Robertson, Hamish G.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
South African Museum, Iziko Museums of Cape Town, P.O. Box 61, Cape Town 8000, South Africa; tel. +27 21 4243330; fax +27 21 4246716; e-mail: hrobertson@iziko.org.za Currently Director of Natural History Collections in Iziko Museums of Cape Town (based at the South African Museum). He is an entomologist, specializing in ants.

23 April 1959 Born in Claremont, Cape Town to Marian Joy Sedgwick Robertson (née Spilhaus) and James MacIntosh Robertson; the middle of three sons (eldest brother Ian Spilhaus Robertson and youngest brother Graham Whiting Robertson). 1965-71 Educated at Grove Primary School, Claremont, Cape Peninsula. 1970 Became a keen bird watcher. Until the end of high school, spent many hours over the weekends and holidays bird watching, the favourite haunt being the Strandfontein Sewerage Works in the Cape Peninsula! 1972-1976 Educated at Westerford High School, Rondebosch, Cape Peninsula. 1977-1979 Studied for B.Sc (majoring in Zoology) at University of Cape Town. 1980 Did Honours in Zoology at University of Cape Town. During this year switched major interest from birds to insects. 1981-January 1985 Started M.Sc. converted to Ph.D. in Entomology at Rhodes University (supervisor Professor V.C. Moran). Title of thesis was: "The ecology of Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Phycitidae) in relation to its effectiveness as a biological control agent of prickly pear and jointed cactus in South Africa". Ants were important predators of the eggs and other life stages of C. cactorum and their systematics, ecology and biology became a major sphere of research after this. In 1981 and 1982 also did the two undergraduate courses in Entomology. 21 January 1984 Married Rosalind ('Lindy') Nina Burnham King, a social worker, in Cape Town. 1985-1986 Temporary Junior Lecturer in Entomology at Rhodes University. 1987-1988 Took up two-year Post-doctoral Fellowship at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. 1989- Head of Entomology Department at South African Museum. 4 October 1989 Birth of son David Alexander Robertson. 1 Nov 1993-present. Appointed Head of Life Sciences Division at South African (the Entomology, Marine Biology and Terrestrial Vertebrate Departments were combined into this division). 2 Nov 1993 Birth of son Duncan James Robertson. 2003-present Director Natural History Collections, Iziko Museums of Cape Town.

Specimens collected Almost all specimens are housed in the Iziko South African Museum. Text by Hamish G. Robertson

PUBLICATIONS

 * [[Media:Botes et al 2006.pdf|Botes, A.; McGeoch, M. A.; Robertson, H. G.; van Niekerk, A.; Davids, H. P.; Chown, S. L. 2006. Ants, altitude and change in the northern Cape Floristic Region. Journal of Biogeography 33:71-90. PDF]]


 * [[Media:Fisher 1999.pdf|Fisher, B.L. & Robertson, H.G. 1999. Silk production by adult workers of the ant Melissotarsus emeryi in South African fynbos. Insectes Sociaux 46: 78-83. PDF]]


 * Fisher, B. L.; Robertson, H. G. 2002. Comparison and origin of forest and grassland ant assemblages in the high plateau of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Biotropica 34:155-167.


 * Jones, T. H.; Blum, M. S.; Robertson, H. G. 1990. Novel dialkylpiperidines in the venom of the ant Monomorium delagoense. Journal of Natural Products (Lloydia) 53:429-435.


 * [[Media:Mbanyana N Robertson H 2008.pdf|Mbanyana, N. & Robertson, H.G. 2008. Review of the ant genus Nesomyrmex in southern Africa. African Natural History 4: 35-55 PDF]]


 * Netshilaphala, N. M.; Milton, S. J.; Robertson, H. G. 2005. Response of an ant assemblage to mining on the arid Namaqualand coast, South Africa. African Entomology 13:162-167.


 * Parr, C. L.; Bond, W. J.; Robertson, H. G. 2002. A preliminary study of the effect of fire on ants (Formicidae) in a South African savanna. African Entomology 10:101-111.


