ASCU Staff Profile


 
 


 

Murray Fletcher
Dr Murray J. Fletcher FRES, LFHCfS*
Principal Research Scientist
Director of the Collections.
Murray Fletcher graduated from the University of Sydney in 1974 and completed a PhD in the Zoology Department of the same University in 1978. Both his honours project and his doctoral research were on Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha, the former a taxonomic study of the treehopper family Eurymelidae and the latter an embryological study of two fulgoroid planthoppers. Appointed as an insect taxonomist at BCRI in 1977, Murray's research concentrated on the fulgoroid family Flatidae. Since the mid 1980's he has been concentrating primarily on the leafhoppers (family Cicadellidae) and was supported by ABRS funding from 1992-94 (subfamily Deltocephalinae) and again from 1996-98 (subfamily Typhlocybinae). He was Associate Supervisor of Birgit Löcker's ABRS funded PhD project revising the Australian Cixiidae. Murray is also involved in supervision of students at Sydney University's main campus and LaTrobe University in Melbourne.

Murray became Secretary to the Agricultural Scientific Collections Trust in February 1990 and Director of the Collections in November 1990. He was made an Adjunct Professor at the University of Sydney, Orange, in 2004 and an Adjunct Professor at Charles Sturt University in 2006. He has served the Entomological Society of New South Wales Inc. as President, Vice President and long-term Editor of the Society's Circular. He has also served the Australian Entomological Society as Regional Councillor for NSW, Representative Councillor and as Editor of Myrmecia, the News Bulletin of the Society for 8 years. He is now Vice President and Chairman of the Core Executive as well as being responsible for maintaining the AES Website (see The Australian Entomological Society). He also maintains the Auchenorrhyncha Website,  Tymbal. Murray is currently the Chairman of the Standing Committee for International Auchenorrhyncha Congresses and was the Chairman of the Council of Heads of Australian Entomological Collections (CHAEC) 2000-2003. He is currently also Immediate past President of the Friends of Orange Botanic Gardens (FOBG) Secretary of the Orange Beefsteak and Burgundy Club as well as being President and Newsletter Editor for the Orange Field Naturalists and Conservation Society. In 2006, Murray received an Australian Wine and Food Society Award for his long-term services as President, Vice President (Wine Master), Vice President (Food Master), Secretary and, more recently, country member of the Metropolitan Wine and Food Society of Sydney.
Publications (last 5 years):

  • Austin, A.D., Yeates, D.K., Cassis, G., Fletcher, M.J., La Salle, J., Lawrence, J.F., McQuillan, P.B., Mound, L.A., Bickel, D.J., Gullan, P.J., Hales, D.F., Taylor, G. S., (2004) Insects "Down Under" - Diversity, endemism and evolution of the Australian insect fauna: examples from select orders. Australian Journal of Entomology 43: 216-234.

  • Bellis, G.A., Donaldson, J.F., Carver, M., Hancock, D.L. and Fletcher, M.J., (2004) Records of insect pests on Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean. The Australian Entomologist 31(3): 93-102.

  • Chang, J.C., Fletcher, M.J., Gurr, G.M., Kent, D.S. and Gilbert, R.G., (2005) A new silk: Mechanical, compositional, and morphological characterization of leafhopper (Kahaono montana) silk. Polymer 46(19): 7909-7917.

  • Chang, J.C., Gurr, G.M., Fletcher, M.J. and Gilbert, R.G., (2006) Structure-Property and Structure/Function Relations of Leafhopper (Kahaono montana) Silk. Australian Journal of Chemistry 59: 571-578.

  • Emeljanov, A.F. and Fletcher, M.J., (2004) Hemielissum evansi, a new genus and species of Breddiniolini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), being the first Australian record of the tribe, with a discussion of the taxonomic position of the Breddiniolini. Australian Journal of Entomology 43(1): 38-42.

  • Fletcher, M.J., (2002) Australian leafhoppers (Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae): as Australian as the Kangaroo. Denisia 4(176): 349-356.

  • Fletcher, M.J., (2002) A new species of Siphanta Stål (Hemiptera: Flatidae) from Western Australia and notes on other species of the genus. Australian Entomologist 29(3): 97-102.

  • Fletcher, M.J., (2004) A revision of the genus Horouta Knight with description of two new species and notes on other species of Deltocephalinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). General and Applied Entomology 33: 45-54.

  • Fletcher, M.J., (2006) A new genus, Warlucephala, for the reception of Deltocephalus arunda Jacobi, 1909, and two new species (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae). Records of the Australian Museum 58(2): 125-128.

