I am interested in understanding the evolutionary history of invertebrates and the factors that have shaped their diversity. My research combines taxonomy, phylogeny, historical biogeography, and diversification analyses using genomic, morphological, ecological, and distributional data. After exploring the evolution of several terrestrial insect groups, I now also investigate the marine realm as a postdoctoral researcher at Naturalis Biodiversity Center, focusing on the phylogenomics and evolutionary history of pelagic gastropods.
Keywords
Biogeography, Diversification, Genomics, Integrative taxonomy, Macroevolution, Phylogenetics
Researchinterest
I study the evolutionary history of invertebrates, working on terrestrial insect groups including antlions, butterflies, ladybirds, moths, and weevils, and now mainly focusing on the evolution of pelagic gastropods.
Picture of Clione by Evan Feusi
Pelagic gastropods comprise two main groups, pteropods and heteropods, which independently adapted to pelagic life and include both aragonite shelled and shell-less. Their evolutionary history remains poorly understood, even if it has likely been shaped by both biotic factors (e.g. predator–prey interactions) and abiotic drivers (e.g. continental movements, changes in CO₂ concentration and temperature). Using transcriptomic data, I explore the following questions: What role have these factors played in their evolution? What colonization patterns have they followed? Have some groups diversified more than others, and is this linked to biogeography and/or life-history traits? Can we detect shared genomic signatures of shell loss? What can pelagic gastropods tell us about global evolutionary processes in marine realms?
Keypublications
- Hévin NM‐C (2026) Deciphering biotic and abiotic drivers of Parnassiinae evolution using a genomic approach. Université de Montpellier. English. Available at: https://hal.science/tel-05606353
- Nattier R, Hévin NM-C, Chifflet‐Belle P, Dong J, Escalona HE, Haran JM, Streito J-C, Tomaszewska W, Slipinski A, Zwick A, Kergoat GJ (2026). Phylogenetic analyses of true ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellini) reveal directionality in diet evolution and support a boreotropical origin of the tribe. Ecology and Evolution 16(4): e73077. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73077
- Hévin NM-C, Condamine FL (2024) Bayesian Total-Evidence Dating Reshapes the Age and Historical Biogeography of Parnassiinae. Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists 3. https://doi.org/10.18061/bssb.v3i2.9882
- Hévin NM-C, Kergoat GJ, Zilli A, Capdevielle-Dulac C, Musyoka BK, Sezonlin M, Conlong D, Van Den Berg J, Ndemah R, Le Gall P, Cugala D, Nyamukondiwa C, Pallangyo B, Njaku M, Goftishu M, Assefa Y, Mubenga Kandonda O, Bani G, Molo R, Chipabika G, Ong’amo G, Clamens A-L, Barbut J, Le Ru B (2024b) Revisiting the taxonomy and molecular systematics of Sesamia stemborers (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Apameini: Sesamiina): updated classification and comparative evaluation of species delimitation methods. Arthropod Systematics and Phylogeny 82: 447–501. https://doi.org/10.3897/asp.82.e113140
- Hévin NM-C, Goldstein PZ, Aduse‐Poku K, Barbut J, Mitchell A, Zilli A, Clamens A-L, Capdevielle-Dulac C, Wahlberg N, Le Ru BP, Kergoat GJ (2024a) Habitat opening fostered diversity: impact of dispersal and habitat‐shifts in the evolutionary history of a speciose afrotropical insect group. Ecography (Editor’s choice) 8: e07258. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.07258
- Hévin NM-C, Kergoat GJ, Clamens A-L, Le Ru B, Mansell MW, Michel B (2023) Evolution, systematics and historical biogeography of Palparini and Palparidiini antlions (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae): Old origin and in situ diversification in Southern Africa. Systematic Entomology 48: 600–617. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12593
- Hévin NM-C, Hansen S, Addison P, Benoit L, Kergoat GJ, Haran J (2022) Late Cenozoic environmental changes drove the diversification of a weevil genus endemic to the Cape Floristic Region. Zoologica Scripta 51: 724–740. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12563