Varpu Vahtera
PhD, Adjunct professor
varpu.vahtera@utu.fi +358 29 450 4176 +358 50 411 0355 Vesilinnantie 5 Turku Office: 164 ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6710-6358 |
Molecular systematics; Chilopoda
I work as a curator of myriapodology and arachnology at the Zoological Museum. I obtained my Master's degree from the University of Turku (2003) and PhD degree from the University of Helsinki (2008). I have conducted two postdoctoral periods, one at Museum of Comparative Zoology (Harvard University) and one at the Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS). Despite of my strong laboratory background, fieldwork
is very close to my heart.
I am a molecular systematist studying the diversity and evolutionary relationships of both invertebrates and vertebrates. My main research focus is on scolopendromorph centipedes but I am also involved in many other projects studying the diversity of e.g. millipedes, arachnids, amphibians and reptiles from all over the world.
- Rediscovery of Geophilus carpophagus Leach (Chilopoda:
Geophilomorpha) from Finland (2018)- Memoranda Societatis Pro Fauna Et Flora Fennica
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Sympatric occurrence of three leaf beetle species of Macroplea Samouelle, 1819 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Donaciinae) in Finland with a key to species in Northern Europe (2018)
- Aquatic Insects
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Description of a new species of Vinathela Ono, 2000 (Araneae: Mesothelae: Liphistiidae), based on morphological and molecular characters (2017)
- Arachnology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Phylogenetic relationships of millipedes in the subclass Penicillata (Diplopoda) with a key to the genera (2017)
- Journal of Natural History
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Reinstatement of Varanus douarrha Lesson, 1830 as a valid species with comments on the zoogeography of monitor lizards (Squamata:Varanidae) in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea (2016)
- Australian Journal of Zoology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Nine genera of Eucnemidae (Coleoptera) new to Peru, with a key to Peruvian genera (2015)
- Biodiversity data journal
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Populations of the damselfly Coenagrion hastulatum at the edge of the species range have fewer gregarine and water mite parasites (2015)
- Freshwater Biology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Species limits and phylogeography of Newportia (Scolopendromorpha) and implications for widespread morphospecies (2015)
- ZooKeys
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Evaluating topological conflict in centipede phylogeny using transcriptomic data sets (2014)
- Molecular Biology and Evolution
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - First molecular data and the phylogenetic position of the millipede-like centipede Edentistoma octosulcatum Tömösváry, 1882 (chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae) (2014)
- PLoS ONE
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)



