Matthias Herrmann

Matt collecting beetles while visiting the Team Scarab lab in Nebraska. Photo by M. L. Jameson.

Matthias loves beetles. And almost as much as he loves beetles he is fascinated with nematodes. His work focuses on scarab-inhabiting nematodes, which sounds unpleasant but turns out to be a real thriller!
He can tell you wonderful stories about necromenic worms in scarabs.
If you want to make Matt REALLY happy, send him living or recently dead scarabs from all over the world, so that he can screen them for nematodes. He might even name a new nematode species after you!!!

PUBLICATIONS:

Herrmann, M., W.E.Mayer, and R.J.Sommer. 2006. Nematodes of the genus Pristionchus are closely associated with scarab beetles and the Colorado potato beetle in Western Europe. Zoology 109: 96-108.

Herrmann, M., W.E.Mayer, and R.J.Sommer. 2006. Sex, bugs and Haldane’s rule: the nematode genus Pristionchus in the United States. Frontiers in Zoology. (http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/3/1/14).

Herrmann, M., W.E. Mayer, R. Hong, S. Kienle, R. Minasaki, and R. J. Sommer. 2007. The nematode Pristionchus pacificus (Nematoda: Diplogastridae) is associated with the Oriental beetle Exomala orientalis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Japan. Zoological Science 24: 883-889.

Mayer, W. E., M. Herrmann, and R.J. Sommer. 2007. Phylogeny of the nematode genus Pristionchus and implications for biodiversity, biogeography and the evolution of hermaphroditism. BMC Evolutionary Biology 7: 104.

Zauner, H., Mayer, W., Herrmann, M., Weller, A., Erwig, M., and Sommer, R.J. 2007. Distinct patterns of genetic variation in Pristionchus pacificus and Caenorhabditis
elegans, two partially selfing nematodes with cosmopolitan distribution. Molecular Ecology 16: 1267-1280.

Hong, R.L., Svatos, A., Herrmann, M., and Sommer, R.J. (in press). Species specific recognition of beetle cues by Pristionchus maupasi. Evolution & Development.