Entité de rattachement
Evolution fonctionnelle et Taxonomie (EvoFoncT)
Recherches
Habilité(e) à diriger des recherches
Spécialité
Phylogénie, Evolution, Diversification, Socialité, Entomologie

Contact

Réseaux sociaux
Courriel
frederic.legendre [at] mnhn.fr
legendre [at] mnhn.fr
Téléphone
01 40 79 81 26
Adresse(s)

45 rue Buffon
CP50
75005 Paris

Responsabilités dans l'unité

Responsabilités actuelles :

Responsabilités passées :

  • Membre élu puis nommé du conseil d’unité (2005-2007; 2013-2018)

Responsabilités hors unité

Responsabilités actuelles :

Responsabilités passeés :

  • Membre de deux comités ATM au MNHN (2013-2020)
  • Membre du conseil de la Société Française de Systématique (2012-2015)

Collections

Enseignements

Présentation

Presentation

My research deals with the evolution of insects. I reconstruct phylogenies before using them as a historical reference to test evolutionary hypotheses. Following this phylogenetic approach, I investigate the evolution of social behavior in termites and cockroaches (Insecta : Dictyoptera), test biogeographic and diversification hypotheses, and study the ecomorphology of cockroaches.

Research interests

Nasutitermitinae, Soldiers and workers in Singapore © MNHN

Nasutitermitinae, Soldiers and workers in Singapore

Crédits
© MNHN

 

1. Social evolution in cockroaches and termites

In collaboration with E. Bornberg-Bauer (University of Münster, Germany), this project is supported by ANR and DFG. The PhD project of Juliette Berger is instrumental for this project.

 

Microcerotermes novaecaledoniae
Crédits
Frédéric Legendre

2. Ecomorphology and burrowing in granular substrate

The aim of Barbara Bignon’s PhD project is to establish a new dialogue between the physics of granular media (soil, sand, etc.) and behavioral observations of burrowing cockroaches, in order to address fundamental questions about the biology and physics of movement in granular environments for these insects.

Image
Ecomorphology

3. Factors of diversification in Insects

Combining tip-dating and diversification analyses, Corentin Jouault and Manuel Brazidec (Phd students) want to decipher the factors that have driven the diversification of insects.

TED Termites

4. Systematics of Blattodea

Planche taxo

A. Phenacisma peltata Karsch, 1896 B. Perisphaerus flexicollis (Walker, 1868) C. Rhabdoblatta pluriramosa (Karny, 1915)

 

Grants

  • ANR-DFG PRCI SocioGenomics (226,700 € ANR + 196,200 € DFG) - 2020-2024.
  • Action Transversale du MNHN (25,000 €) - 2011-2018.
  • Lavoisier Grant (18,000 €), Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, December 2007 - December 2008.
  • Rosen Price (500 $), 3rd best student oral presentation, Hennig XXV, Oaxaca (Mexico), 2006.
  • Marie Stopes Student Travel Award (500 $) in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
  • Travel Grant from Paris Doctoral School ED 392 (1,000 €) in 2006 and 2007
  • PhD Grant, Ministère de l’Education nationale, de la Recherche et des Technologies, October 2004 - September 2007.
  • Master 2 Grant, Ministère de l’Education nationale, de la Recherche et des Technologies, October 2003 - June 2004.

 

Dans les media

Brut (2024) : Le fascinant cannibalisme sexuel des mantes

France Culture (2020) : Des insectes et des hommes : s’organiser et cohabiter

Zeste de Sciences (2019) : Faut-il être mignon pour survivre ?

Arte Snapschat (2019) : Faut-il sauver les pandas ?

France Info (2019) : Pourquoi les animaux moches sont plus menacés que les autres ?

The Conversation (2018) : Quand l’oiseau fait de l’ombre à l’insecte

RFI (2017) : Nouvelle-Calédonie : des scientifiques pour la protection de la biodiversité

Sciences & Vie (2016) : Comment les cafards peuvent-ils résister aux radiations des essais nucléaires ?

ARTE (2013) : L’odyssée papoue

Wapiti (2011) : La reproduction chez les insectes

CV

legendre_cv_2021.pdf Format (Pdf) - 1.13 Mo

Terrains de recherche

  • Australia 2019. Collecting Blattidae in Queensland. 
  • New Caledonia 2016-2017. Our Planet Reviewed. Study of cockroach communitues and micro-endemism.
  • French Guiana 2015. Our Planet Reviewed. Collecting Orthopteroid Insects in Mitaraka.
  • Philippines 2014. Collecting Blaberidae and Blattidae cockroaches.
  • United States 2013. Collecting in Virginia (Jefferson National Forest).
  • Papua New Guinea 2012. Our Planet Reviewed, IBISCA Niugini. Collecting Orthopteroid Insects along an altitudinal transect on Mount Wilhelm.
  • New-Caledonia 2010. Rapid Assessment Program (Conservation International) on Mount Panié. In charge of Orthopteroïd Insects.
  • Indonesia 2010. Study of cockroach communities with emphasis on Perisphaerus sp. (Blaberidae : Perisphaeriinae).
  • Singapore 2009. Collecting cockroaches with a special emphasis on the subsocial species Perisphaerus flexicollis (Blaberidae : Perisphaeriinae).
  • United States 2008. Field observations and collecting of Tylopelta gibbera (Hemiptera : Membracidae) in Missouri.
  • French Guyana 2006. Study of cockroach communities on Kaw Mountain.

