Dr. Sam William Heads

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Illinois Natural History Survey
Postdoctoral Research FellowAppointed: 2009

Mailing Address

Illinois Natural History Survey
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1816 South Oak Street
Champaign, Illinois 61820
United States

Contact Information

Phone: (217) 359-7031
Fax: (217) 398-5170
swheads@illinois.edu

Qualifications

Ph.D., University of Portsmouth, Entomology, 2009.
B.Sc. (Hons), University of Portsmouth, Palaeobiology & Evolution, 2004.

Expertise and Research Interests

- Systematics and palaeontology of Orthoptera, particularly Grylloidea.
- Comparative biology, phylogeny and biogeography.
- Theoretical evolutionary biology.

Memberships

Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS)
Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (FRES)
International Palaeoentomological Society
Orthopterists' Society
Palaeontological Association

Honors and Awards

2009, Elected Fellow, Royal Entomological Society
2008, Elected Fellow, The Linnean Society of London
2004-2008, Ph.D. Studentship, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), University of Portsmouth, Entomology
2004, Best Honours Research Prize, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Palaeobiology
2001, Commended Award, Sixth British Biology Olympiad, Institute of Biology

Previous Positions

2006-2009, Ph.D. Student, University of Portsmouth, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Palaeobiology Research Group
2005-2006, Visiting Research Student, University of Manchester, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Palaeontology Research Laboratory

Publications

  • Heads, S. W. (2009) New pygmy grasshoppers in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae), Denisia, 26, 69-74
  • Heads, S. W. (2009) A new pygmy mole cricket in Cretaceous amber from Burma (Orthoptera: Tridactylidae), Denisia, 26, 75-82
  • Heads, S. W. (2010) The first fossil spider cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Phalangopsinae): 20 million years of troglobiomorphosis or exaptation in the dark?, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 158, 56-65
  • Heads, S. W. (2010) New Tridactyloidea in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic (Orthoptera: Caelifera), Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, In Press
  • Heads, S. W., Maehr, M. D. (2009) Proposed conservation of the name Gastrimargus Saussure, 1884 (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Oedipodinae) threatened by an unused senior homonym, Zootaxa, 2268, 65-68
  • Heads, S. W. (2008) The first fossil Proscopiidae (Insecta, Orthoptera, Eumastacoidea) with comments on the historical biogeography and evolution of the family, Palaeontology, 51, 499-507
  • Heads, S. W., Martill, D. M., Loveridge, R. F. (2008) Palaeoentomological paradise: the Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil, Antenna (Bulletin of the Royal Entomological Society), 32 (2), 91-98
  • Heads, S. W., Lakin, C. (2008) A new katydid of the genus Phoebolampta from St Maarten (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae), Polskie Pismo Entomologiczne, 77, 257-266
  • Delclòs, X., Nel, A., Azar, D., Bechly, G., Dunlop, J. A., Engel, M. S., Heads, S. W. (2008) The enigmatic Mesozoic insect taxon Chresmodidae (Polyneoptera): new palaeobiological and phylogenetic data, with the description of a new species from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen, 247, 353-381
  • Heads, S. W. (2008) A new species of Yuripopovia from the Early Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight (Coleorrhyncha: Progonocimicidae), British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, 21, 247-253
  • Heads, S. W., Chesmore, D. (2008) New records for the slender ground-hopper Tetrix subulata from Yorkshire (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae), British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, 21, 243-246
  • Martill, D. M., Heads, S. W. (2007) Out of Eden? Araripe GeoPark is a palaeontological paradise of international significance - but is the scientific community being excluded?, Geoscientist, 17 (11), 20-24
  • Heads, S. W., Martins-Neto, R. G. (2007) Orthopterida In Martill, D. M., Bechly, G., Loveridge, R. F. (eds), The Crato Fossil Beds of Brazil: Window into an Ancient World, Cambridge University Press, 265-283 pages (bookchapter)
  • Menon, F., Heads, S. W., Szwedo, J. (2007) Cicadomorpha In Martill, D. M., Bechly, G., Loveridge, R. F. (eds), The Crato Fossil Beds of Brazil: Window into an Ancient World, 283-297 pages (bookchapter)
  • Martins-Neto, R. G., Heads, S. W., Bechly, G. (2007) Neuropterida In Martill, D. M., Bechly, G., Loveridge, R. F. (eds), The Crato Fossil Beds of Brazil: Window into an Ancient World, 328-340 pages (bookchapter)
  • Martill, D. M., Bechly, G., Heads, S. W. (2007) Appendix: species list for the Crato Formation In Martill, D. M., Bechly, G., Loveridge, R. F. (eds), The Crato Fossil Beds of Brazil: Window into an Ancient World, 582-607 pages (bookchapter)
  • Heads, S. W. (2005) A new caddisfly larval case (Insecta, Trichoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous Vectis Formation (Wealden Group) of the Isle of Wight, southern England, Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 117, 307-310
  • Heads, S. W., Martill, D. M., Loveridge, R. F. (2005) An exceptionally preserved antlion (Insecta, Neuroptera) with colour pattern preservation from the Cretaceous of Brazil, Palaeontology, 48, 1409-1417
  • Menon, F., Heads, S. W., Martill, D. M. (2005) New Palaeontinidae (Insecta: Cicadomorpha) from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil, Cretaceous Research, 26, 837-844
  • Menon, F., Heads, S. W. (2005) New species of Palaeontinidae (Insecta: Cicadomorpha) from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil, Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie), 357, 1-11

Funding Received

  • Royal Entomological Society: Conference Participation Grant (to present at ENTO '09, Sheffield, July 2009), £200, 2009 to 2009.
  • Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): NERC Ph.D. studentship [NER/S/A/2004/13011 & 14238], £10,700 + stipend, 2004 to 2008.

Keywords

COS Keywords:

Biogeography.

Additional Terms:

Comparative Morphology, Entomology, Evolution, Evolutionary Biology, Hexapod, Historical Biogeography, Insect, Palaeobiology, Palaeoentomology, Phylogeny, Systematics, Taxonomy.

Profile Details

Last Updated: 1/24/2010

COS Expertise ID #1290753
Reference this profile directly: http://myprofile.cos.com/swheads