Charlie Hackforth

Four days left to apply for two postdocs in social evolution with me and @dustinrubenstein.com

Based at the University of Bristol (UK), conducting fieldwork with wasps in Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa.

Eoophyla dentisigna (Agassiz, 2012)
Crambidae: Acentropinae
C. Hackforth det. 2025
Republic of the Congo

This fascinating group are aquatic as larvae, and adult females may enter the water for several hours to lay eggs. The tiny hindwing eyespots are thought to represent jumping spider mimicry.

Zamarada protrusa serrula (Fletcher, 1974)
Geometridae: Ennominae
C. Hackforth det. 2023
Republic of the Congo

One of ~25 Zamarada species collected from 3 hectares of Congolese lowland forest.

Porthesaroa sp.
Erebidae: Lymantriinae
C. Hackforth det. 2024
Republic of the Congo (new country record)

This species currently awaits formal description.

Maruca vitrata (Fabricius, 1787)
Crambidae: Spilomelinae
C. Hackforth det. 2023
Republic of the Congo (new country record)

Heterostegane pachyspila (Fletcher D. S., 1958)
Geometridae: Ennominae
C. Hackforth det. 2023
Republic of the Congo (new country record)

Cheroscelis oospila (Prout L. B., 1912)
Geometridae: Geometrinae
C. Hackforth det. 2023
Republic of the Congo

Sciatta inconcisa (Walker, 1869)
Noctuidae: Pantheinae
C. Hackforth det. 2023
Republic of the Congo (new country record)

Pliniola gibba (Plötz, 1880)
Erebidae: Arctiinae-Lithosiini
C. Hackforth det. 2023
Republic of the Congo (new country record)

Pseudambia albomaculalis (Hampson, 1897)
Crambidae: Spilomelinae
C. Hackforth det. 2025
Republic of the Congo (new country record)

Balacra rubricincta (Holland, 1893)
Erebidae: Arctiinae
C. Hackforth det. 2023
Republic of the Congo

As we come to the end of 2025 I've had some time to photograph some moth specimens from my work in the Republic of the Congo, which I will share here in the coming weeks. First up:

Mazuca strigicincta (Walker, 1866)
Noctuidae: Xyleninae
C. Hackforth det. 2024
Republic of the Congo

A view over Clifden Suspension bridge at sunset

Thrilled to today be starting as a PostDoc in the TropEco lab at the University of Bristol. I'll be working on the PanTropIn project, which aims to describe drivers and impacts of insect biodiversity changes across pantropical forests. Very excited to be up and running within an exciting new team!

Last week I defended my thesis "Structure and Function of Insect Communities in Central Congo Peatland Forests" with minor corrections. Thanks to supervisors Jan Axmacher and Simon Lewis for their inspiration and support, and to examiners Tim Newbold (UCL) and Ed Turner (Cambridge). Now, to publish!

Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century Numerous declines have been documented across insect groups, and the potential consequences of insect losses are dire. Butterflies are the most surveyed insect taxa, yet analyses have been limited in ...

Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Thanks for joining Stephen! So glad you enjoyed. Plenty of Lithosiini in the UK too - let’s discuss when we next meet, as I’m certain they’d be great bat food !

The programme for this two day meeting on African Tropical #Peatlands includes talks on climate, biogeochemistry, vegetation, socioecology, ecosystem dynamics, and of course insects. It will be closed by the Environment Minister of the Rep. of Congo. So something for everyone! Sign up at link below:

World’s largely unprotected peatlands are ticking ‘carbon bomb’, warns study Bogs and swamps are a colossal carbon store but their continued destruction would blow climate change targets The world’s peatlands are “dangerously underprotected” despite the colossal amount of climate-heating carbon dioxide already being emitted due…

World’s largely unprotected peatlands are ticking ‘carbon bomb’, warns study

African tropical peatlands: their value and vulnerability | Royal Society Discussion meeting organised by Professor Simon Lewis FRS, Professor Ifo Suspense Averti, Professor Corneille Ewango and Professor Angela Gallego-Sala.

Next Monday at 4.15, I will be speaking at the Royal Society in London about my PhD research on the insects of the Central Congo peatlands. The talk is part of a two day discussion meeting on African Tropical Peatlands.

Register to attend in person or online here: royalsociety.org/science-even...

DRC: history is repeating itself in Lubumbashi as the world scrambles for minerals to go green Lubumbashi is little known, but its minerals electrified the world, created atom bombs and are key to greener energy, the defining geopolitical issue of our time.

Recommended read: Issues around mining for cobalt – a mineral “essential to decarbonisation” – in the Democratic Republic of the Congo employ “new forms of old colonial practices”, researchers wrote in @us.theconversation.com

Poster advertising the dates and organisers of the upcoming meeting on African tropical peatlands

The programme for our upcoming scientific meeting on the theme of tropical #peatlands in Africa is now live.

The meeting will be held at the Royal Society in London and will be streamed online.

To register for free or find out more visit: ow.ly/BEu550UCvZg

@royalsocietypublishing.org