Dr. Michael Forthman

2016, Ph.D., Entomology, University of California, Riverside

2022-Present, Senior Insect Biosystematist, Entomology Laboratory, Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, California Department of Food & Agriculture

2020-2022, Associate Insect Biosystematist, Entomology Laboratory, Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, California Department of Food & Agriculture

2023-present, Subject Editor, Journal of the International Heteropterists’ Society

2020-present, Co-Curator, California State Collection of Arthropods, Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, California Department of Food & Agriculture

2020–present, Subject Editor, Pan-Pacific Entomologist

2020-present, Research Associate, Entomology & Nematology, University of California, Davis

2024, Co-instructor, Biodiversity of True Bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) Short Course, Riverside, California

2017, Symposium Co-organizer: "Breaking into the biobank: promising methods for sequencing DNA from museum arthropod specimens", Entomological Society of America, Denver, Colorado

2015, Symposium Co-organizer: "Synergy in agricultural pest control: use of interdisciplinary approaches to feed a growing population", Entomological Society of America, Minneapolis, Minnesota

2015, Symposium Co-organizer: "Heteropterist Conference", Entomological Society of America, Minneapolis, Minnesota

2014, Symposium Co-organizer: "Grand Challenge: effective science education with communication", Entomological Society of America, Portland, Oregon

2013-2015, Committee member: Entomological Society of America Committee on Student Affairs

2013, Symposium Co-organizer: "Pitfalls, malaise, and hoping it all pans out: the state of the art in field collecting methods for insect biodiversity surveys", Entomological Society of America, Austin, Texas

Forthman, M., Phan, H., Miller, C.W., & R.T. Kimball. 2024. Phylogenetic placement of the leaf-footed bug tribes Agriopocorini, Amorbini, and Manocoreini (Heteroptera: Coreoidea) using ultraconserved elements. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 202: zlae024.

Bush, T., Berenger, J.-M., Gil-Santana, H., Forthman, M., Hoey-Chamberlain, R., & C. Weirauch. 2024. Systematics of Ectrichodiella Fracker and Bruner, 1924, with description of the first fossil millipede assassin bug species (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae). American Museum Novitates 2024(4025): 1–40.

Miller, C.W., Kimball, R.T., & M. Forthman. 2024. Evolution of multi-component weapons in the superfamily of leaf-footed bugs. Evolution 78: 635–651.

Forthman, M. 2024. First record of Pyrrhocoris apterus (Linnaeus 1758) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae) in California, U.S.A. Pan-Pacific Entomologist 100: 75–78.

Forthman, M., Gordon, E.R.L., & R.T. Kimball. 2023. Low hybridization temperatures improve target capture success of invertebrate loci: a case study of leaf-footed bugs (Hemiptera: Coreoidea). Royal Society Open Science 10: 230307.

Forthman, M., Downie, C., Miller, C.W., & R.T. Kimball. 2023. Evolution of stridulatory mechanisms: vibroacoustic communication may be common in leaf-footed bugs and allies (Heteroptera: Coreoidea). Royal Society Open Science 10: 221348.

Adler, K., Schill, A., Stolberg, A., Miller, C.W., & M. Forthman. 2022. First record of the bow-legged bug Hyalymenus subinermis (Heteroptera: Alydidae) in California, with description of the mimetic immature stages. Pan-Pacific Entomologist 98: 138-149.

Forthman, M., Miller, C.W., & R.T. Kimball. 2022. Phylogenomic analysis with improved taxon sampling corroborates an Alydidae + Hydarinae + Pseudophloeinae clade (Heteroptera: Coreoidea: Alydidae, Coreidae). Organisms Diversity and Evolution 22: 669-679.

Forthman, M., Lara, R., Meeds, A., & D.A. Rider. 2022. First record of Pellaea stictica (Dallas, 1851) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in California, U.S.A. Pan-Pacific Entomologist 98: 76-80.

Miller, C.D., Forthman, M., Miller, C.W., & R.T. Kimball. 2022. Extracting "legacy loci" from an invertebrate sequence capture dataset. Zoologica Scripta 51: 14-31.

