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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
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Photo of a moth reared in Papua New Guinea
Pingasa lariaria (Geometridae) (photo by K. Darrow)

Lauren Helgen, Museum Specialist

  • Phone:   202-633-1037
  • Fax:   202-786-3141
  • E-mail Address: helgenl@si.edu  
  • Mailing Address:
    Smithsonian Institution
    PO Box 37012, MRC 105
    Washington, DC 20013-7012
  • Shipping Address:
    Smithsonian Institution
    National Museum of Natural History
    10th & Constitution NW
    Washington, DC 20560-0105
  • Education:

    B Biotechnology U. Adelaide (Australia)
    B Sc (Hons) U. Adelaide (Australia)


 Lauren Helgen

Duties and Interests:
As a museum specialist I provide research support to Dr. Scott Miller on a variety of projects. Our group’s major research focus is investigating ecological and systematic questions in tropical biodiversity through a long term program of rearing Lepidoptera from Papua New Guinea. My duties include care of specimens, data management, photography, dissection and general support for our research group.

I have a broad interest in the Australasian fauna having studied the taxonomy of crinoids, polychaetes and mammals of the region. I have a background in genetics and enjoy linking this with the more traditional study of morphology in trying to resolve questions of species diversity and relationships.

Publications:

Craft, K. J., S. U. Pauls, K. Darrow, S. E. Miller, P. D. N. Hebert, L. E. Helgen, V. Novotny, & G. D. Weiblen. (2010). Population genetics of ecological communities with DNA barcodes: An example from New Guinea Lepidoptera. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107 (11):5041-5046 + supplemental material. pdf

Holloway, J. D., S. E. Miller, D. M. Pollock, L. Helgen, & K. Darrow. 2009. GONGED (Geometridae of New Guinea Electronic Database): a progress
report on development of an online facility of images. Pp. 122-123 in: Hausmann, A. (ed.): Proceedings of the fifth Forum Herbulot 2008. Global strategies for plotting geometrid biodiversity in web-based databases (Munich, ZSM, 24-28 June 2008). Spixiana 32:122-123 pdf

Helgen, K.M., L.E. Helgen and D.E.Wilson. 2009. Pacific Flying Foxes (Mammalia: Chiroptera): Two New Species of Pteropus from Samoa, Probably Extinct. American Museum Novitates 3646:1-35. pdf

Helgen, K.M., F.R. Cole, L.E. Helgen, and D.E. Wilson. (2009) Generic revision in the Holarctic ground squirrel genus Spermophilus. Journal of Mammalogy 90: 270-305. pdf

Fleischer, R.C., W.I. Boarman, E.G. Gonzalez, A. Godinez, K. Omland, S Young, L. Helgen, and C.E. McIntosh. (2008). As the raven flies: using genetic data to infer the history of invasive common raven (Corvus corax) populations in the Mojave Desert. Molecular Ecology 17: 464-474 pdf

Helgen, K.M., Lim, N.T.L., and Helgen, L.E. (2008). The hog-badger is not an edentate: systematics and evolution of Arctonyx (Mammalia: Mustelidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 154: 353-385. pdf

Helgen, L.E., and G.W. Rouse. (2006). Species delimitation and distribution in
Aporometra (Crinoidea: Echinodermata); endemic Australian featherstars. Invertebrate Systematics 20: 395-414. (Cover article) pdf

Helgen, K.M., and Helgen, L.E. Biodiversity and biogeography of the moss-mice of New Guinea: a comprehensive taxonomic revision with description of a new genus and eight new species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, invited submission, in review.

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