Johan Billen 

Mis à jour le 20-Jui-2025

Johan Billen. Professeur à l'université catholique de Louvain. Actuellement professeur émérite dans le laboratoire de Tom Wenseleers. 197 publications selon ORCID et 6 700 citations selon ResearchGate (déc 2022). Grand spécialiste des glandes chez les insectes sociaux.

A été lontemps responsable de la revue Insectes Sociaux.

Des nouveautés de Johan Billen. Encore une superbe publication sur les glandes de fourmis. Il arrive à 135 glandes décrites chez les fourmis : Billen J. and Wang C. (2025). Intramandibular glands in ants. Myrmecological News, 35, 124-144. https://doi.org/10.25849/myrmecol.news_035:125   ou Pdf
Abstract: This review documents the occurrence of 11 exocrine glands that have been discovered inside the mandibles of ants in the past three decades. Among these, the ventrolateral intramandibular gland and the distal blade mandibular gland represent novel findings. The high number of intramandibular glands urged for an updated revision of the terminology of gland names that we provide here. Contrary to this diversity, the majority of the glands occurs in a single species or genus and thus reflects a narrow phylogenetic distribution. Glands formed by both epithelial class-1 cells and by bicellular units of class-3 cells are found, but none with reservoirs. Although reports of reservoir-containing epithelial glands in ant mandibles have been published in literature, these represent erroneous observations of sensillar structures. The function of most intramandibular glands remains unknown and requires further study. This review updates the currently known exocrine repertoire of ants to 115 described glands.

"I am indeed still active, in spite of being emeritus for almost 8 years" "On Thursday, I will actually be travelling to China for my next visit, this time staying until the end of August. From 17-22 August we will actually organize the 14th ANeT-congress (you probably know this society for the study of Asian ants, they are also the editors of Asian Myrmecology), so my visit will mainly be to assist in the preparation of this meeting (it will be my fourth congress to organize, as you will remember the joint French-British IUSSI-meeting in Diepenbeek 1984 (with Bill Gotwald as invited speaker), the first European IUSSI-meeting in 1991 (with EO Wilson) - I think you were at both meetings. I also organized the first BeNeLux-congress of Zoology in 1992 (with Bert Hölldobler), and next will thus be this ANeT-meeting in Yangling (with Evan Economo and Benoît Guénard as invited speakers)." (mail du 17 juin 2025)

2014. Au congrès de Cairns (Australie) avec Michael Breed

2006. Au congrès de Washington avec Yves Roisin à gauche et Penelope Kukuk au milieu

Congrès de Paris 1994 :

Dessinateur dans les années 1980 :

- Fourmi cycliste :

- Fourmi soldat :

- Fourmicologue :

Livres :
- Biology and Evolution of social insects. J. Billen. Leuven University Press, 390 p. Belgium(1992).

Quelques publications dans les actes de la SF-UIEIS

- Wenseleers, T., E. Schoeters, J. Billen and A. Hefetz (1996). Morphologie et ultrastructure de la glande cloacale chez Cataglyphis niger. Actes Coll. Insectes Soc. 10: 189-194. Pdf

- Schoeters, E. and J. Billen (1994). Nouvelles données structurales sur la glande à venin chez Atta sexdens rubropilosa et Myrmica sabuleti Actes Coll. Insectes Soc.(9): 67-73. Pdf

- Gobin, B. and J. Billen (1994). Spécificité de la phéromone de piste chez Crematogaster scutellaris et Crematogaster laestrygon. Actes Coll. Insectes Soc.(9): 35-39. Pdf

- Schoeters, E. and J. Billen (1993). Glandes coxales de Pachycondyla obscuricornis (Formicidae, Ponerinae). Actes Coll. Insectes Soc.(8): 183-186. Pdf

- Schoeters, E. and J. Billen (1991). Morphologie des glandes pro- et postpharyngiennes chez Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera : Formicidae). Actes Coll. Insectes Soc.(7): 153-160. Pdf

- Billen, J. (1989). Morphology of the cloacal gland in the ant Cataglyphis savignyi. Actes Coll. Insectes Soc.(5): 301-306.4. Pdf

- Billen, J. (1988). Comparaison entre les fourmis australiennes des genres Myrmecia et Nothomyrmecia. Actes Coll. Insectes Soc.(4): 27-33. Pdf

- Billen, J. (1986). Etude morphologique des glandes tarsales chez la guêpe Polistes annularis (L.) (Vespidae, Polistinae). Actes Coll. Insectes Soc.(3): 51-60. Pdf

- Billen, J. (1985). Avant-propos. Actes Coll. Insectes Soc. 2: 2.  Pdf

- Billen, J. (1985). Comparative ultrastructure of the poison and Dufour glands in the old and new world army ants (Hym. Formicidae). Actes Coll. Insectes Soc. 2: 17-26. Pdf

- Billen, J. (1985). Ultrastructure de la glande de Pavan chez Dolichoderus quadripunctatus (L.) (Hym. Formicidae). Actes Coll. Insectes Soc. 87-95. Pdf

- Billen, J. and G. Peusen (1984). Ultrastructure de la glande propharyngienne chez les fourmis Formicines (Hym. Formicidae). Actes Coll. Insectes Soc. 1: 121-129. Pdf

- Billen, J. (1982). Rôle de la glande de Dufour en fonction de la stratification chez Formica sanguinea Latreille (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Colloque SF UIEIS, Bellaterra, Barcelone 16-18 septembre 1982. A. de Haro and X. Espadaler. Edition Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona: 47-56. Pdf

- Billen, J. (1981). Stratification des ouvrières dans le nid chez Formica sanguinea Bull Intérieur Section Française UIEIS Toulouse: 25-28. Pdf