Forthman, M., Braun, E.L., & R.T. Kimball. 2022. Gene tree quality affects empirical coalescent branch length estimation. Zoologica Scripta 51: 1-13.

Forthman, M., & H.R. Gil-Santana. 2021. Two new species of Rhiginia Stål, 1859, with taxonomical notes on species in the "cruciata-group" of this genus and an updated key to the New World genera of Ectrichodiinae (Heteroptera, Reduviidae). Zootaxa 4952: 201-234.

Forthman, M. 2021. Two new species of Abelocephala (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from Taiwan. Zootaxa 4920: 278-286.

Forthman, M., Miller, C.W., & R.T. Kimball. 2020. Phylogenomics of the leaf-footed bug subfamily Coreinae (Hemiptera: Coreidae). Insect Systematics and Diversity 4: 2.

Emberts, Z., St. Mary, C.M., Howard, C.C., Forthman, M., Bateman, P.W., Somjee, U., Hwang, W.S., Li, D., Kimball, R.T., & C.W. Miller, C.W. 2020. The evolution of autotomy in leaf-footed bugs. Evolution 74: 897-910.

Matzinger, E.E., & M. Forthman. 2019. Identification key to the genera of the tribe Gonocerini (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coreidae). University of Florida Journal of Undergraduate Research 21: 1-7.

Forthman, M., Miller, C.W., & R.T. Kimball. 2019. Phylogenomic analysis suggests Coreidae and Alydidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) are not monophyletic. Zoologica Scripta 48: 520-534.

Kieran, T.J., Gordon, E., Forthman, M., Hoey-Chamberlain, R., Kimball, R.T., Faircloth, B.C., Weirauch, C., & T.C. Glenn. 2019. Insights from an ultraconserved element bait set designed for hemipteran phylogenetics integrated with genomic resources. Molecular Phylogenetics

Chen, D., Braun, E.L., Forthman, M., Kimball, R.T., & Z. Zhang. 2018. A simple strategy for recovering ultraconserved elements, exons, and introns from low coverage shotgun sequencing of museum specimens: placement of the partridge genus Tropicoperdix within the Galliforme

Forthman, M., & C. Weirauch. 2018. Phylogenetic comparative analysis supports aposematic colouration–body size association in millipede assassins (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology 31: 1071-1078.

Forthman, M., & C. Weirauch. 2017. Millipede assassins and allies (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae, Tribelocephalinae): total evidence phylogeny, revised classification and evolution of sexual dimorphism. Systematic Entomology 42: 575-595.

Weirauch, C., Forthman, M., Grebenikov, V., & P. Baňař. 2017 From Eastern Arc Mountains to extreme sexual dimorphism: systematics of the enigmatic assassin bug genus Xenocaucus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Tribelocephalinae). Organisms Diversity and Evolution 17: 421-445.

Forthman, M., & C. Weirauch. 2016. Phylogenetics and biogeography of the endemic Madagascan millipede assassin bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 100: 219-233.

Forthman, M., Chłond, D., & C. Weirauch. 2016. Taxonomic monograph of the endemic millipede assassin bug fauna of Madagascar (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 400: 1-152.

Zhang, J., Gordon, E., Forthman, M., Hwang, W.S., Walden, K., Swanson, D., Johnson, K.P., Meier, R., & C. Weirauch. 2016. Evolution of the assassin's arms: insights from a phylogeny of combined transcriptomic and ribosomal DNA data (Heteroptera: Reduvioidea). Scientific Re

Weirauch, C., Berenger, J.M., Berniker, L., Forero, D., Forthman, M., Frankenberg, S., Freedman, A., Gordon, E., Hoey-Chamberlain, R., Hwang, W.S., Michael, A., Udah, O., Watson, C., Zhang, G., & J. Zhang. 2014. An illustrated identification key to assassin bug subfamilies

2023-present NSF, Division of Environmental Biology, “Collaborative Research: Spatial phylogenomics and diet evolution of the megadiverse plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae),” DEB-2317209; PI: Christiane Weirauch, Co-PIs: Jason Bond, Michael Forthman

