Research interests/expertise: Diptera - especially lower Brachycera and Empidoidea – and other terrestrial insects of riverine and upland habitats.

Stephen’s interests include flies of dead wood, montane and riverine habitats. In particular, he has studied the specialist dipteran fauna of exposed riverine sediments in Britain and Europe. This select group of fly species have adapted to live in the highly dynamic sand and shingle deposits of spate rivers. Arising from these studies, Stephen has developed an interest in the distribution and phylogeny of European Tachydromia, a genus of small predatory flies in the family Hybotidae, several species of which are river shingle specialists.

Selected publications

MacGowan, I., Hancock, E.G. & Hewitt, S.M. 2023. Further records of Iteaphila falki Sinclair & Shamshev (Diptera, Empidoidea: Iteaphilidae) with description of the female. Dipterists Digests 30: 207-211.

Hancock, E.G. and Hewitt, S.M. 2020. Craneflies (Diptera, Tipuloidea) trapped by the leaves of longleaved Spanish butterwort, Pinguicula vallisneriifolia Webb (Lentibulariaceae). Dipterists Digest 27: 45-49.

Hewitt, S.M. 2017. Platypalpus maculimanus Zetterstedt (Diptera, Hybotidae) new to Britain from exposed riverine sediments. Dipterists Digest 24: 95-97.

Hewitt, S. 2017. New locations for Thinobius newberyi Scheerpeltz (Staphylinidae) on exposed riverine sediments in Cumbria and Scotland. The Coleopterist 26 (1): 6-8.

Hewitt, S.M. 2016. Orthotylus virens (Fallén) (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Scotland. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 29: 248-249.

Hewitt, S.M. 2016. The Significance of Natural Science Collections in the Twenty-first Century. In: Convery, I. & Davis, P. (eds.) Changing Perceptions of Nature. Heritage Matters. The Boydell Press, Woodbridge. pp. 107-116.

Hewitt, S.M. 2016. Platypalpus aliterolamellatus Kovalev (Diptera, Hybotidae) new to Britain and Norway. Dipterists Digest 23: 62-66.

Hewitt, S.M. 2016. Platypalpus ochrocera (Collin) (Diptera, Hybotidae) from exposed riverine sediments with a description of the female. Dipterists Digest 23: 55-61.

Rotheray, G.E. & Hewitt, S.M. 2015. Development site, feeding mode and early stages of Palloptera scutellata (Macquart) (Diptera, Pallopteridae). Dipterists Digest 22: 157-170.

Robinson, J., Hancock, E.G., Hewitt, S.M. and Mann, D. 2015. The terrestrial Invertebrate fauna of Mingulay, including 18 new species records for the Outer Hebrides. The Glasgow Naturalist 26: 71-83.

For further publications see the National Museums Scotland Research Repository.