 * Parr, C. L.; Robertson, H. G.; Biggs, H. C.; Chown, S. L. 2004. Response of African savanna ants to long-term fire regimes. Journal of Applied Ecology 41:630-642.


 * Parr, C. L.; Robertson, H. G.; Chown, S. L. 2003. Apomyrminae and Aenictogitoninae: two new subfamilies of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) for southern Africa. African Entomology 11:128-129


 * Prins, A. J.; Robertson, H. G.; Prins, A. 1990. Pest ants in urban and agricultural areas of southern Africa. Pp. 25-33 in: Vander Meer, R. K.; Jaffe, K.; Cedeno, A. (eds.) 1990. Applied myrmecology: a world perspective. Boulder: Westview Press, xv + 741 pp.


 * Ratsirarson, H.; Robertson, H. G.; Picker, M. D.; van Noort, S. 2002. Indigenous forest versus exotic eucalypt and pine plantations: a comparison of leaf-litter invertebrate communities. African Entomology 10:93-99.


 * Robertson, H. G. 1990. Unravelling the Camponotus fulvopilosus species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pp. 327-328 in: Veeresh, G. K., Mallik, B., Viraktamath, C. A. (eds.)  Social insects and the environment. Proceedings of the 11th International Congress of IUSSI, 1990.  New Delhi: Oxford & IBH Publishing Co., xxxi + 765 pp


 * Robertson, H. G. 1995. Sperm transfer in the ant Carebara vidua F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insectes Sociaux 42:411-418.


 * [[Media:Robertson, H.G. 1999.pdf| Robertson, H. G. 1999. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Mkomazi. Pp. 321-336 in: Coe, M. J.; McWilliam, N. C.; Stone, G. N.; Packer, M. J. (eds.) 1999. Mkomazi: the ecology, biodiversity and conservation of a Tanzanian savanna. London: Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers), 608 pp. PDF]]


 * [[Media:Robertson 2000a.pdf|Robertson, H. G. 2000a. Afrotropical ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): taxonomic progress and estimation of species richness. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 9:71-84. PDF]]
 * Robertson, H. G. 2000b. Formicidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea). Pp. 371-382 in Kirk-Spriggs, A. H.; Marais, E. (eds.) 2000. Dâures - biodiversity of the Brandberg Massif, Namibia. Cimbebasia Memoir 9. Windhoek: National Museum of Namibia, 389
 * Robertson, H. G. 2002a. Comparison of leaf litter ant communities in woodlands, lowland forests and montane forests of north-eastern Tanzania. Biodiversity and Conservation 11:1637-1652.


 * [[Media:Robertson 2002b.pdf| Robertson, H. G. 2002b. Revision of the ant genus Streblognathus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae). Zootaxa 97: 1-16.]]


 * [[Media:Robertson & Villet 1989a.pdf|Robertson, H. G.; Villet, M. H. 1989a. Colony founding in the ant Carebara vidua: the dispelling of a myth. South African Journal of Science 85:121-122. PDF]]


 * Robertson, H. G.; Villet, M. H. 1989b. Mating behavior in three species of myrmicine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Natural History 23:767-773.


 * [[Media:RobertsonZachariades1997.pdf| Robertson, H. G.; Zachariades, C. 1997. Revision of the Camponotus fulvopilosus (De Geer) species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Afr. Entomol. 5: 1-18 PDF]]


 * [[Media:Villet McKitterick Robertson 1999.pdf|Villet, M.H., Mckitterick L. ; Robertson, H.G. 1999. Systematic status of Plectroctena mandibularis Smith and P. conjugata Santschi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerini). Afr. Entomol. 7(2): 277-284 PDF]]


 * Tshiguvho, T. E.; Dean, W. R. J.; Robertson, H. G. 1999. Conservation value of road verges in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa: ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as bio-indicators. Biodiversity and Conservation 8:1683-1695.


 * van Hamburg, H.; Andersen, A. N.; Meyer, W. J.; Robertson, H. G. 2004. Ant community development on rehabilitated ash dams in the South African highveld. Restoration Ecology 12:552-558.