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

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


 * 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. 2002b. Revision of the ant genus Streblognathus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae). Zootaxa 97: 1-16


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


 * 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