Leptanilla voldemort. Wong & McRae, 2024
Journal Articles
Wong MKL. 2024.
Misrepresentation of invasive species in the mass media with images of unrelated organisms
Conservation Biology. PDF
Wong MKL & Didham RK. 2024.
A global dataset of diel activity patterns in insect communities
Scientific Data, 11, 558. PDF
– Featured in the journal's collection on 'Ecological data for tracking biological diversity and environmental change'
Wong MKL & Didham RK. 2024.
Global meta-analysis reveals overall higher nocturnal than diurnal activity in insect communities
Nature Communications, 15, 3236. PDF
– Communicated on The Conversation and Phys.org
– Selected by editors as a featured article in the journal
Wong MKL & McRae JM. 2024.
Leptanilla voldemort sp. nov. a gracile new species of the hypogaeic ant genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Pilbara, with a key to Australian Leptanilla
ZooKeys, 1197, 171-182. PDF
– Communicated on EurekAlert!
– Featured on Forbes, BBC Wildlife, The Telegraph, Newsweek, ABC News and >70 news outlets
Lee RH, Kwong IHY, Tsang TPN, Wong MKL & Guénard B. 2023.
Remotely sensed environmental data as ecological proxies for ground-dwelling ant diversity along a subtropical forest succession gradient
Journal of Ecology, 111, 1428-1442. PDF
Wong MKL, Economo EP & Guénard B. 2023.
The global spread and invasion capacities of alien ants
Current Biology, 33, 566-571. PDF
– Featured on National Geographic
– Featured on journal cover
McFadden IR & 32 co-authors incl. Wong MKL. 2023.
Linking human impacts to community processes in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems
Ecology Letters, 26, 203-218. PDF
– Featured on journal cover
Schultheiss P, Nooten SS, Wang R, Wong MKL, Brassard F & Guénard B. 2022
The abundance, biomass, and distribution of ants on Earth
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119, e2201550119. PDF
– Communicated on The Conversation
– Featured on CNN, NBC, Reuters, BBC, The Guardian, The New York Times, Science and >300 news outlets
Wang WY, Soh EJY, Yong GWJ, Wong MKL, Guènard B, Economo EP & Yamane S. 2022.
Remarkable diversity in a little red dot: a comprehensive checklist of known ant species in Singapore (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with notes on ecology and taxonomy
Asian Myrmecology, 15, 015006. PDF
– Featured on The Straits Times and Mothership
Wong MKL, Lee RH, Leong CM, Lewis OT & Guénard B. 2022.
Trait-mediated competition drives an ant invasion and alters functional diversity
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289, 20220504. PDF
Wong MKL & Carmona CP. 2021.
Including intraspecific trait variability to avoid distortion of functional diversity and ecological inference: lessons from natural assemblages
Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 12, 946-957. PDF
– Featured article in May 2021 issue
– Featured on Methods Blog
Wong MKL*, Tsang TPN*, Lewis OT & Guénard B. 2021.
Trait-similarity and trait-hierarchy jointly determine fine-scale spatial associations of resident and invasive ant species
Ecography, 44, 589-601. PDF
*Joint first authors
Graham EB & 46 co-authors incl. Wong MKL. 2021.
Toward a generalized framework of disturbance ecology through crowdsourced science
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 588940. PDF
Wong MKL, Guénard B & Lewis OT. 2020.
The cryptic impacts of invasion: functional homogenization of tropical ant communities by invasive fire ants
Oikos, 129, 585-597. PDF
– Featured on Oikos Blog and Oxford Zoology News
Wong MKL, Guénard B & Lewis OT. 2019.
Trait-based ecology of terrestrial arthropods
Biological Reviews, 94, 999-1022. PDF
– Top downloaded article in 2018-2019 in the leading journal Biological Reviews
Wong MKL, Woodman JD & Rowell DM. 2017.
Short-range phenotypic divergence among genetically distinct populations of an Australian funnel-web spider
Ecology and Evolution, 7, 5094-5102. PDF
Wong MKL & Guénard B. 2017.
Subterranean ants: summary and perspectives on field sampling methods, with notes on diversity and ecology (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Myrmecological News, 25, 1-16. PDF
– Most read article of the year in the premier ant journal Myrmecological News
Wong MKL & Yong GWJ. 2017.
Notes on the habitat and biology of the rare ant genus Tyrannomyrmex (Fernández, 2003)
Asian Myrmecology, 9, e009007, 1-4. PDF
– Featured on National Geographic and Gizmodo
Yong GWJ, Wong MKL & Soh EJY. 2017.
Surprising offshore diversity: A preliminary checklist for the ant genera of Pulau Ubin island from rapid opportunistic sampling (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Nature in Singapore, 10, 55-60. PDF
Wong MKL & Yong GWJ. 2017.
Velvet worm (Onychophora) on Pulau Ubin
Singapore Biodiversity Records, 2017, 125-126
Wong MKL & Guénard B. 2016.
