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PhD supervisors: Prof L Beheregaray & Prof L Hughes
My research interests include the taxonomy and evolution of Indo-Pacific butterflies, island biogeography and phylogenetics. I am an economic geologist by profession, hence the interplay of tectonics and diversification has been my key focus. My PhD (completed in 2011 under Prof. Luciano Beheregaray) addressed such issues, in an attempt to reconstruct the complex geological history of Wallacea, central Indonesia. Comprehensive sequence data from three butterfly genera revealed that, within Wallacea, lineages with deep evolutionary separation were essentially of Asian origin, whereas later colonisations came primarily from New Guinea, once some of the Wallacean fragments docked at the margin of the Australian Plate. Such patterns were likely facilitated by tectonic rifting during the mid Miocene, causing Wallacea to ‘expand’ from the Asian continental margin.
While undertaking my PhD I have worked in Papua New Guinea as a full time geologist. In recent years I have also been involved in several terrestrial biodiversity assessments in the Indo-Pacific. Having completed the PhD I still collaborate with many researchers on butterfly phylogenetics and taxonomy. I have an extensive tissue collection of Indo-Pacific taxa ready for analysis and am always keen to collaborate on new projects.
– TENNENT, W.J., DEWHURST, C.F., MÜLLER, C.J. 2011. On the recent spread of Papilio demoleus Linnaeus, 1758 in Papua New Guinea (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). Butterflies (Teinopalpus), 58, 30-33.
– TENNENT, W.J., MÜLLER, C.J., RAWLINS, A. 2010. A new Deudorix from Irian Jaya (West Papua), Indonesia (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), with notes on Deudorix epirus Felder, 1860. Australian Entomologist, 2010, 37(2), 33-43.
– MÜLLER, C. J., BEHEREGARAY, L. B. 2010. Palaeo island-affinities revisited – Biogeography and systematics of the Indo-Pacific genus Cethosia Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 57, 314-326.
– MÜLLER, C. J., WAHLBERG, N., BEHEREGARAY, L. B. 2010. ‘After Africa’ – The evolutionary history and systematics of the genus Charaxes Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Indo-Pacific Region. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 100, 457-481.
– TENNENT, W.J., MÜLLER, C.J., RAWLINS, A. 2009. A new species of Pseudodipsas from the Moluccan Island of Halmahera, with discussion of P. eone Felder & Felder, 1860, phenotypes on mainland New Guinea (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Theclinae).
– MÜLLER, C.J., JAKUSCH, J., WILLS, L. 2008. A further new subspecies of Delias messalina Arora (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Australian Entomologist, 35(2), 73-77.
– MÜLLER, C.J., WILLS, L., PETRIE, E. 2008. A new subspecies of Graphium kosii Müller & Tennent (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) from New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Australian Entomologist, 35(2), 57-60.
– LANE D.A., MÜLLER, C.J. 2006. A new species of Charaxes Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from East Timor. Australian Entomologist, 33, 71-76.
– LANE D.A., MÜLLER, C.J. 2006. New species and subspecies of Rapala Moore and Deudorix Hewitson (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from East Timor. Australian Entomologist, 33, 93-102.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 2004. A new species of Acupicta Eliot from Sulawesi, Indonesia (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Australian Entomologist, 31(3), 119-121.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 2004. A new species of Nirvanopsis Vane-Wright from the Sula Islands, Indonesia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Australian Entomologist, 31(2), 75-78.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 2003. Three new species of Psychonotis Toxopeus from Papua New Guinea (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Australian Entomologist, 30(4), 159-165.
– WOOD, G. A., MÜLLER, C. J. 2003. The life history of Toxidia inornata inornata (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Trapezitinae). Australian Entomologist, 30(3), 139-140.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 2002. New butterfly taxa from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae). Australian Entomologist, 29(1), 29-36.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 2001. A new species of Delias Hübner (lepidoptera : Pieridae) from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Australian Entomologist, 28(1), 17-22.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 2001. The previously unknown females of Leuciacria olivei Müller and Pseudodipsas una D’Abrera (Lepidoptera: Pieridae and Lycaenidae). Australian Entomologist, 28(1), 23-24.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 2001. Notes on the life history of Chilasa moerneri moerneri (Aurivillius) (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). Australian Entomologist, 28(1), 27-31.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 2000. The life history of Philiris philotas philotas (C. Felder) (lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Australian Entomologist, 27(2), 61-63.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 1999. A new species of Leuciacria Rothschild & Jordan (Lepidoptera : Pieridae) from montane New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Australian Entomologist, 26(3), 65-70.
– MÜLLER, C. J. 1999. A new species of Cethosia and a new subspecies of Delias (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae and Pieridae) from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Records of the Australian Museum, 51(2), 169-177.
– MÜLLER, C. J., TENNENT, W. J. 1999. A new species of Graphium Scopoli (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) from the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Records of the Australian Museum, 51(2), 161-168.
– MÜLLER, C. J., SANDS, D. P. A. 1999. A new subspecies of Bindahara meeki Rothschild & Jordan (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Australian Entomologist, 26(4), 103-110.
– MÜLLER, C. J., WOOD, G.A. 1999. The life history of Sabera fuliginosa fuliginosa (Miskin) (Lepidoptera:Hesperiidae) and additional hostplants for the other members of the genus in northern Queensland. Australian Entomologist, 26(4), 111-114.
– MULLER, C.J. 1998. New larval foodplant records for butterlies (Lepidoptera) in northern Queensland. Australian Entomologist, 25(2), 33-38.
– MULLER, C. J., HALL, D. 1998. New distribution and host plant records for butterflies (Lepidoptera) in New South Wales. Australian Entomologist, 25(3), 65-66.
– MULLER, C.J., OLIVE, J., LAMBKIN, T. A. 1998. New records for Petrelaea tombugensis (Rober) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in Queensland. Australian Entomologist, 25(2), 61-63.
– MULLER, C. J., MAYO, R. 1993. The previously undescribed female of Liphyra brassolis bougainvilleanus Samson & Smart (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Liphyrinae). Australian Entomological Magazine, 20(2), 77-79.
– MULLER, C.J. 1992. New Gahnia Forst. & Forst. F. food plant records for Hesperilla ornata ornata (Leach) and Tisaphone abeona regalis Waterhouse (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae and Nymphalidae) in New South Wales. Australian Entomological Magazine, 19(4), 102.
