERO, D. & SCHWARTZ, M. D. 2009. Description of a new species of Aoplonema (Hemiptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) with a biogeographic analysis and reassessment of the phylogeny of the genus. Entomologica Americana 115(1): 67-76. [Abstract ]

FORERO, D. 2009. Description of one new species of Chileria and three new species of Orthotylus, with nomenclatural and distributional notes on Neotropical Orthotylinae (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylini). American Museum Novitates 3642: 1-50. [PDF].

FORERO, D. 2008. The systematics of the Hemiptera. Revista de la Sociedad Colombiana de Entomologia 34(1): 1-21. [invited review paper]. [PDF].

FORERO, D.; GIL-SANTANA, H. R. & VAN DOESBURG, P. H. 2008. Redescription of the Neotropical genus Aristathlus (Heteroptera, Reduviidae, Harpactorinae). Pp. 85-103. In: Grozeva, S. and Simov, N. (eds.). Advances in Heteroptera Research. Festschrift in Honour of 80th Anniversary of Michail Josifov. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia. Series Faunistica No 82.

FORERO, D. 2008. Revision and phylogenetic analysis of the Hadronema group (Miridae: Orthotylinae: Orthotylini), with descriptions of new genera and new species, and comments on the Neotropical genus Tupimiris. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 312: 1-172. [PDF].

WEIRAUCH, C. & FORERO, D. 2007. Kiskeyana new replacement name for the assassin bug Kiskeya (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae). Zootaxa 1530: 68.

FORERO, D. 2007. Description of a new species of Liaghinella (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) from the Colombian Andes, with notes on its feeding habits and conservation status. Zootaxa 1502: 55-68. [Abstract]

WEIRAUCH, C. & FORERO, D. 2007. Kiskeya palassaina, new genus and new species of Saicinae (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from the Dominican Republic. Zootaxa 1468: 57-68. [Abstract]

FORERO, D. 2006. New Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) records from Colombia. Caldasia, Bogotá 28(1): 125-128. [PDF]

FORERO, D. 2006. New records of Reduviidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from Colombia and other Neotropical countries. Zootaxa 1107: 1-47. [Abstract]

FORERO, D. & WEIRAUCH, C. 2005. Synonymy of Harpinoderes cicheroi Martínez & Carcavallo, 1989 with Aradomorpha crassipes Champion, 1899 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae). Zootaxa 950: 1-4. [Abstract]

FORERO, D.; WEIRAUCH, C. & BAENA, M. 2004. Synonymy of the reduviid (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) genus Torrealbaia (Triatominae) with Amphibolus (Harpactorinae), with notes on Amphibolus venator (Klug, 1830). Zootaxa 670: 1-12. [Abstract]

FORERO, D. 2004. Capítulo 5. Diagnosis de los géneros Neotropicales de la familia Reduviidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), y su distribución en Colombia (excepto Harpactorinae). Pp. 128-275. [Diagnosis of the Reduviidae genera of the Neotropics (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), and their distribution in Colombia]. In: Fernández, F.; Andrade, G.; Amat, G. (Eds.) Insectos de Colombia, vol. 3.  Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. 604 pp. [Abstract]

GIL-SANTANA, H. R.; COSTA, L. A. A.; FORERO, D. & S. O. ZERAIK. 2003. Sinopse dos Apiomerini, com chave ilustrada para os gêneros (Hemiptera-Heteroptera, Reduviidae, Harpactorinae). Publicações avulsas do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 97: 1-21.

FORERO, D. 2003. Distributional records of Zelus longipes (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) in Colombia. Entomólogo, Bogotá 31(96): 4-9.

FORERO, D. & H. R. GIL-SANTANA. 2003. Revalidation of Heniartes australis Wygodzinsky, 1947 (Hemiptera-Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Apiomerinae). Entomología y Vectores, Río de Janeiro, 10(2): 281-286.

FORERO, D. 2002. An up-to-date key to the species of the genus Agriocleptes (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Apiomerinae). Revista Colombiana de Entomología 28(2): 207-209.

FORERO, D. 2001. Primer registro del género Aristobyrsa para Colombia y Ecuador (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae).  [First record of the genus Aristobyrsa for Colombia and Ecuador (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae). In Spanish].  Entomólogo, Bogotá 29(92): 2-4.

FORERO, D. & J. C. GIACCHI. 2001. A new synonymy in the genus Agriocleptes (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Apiomerinae).  Revista Colombiana de Entomología 27(3-4): 205-206.

FORERO, D. & J. A. AHUMADA. 1997. Efecto de los mirmecodomacios sobre la tasa de herbivoría de Tococa (Melastomataceae).  [Mirmecophyles effect on the herbivory rate of Tococa (Melastomataceae). In Spanish].  Universitas Scientarum, Bogotá 4(1): 51-55. (Published in 1998). [PDF]

Non Refereed Papers

FORERO, D.  & Agronomos ICA-ASOCOLFLORES. 2004. Thrips palmi Thysanoptera: Thripidae. Capítulo 1. [In Spanish] Pp: 1-22. In: Convenio ICA-ASOCOLFLORES. Plagas y enfermedades de carácter cuarentenario en flores de corte. Bogotá, Produmedios.

FONSECA M., S., D. FORERO F., R. A. LEE & F. BARRIGA M. 2004. La innovación tecnológica en el sector de la floricultura colombiana - CENIFLORES [In Spanish]. Asocolflores 65: 8-18.

GUERRA, J. J. & D. FORERO. 2002. Principales interceptaciones de plagas en flores provenientes de la sabana de Bogotá en el puerto de Miami, y su implicación fitosanitaria. [Main interceptions of flower pests from the Bogotá plateau at the Miami port, and their phytosanitary implications. In Spanish].  Asocolflores 62: 50-58.

FORERO, D. 2000. Thrips en la Sabana de Bogotá. [Thrips of the Bogotá plateau. In Spanish].  Acopaflor, Bogotá 7(4-5): 18-20; 37-41.

FORERO, D. 1999. Aspectos biológicos de Thrips palmi con anotaciones de un pequeño muestreo de thrips hecho en la Sabana de Bogotá. [Biological aspects of Thrips palmi with notes on a little survey done in the Bogotá plateau. In Spanish].  Asocolflores 56: 41-46.

FORERO, D. 1995. Distribución de Gerridae (Hemiptera) en Quebrada Valencia, Magdalena, según la intensidad lumínica.  [Distribution of Gerridae (Hemiptera) in Quebrada Valencia, Magdalena, due to light intensity. In Spanish]. Memorias del IV Seminario Estudiantil de Investigación en Ecología.  Bogotá, noviembre de 1995.  Pp 97-102.

In preparation

Gil-Santana, H. R. & Forero, D. Submitted. Taxonomical and biological notes on Neotropical Apiomerini (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae). Zootaxa.

Forero, D. & Weirauch, C. In preparation. Comparative genitalic morphology in Apiomerini (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae).

Forero, D., Choe, D.-H., Weirauch, C. In preparation. Resin gathering in Neotropical resin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Apiomerini): comparative and functional morphology.

Web publications

FORERO, D. & WEIRAUCH, C. 2009. Nature Guide, Reduviidae: Apiomerini. http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Apiomerini 

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