First confirmed record of the ant genus Myrmecina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Malay Peninsula: description of a new species and a key to Myrmecina species from Sundaland
Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 50, 129-140. PDF
– Featured on journal cover and Live Science
Wong MKL & Guénard B. 2016.
Aenictus seletarius, a new species of hypogaeic army ant from Singapore, with an updated key to the Aenictus minutulus species group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dorylinae) from Southeast Asia
Annales Zoologici, 66, 35-42. PDF
Wong MKL, Woodman JD & Rowell DM. 2016.
Temporal variation in venom yield of the Australian funnel-web spider Atrax sutherlandi (Hexathelidae: Atracinae)
Arachnology, 17, 7-9. PDF
Wong MKL & Guénard B. 2016.
Leptanilla hypodracos, a new species of the cryptic ant genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Singapore, with new distribution data and an updated key to Oriental Leptanilla species
ZooKeys, 551, 129-144. PDF
– Featured on The Straits Times
Book Chapters
Wong MKL & Guénard B. 2020.
Subterranean Ants
In: Starr C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. PDF
Science Communication
Wong MKL & Didham RK. 2024.
Things that go buzz in the night – our global study found there really are more insects out after dark
The Conversation, 18th April 2024
Wong MKL, Guenard B, Brassard F, Schultheiss P, Wang R & Nooten S. 2022.
Earth harbours 20,000,000,000,000,000 ants – and they weigh more than wild birds and mammals combined
The Conversation, 20th September 2022
Wong MKL. 2021.
What happens to our understanding of functional diversity when we ignore intraspecific trait variability?
Methods in Ecology and Evolution Blog, 1st March 2021
Wong MKL. 2020.
The cryptic impacts of an ant invasion
Oikos Journal Blog, 11th February 2020
Wong MKL & Hoenle P. 2018.
Photoblog: Ant Course 2018
Myrmecological News Journal Blog, 16th October 2018
Wong MKL. 2018.
Basic questions on eco-link projects need answering
The Straits Times, 25th June 2018
Wong MKL. 2018.
Better to protect habitats, not cage wildlife
The Straits Times, 6th April 2018
Wong MKL. 2018.
The Giant Forest Ant, jewel of Southeast Asia
Entomological Network of Singapore, 3rd March 2018
Wong MKL. 2017.
Illuminating the deep, dark world of subterranean ants
Asian Scientist, 14th July 2017
– Winner in Asian Scientist Writing Prize
Wong MKL. 2015.
Investigating fine-scale geographic variation in a newly described Australian funnel-web spider (Atrax sutherlandi)
Australian Wildlife, 1, 43-44
Wong MKL. 2015.
Investigating fine-scale geographic variation in the Australian funnel-web spider (Atrax sutherlandi) – brief introduction and current progress
Newsletter of the Australasian Wildlife Management Society, 29, 8-9
Wong MKL & Didham RK. 2024.
Things that go buzz in the night – our global study found there really are more insects out after dark
The Conversation, 18th April 2024
Wong MKL, Guenard B, Brassard F, Schultheiss P, Wang R & Nooten S. 2022.
Earth harbours 20,000,000,000,000,000 ants – and they weigh more than wild birds and mammals combined
The Conversation, 20th September 2022
Wong MKL. 2021.
What happens to our understanding of functional diversity when we ignore intraspecific trait variability?
Methods in Ecology and Evolution Blog, 1st March 2021
Wong MKL. 2020.
The cryptic impacts of an ant invasion
Oikos Journal Blog, 11th February 2020
Wong MKL & Hoenle P. 2018.
Photoblog: Ant Course 2018
Myrmecological News Journal Blog, 16th October 2018
Wong MKL. 2018.
Basic questions on eco-link projects need answering
The Straits Times, 25th June 2018
Wong MKL. 2018.
Better to protect habitats, not cage wildlife
The Straits Times, 6th April 2018
Wong MKL. 2018.
The Giant Forest Ant, jewel of Southeast Asia
Entomological Network of Singapore, 3rd March 2018
Wong MKL. 2017.
Illuminating the deep, dark world of subterranean ants
Asian Scientist, 14th July 2017
– Winner in Asian Scientist Writing Prize
Wong MKL. 2015.
Investigating fine-scale geographic variation in a newly described Australian funnel-web spider (Atrax sutherlandi)
Australian Wildlife, 1, 43-44
Wong MKL. 2015.
Investigating fine-scale geographic variation in the Australian funnel-web spider (Atrax sutherlandi) – brief introduction and current progress
Newsletter of the Australasian Wildlife Management Society, 29, 8-9
Academic Theses
Wong MKL. 2020.
Trait-based community and invasion ecology of terrestrial arthropods
DPhil Thesis, University of Oxford
Wong MKL. 2014.
Phenotypic variation among genetically distinct populations of the funnel-web spider Atrax sutherlandi (Hexathelidae: Atracinae)
Honours Thesis, Australian National University