Publications

2025
  • Berger Juliette, Bignon Barbara, Cornette Raphaël, Legendre Frédéric & Delapré Arnaud, janvier 2025Rapid, without focus stacking, 3D photogrammetric digitization of cockroaches. Natural history collections are seen as treasure troves we need to both preserve and study. Campaigns of 2D and 3D digitization… , , tex.hal_id: mnhn-04893713 tex.hal_version: v1
  • Bignon Barbara, Berger Juliette, Delapré Arnaud, Grandcolas Philippe, Robillard Tony, Bornberg-Bauer Erich, Cornette Raphaël & Legendre Frédéric, janvier 2025In good form: morphological adaptations to burrowing lifestyles in cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattodea). 1. Investigating forms specialized for their ecology (i.e. ecomorphs) is a major theme in ecology and evolution. Among… , , tex.hal_id: mnhn-04893911 tex.hal_version: v1
  • Hollier John, Marshall Judith & Legendre Frédéric, 2025An annotated list of the Blattodea (Insecta) described by Henri de Saussure. Part 4: the Blaberidae subfamilies Blaberinae, Geoscapheinae and Panesthiinae. Revue suisse de zoologie vol. 132, , p. 65-77
  • Jones Alun R. C., Dohmen Elias, Berger Juliette, Legendre Frédéric, Harrison Mark & Bornberg-Bauer Erich, janvier 2025Reduced regulatory complexity associated with the evolutionary transition to sociality from cockroaches to termites despite evolutionary parallels with Hymenoptera. Abstract In social species, the phenotypic diversity within a single species has often been associated with more complex… , , Type: 10.1101/2024.11.25.625201
  • Jones Alun R.C., Dohmen Elias, Berger Juliette, Legendre Frédéric, Harrison Mark & Bornberg-Bauer Erich, 2025Reduced regulatory complexity associated with the evolutionary transition to sociality from cockroaches to termites despite evolutionary parallels with Hymenoptera. , , tex.hal_id: mnhn-04893963 tex.hal_version: v1
  • Jouault Corentin, Oyama Nozomu, Álvarez-Parra Sergio, Huang Diying, Perrichot Vincent, Condamine Fabien L & Legendre Frédéric, 2025The radiation of Hymenoptera illuminated by Bayesian inferences from the fossil record. Current Biology vol. 35, n° 9, 2164–2174.e4 Publisher: Elsevier tex.hal_id: insu-05016576 tex.hal_version: v1
    ISSN
    0960-9822
2024
  • Evangelista Dominic, Nelson Dvorah, Kotyková Varadínová Zuzana, Kotyk Michael, Rousseaux Nicolas, Shanahan Tristan, Grandcolas Philippe & Legendre Frédéric, novembre 2024Phylogenomic analyses of Blattodea combining traditional methods, incremental tree-building, and quality-aware support.

    Despite the many advances of the genomic era, there is a persistent problem in assessing the uncertainty of… Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution vol. 200, , p. 108177 ISBN: 1055-7903 Publisher: Elsevier Type: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108177

  • Jouault Corentin, Condamine Fabien L., Perrichot Vincent & Legendre Frédéric, avril 2024« Bayesian modelling approaches clarify the evolutionary timing and diversification patterns of Hymenoptera » in Article de colloque - 9th International Conference on Fossil Insects, Arthropods and Amber.. Understanding the origins and macroevolutionary trajectories of lineages is central in evolutionary biology. The insect order… , ,
  • Jouault Corentin, Condamine Fabien, Legendre Frédéric & Perrichot Vincent, mars 2024The Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution buffered ants against extinction. With ~14,000 extant species, ants are ubiquitous and of tremendous ecological importance. They have undergone remarkable… Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 121, n° 13, e2317795121 Publisher: National Academy of Sciences tex.hal_id: insu-04501144 tex.hal_version: v1
    ISSN
    0027-8424, 1091-6490
  • Hellemans Simon, Rocha Mauricio M., Wang Menglin, Romero Arias Johanna, Aanen Duur K., Bagnères Anne-Geneviève, Buček Aleš, Carrijo Tiago F., Chouvenc Thomas, Cuezzo Carolina, Constantini Joice P., Constantino Reginaldo, Dedeine Franck, Deligne Jean, Eggleton Paul et al., 2024Genomic data provide insights into the classification of extant termites. Nature Communications vol. 15, n° 1, p. 6724
    ISSN
    2041-1723