About

My name is Daniel Colgan Huston, and I’m an invertebrate zoologist, taxonomist and naturalist. Often I wonder why I chose a path so icky, but I suppose it’s because I like to see the unseen. I study parasites because I’m curious about the nature of complex life-cycles and I admire the sublime intricacies of parasite evolution. I completed my PhD at the University of Queensland exploring the systematics, host-specificity, biogeography and life-cycles of several lineages of digenetic trematodes, with a focus on those groups exploiting herbivorous marine fishes as definitive hosts. Much of my field work was on the Great Barrier Reef, a dream location for a biologist interested in complex interactions. Although parasites contribute immensely to the biodiversity of ecosystems, they remain among the least known organisms.

I got my B.Sc. in Wildlife Biology and my M.Sc. in Biology from Texas State University, San Marcos.  During my master's thesis I studied the effects of two invasive trematode parasites on native fisheries in Texas.  My previous professional position was with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where I worked primarily on the development of culture methodologies for endangered aquatic species from Texas spring systems.

I am currently a Research Scientist with CSIRO at the Australian National Insect Collection in Canberra, Australia. I am working on plant-parasitic nematodes of significance in agriculture.

Searching for riffle beetles, Devils River, Texas, USA. 2013.