  • Fletcher, M.J. and Dangerfield, P.C., (2002) Idioscopus clypealis (Lethierry), a second new leafhopper pest of mango in Australia (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Idiocerinae). Australian Journal of Entomology 41(1): 35-38.

  • Fletcher, M.J., Day, M.F. and Humphrey, M., (2003) The discovery of the holotype of Ledromorpha planirostris (Donovan) (Cicadellidae: Ledrinae), with notes on other Australian Auchenorrhyncha species described by Edward Donovan. General and Applied Entomology 32: 23-30.

  • Fletcher, M.J. and Kent, D.S., (2002) Feeding by Kahaono leafhoppers in silken shelters (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Dikraneurini). Australian Entomologist 29(4): 115-118.Click HERE for images]

  • Fletcher, M.J. and Moir, M.L., (2002) Cryptobarsac rubriops, a new genus and species of selizine Flatidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha) from grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea preissii) in south Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 21: 221-225.

  • Larivière, M.C. and Fletcher, M.J., 2002. Checklist of Auchenorrhyncha species. In: M.C. Larivière (Editor), Checklist of New Zealand Hemiptera (excluding Sternorrhyncha), Version 2.0. http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biodiversity/invertebratesprog/hemwsite/nzhemlist/Auchenorrhynchalist.asp

  • Liang, A.P. and Fletcher, M.J., (2002) Morphology of the antennal sensilla in four Australian spittlebug species (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) with implications for phylogeny. Australian Journal of Entomology 41(1): 39-44.

  • Liang, A.P. and Fletcher, M.J., (2003) Review of the Australian aphrophorid spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae). Australian Journal of Entomology 42(1): 84-93.

  • Liang, A.P., Fletcher, M.J. and Jiang, G.M., (2005) The endemic Australian spittlebug genus Anyllis Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) with description of a new species from Tasmania. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 78(4): 301-307.

  • Löcker, B., Fletcher, M.J. and Gurr, G.M., (2006) First record of the planthopper tribe Mnemosynini in Australia with the description of two new species (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae). Russian Entomological Journal 15(3): 287-294.

  • Löcker, B., Fletcher, M.J. and Gurr, G.M., (2007) Revision of the genus Innobindus Jacobi (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae) with the description of six new species and comments on other Australian Brixiini genera. Australian Journal of Entomology 46(1): 45-55.

  • Löcker, B., Fletcher, M.J., Holzinger, W.E. and Gurr, G.M., (in press) Revision of the Australian Andini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae) with a description of five new species. Zootaxa.

  • Löcker, B., Fletcher, M.J., Lariviere, M.-C. and Gurr, G.M., (2006) The Australian Pentastirini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae). Zootaxa 1290: 1-138.

  • Löcker, B., Fletcher, M.J., Larivière, M.-C., Gurr, G. M., Holzinger, W., Löcker, H. (2006) Taxonomic and phylogenetic revision of the Gelastocephalini (Hemiptera: Cixiidae). Invertebrate Systematics 20: 59-160.

  • Moir, M.L., Brennan, K.E.C., Koch, J.M., Majer, J.D. and Fletcher, M.J., (2005) Restoration of a forest ecosystem: The effects of vegetation and dispersal capabilities on the reassembly of plant-dwelling arthropods. Forest Ecology and Management 217: 294-306.

  • Moir, M.L., Brennan, K.E.C., Majer, J.D., Fletcher, M.J. and Koch, J.M., (2005) Toward an optimal sampling protocol for Hemiptera on understorey plants. Journal of Insect Conservation 9: 3-20.
    Moir, M.L. and Fletcher, M.J., (2006) Two new species of Anabunda Emeljanov (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Achilidae) from Australia. Zootaxa 1328: 39-50.

  • Moir, M.L., Majer, J.D. and Fletcher, M.J., (2003) New records for Hemiptera species in Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 21(4): 353-357.
    Pilkington, L., Gurr, G.M., Fletcher, M.J., Nikandrow, A. and Elliott, E., (2004) Vector status of three leafhopper species for Australian lucerne yellows phytoplasma. Australian Journal of Entomology 43(4): 366-373.

  • Pilkington, L.J., Gibb, K.S., Gurr, G.M., Fletcher, M.J., Nikandrow, A., Elliott, E., van de Ven, R., Read, D. M. Y. (2003) Detection and identification of a phytoplasma from lucerne with Australian lucerne yellows disease. Plant Pathology 52: 754-762.

  • Thwaite, G. and Fletcher, M.J., (2003) Unusual apple aphid discovery. FruitWise 51: 11.

*LFHCfS

 


 
 


Document 7057, submitted 10 September 2007
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