2020, NSF, Research Experience for Undergraduates Supplement for grant IOS-1553100, proposal writer (with PI Christine W. Miller), "Reproductive trade-offs between costly sexually selected weapons and other expensive tissues in three species of Coreoidea (Insecta: Hemiptera)"

2014, Research Support Grant, Dissertation Year Program Award, University of California, Riverside

2014, Conference Travel Grant, Nils & Annemarie Møller-Andersen Award, International Heteropterists' Society

2013, Research and Travel Grant, Earle C. Anthony Graduate Student Travel Award, University of California, Riverside

2013, Research Support Grant, Graduate Dean's Dissertation Research Grant, University of California, Riverside

Cameroon (2013)

Costa Rica (2010)

Eswatini (2018)

Honduras (2013)

South Africa (2018, 2024)

South Korea (2012)

Forthman, M., Downie, C. Miller, C.W., & R.T. Kimball. 2022. What's the buzz? Surveying a stridulatory mechanism in "Coreidae" with consideration of recent phylogenomic results. ["True Bug Tuesday" virtual event, International Heteropterists' Society]

Forthman, M. 2018. Legging across Southern Africa. [Friends of the Entomology Research Museum, University of California, Riverside]

Miller, C.W., Cirino, L.A., & M. Forthman (Co-Presented). 2017. Fusing research and education through classroom undergraduate research experiences. [Fusing Research and Teaching Conference, University of Florida, Gainesville]

Carlson, P., Cirino, L.A., Forthman, M., Joseph, P., & U. Somjee (Co-Presented). 2017. Science communication: how to effectively communicate your science. [Department of Entomology and Nematology Seminar, University of Florida, Gainesville]

Forthman, M., & C. Weirauch. 2016. Millipede assassin bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae) show off: evolution of aposematic coloration and extreme sexual dimorphism. [International Congress of Entomology XXV, Orlando, Florida]

Forthman, M., & C. Weirauch. 2012. Madagascar's millipede assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae): a treasure trove of diversity. [Heteroptera Symposium, 60th Entomological Society of America Meeting, Knoxville, Tennessee]

Forthman, M., Weirauch, C., Bond, J., Schroeder, S., Tyts, V., & M. Fox. 2024. From UCEs to geography: setting the stage for spatial phylogenomics and diet evolution of Miridae. [Entomological Society of America Entomology 2024, Phoenix, Arizona]

Boothroyd, J., Forthman, M., & C.W. Miller. 2024. The outcome of total sexual selection in the leaf-footed cactus bug. [Entomological Society of America Entomology 2024, Phoenix, Arizona]

Forthman, M., Miller, C.W., & R.T. Kimball. 2022. Phylogenomic analysis suggests evolutionary convergence of male weapon traits in leaf-footed bugs and allies (Heteroptera: Coreoidea). [7th Quadrennial Meeting of the International Heteropterists' Society, Barcelona, Spain]

Greenway, G., & M. Forthman (Co-Presented). 2019. The power of virtual exchange: connecting your classroom to the outside world. [Teaching Enhancement Symposium, University of Florida, Gainesville]

Forthman, M., Miller, C.W., & R.T. Kimball. 2018. Phylogenomic analysis of the Coreoidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) demonstrates non-monophyly of the families Coreidae and Alydidae. [6th Quadrennial Meeting of the International Heteropterists' Society, La Plata, Argentina]

Donnelly, A., Forthman, M., & J. Drew (Co-Presented). 2018. Course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) initiative. [Teaching Enhancement Symposium, University of Florida, Gainesville]

Forthman, M., & C. Weirauch. 2015. Showing off: investigating the evolution of aposematism and sexual dimorphism in millipede assassin bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae). [63rd Entomological Society of America Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota]

Forthman, M., & C. Weirauch. 2014. The systematics of the endemic millipede assassin bugs of Madagascar (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae). [5th Quadrennial Meeting of the International Heteropterists' Society, Washington, DC]

Forthman, M., & C. Weirauch. 2013. Fragments of time: divergence dating and biogeographic history of Malagasy millipede assassin bugs. [61st Entomological Society of America Meeting, Austin, Texas]