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My long-term research interest is the evolution of biotic diversity. I use molecular genetic techniques, morphological methods, and robust phylogenetic frameworks to identify and describe natural groups of marine and terrestrial arthropods, to study their diversification and patterns of distribution, and to elucidate the ecological roles and the importance of key innovations that have significantly affected their evolutionary histories. I am especially interested in the evolution of symbiotic lifestyles and investigating how major biotic, climatic, and tectonic events may have influenced the timing and patterns of diversification. Much of my current research is on the carabid beetle subfamily Paussinae, many species of which are obligate symbionts with ants. Other ongoing studies explore the evolution of adephagan beetles and bombardier beetles. Read more about my specific research projects here.Show Less
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Research Opportunities
- Undergrad Research Opportunity Paid, Volunteer, For Credit
Grant: CSBR: Natural History: Facilitating Collections-Based Research on Insect Pollinators of the Sonoran Desert Region
We have opportunities to hire undergraduates to work as part of curatorial teams for the next two ye...
Courses
- IBInsect Biology
- MISMethods in Insect Science
- ISInsect Systematics
- REEResearch in Ecology and Evolution
- SSEETASecrets of Success: Evolutionary Ecology of Terrestrial Arthropods
Grants
- CSBR: Natural History: Facilitating Collections-Based Research on Insect Pollinators of the Sonoran Desert Region
Principal Investigator (PI)
2023
$240.6K
ActiveOpportunity - Molecular Phylogeny of Brachinine Bombardier Beetles Utilizing Ultraconserved Elements
Co-Investigator (COI)
2022
$5.0K
Active - Diagnostic Resources for Pests and Beneficial Insects on Specialty Crops
Co-Investigator (COI)
2021
$40.5K
Active - We Bee Scientists
Principal Investigator (PI)
2021
$33.0K
Active - Enhancing Introductory Biology with the Arizona Insect DNA Barcoding Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience
Principal Investigator (PI)
2019
$66.3K
Active - Assessing the Potential of Bombardier Beetles Brachinus (Carabidae) as Bioindicators of Riparian Arthropod Community Health: An Ecological and Evolutionary Study
Co-Investigator (COI)
2020
$2.8K
- Collaborative Research: The Genetic Basis, Biosynthetic Pathways and Evolution of Chemical Defense in Carabid Beetles
Principal Investigator (PI)
2016
$309.1K
- Explosive Radiation, Extreme Phenotypic Diversity, and the Evolution or Morphotypes within Ant Nest Beetles
Principal Investigator (PI)
2013
$532.9K
- CSBR: Natural History Collections: Critical Renovation and Revitalization of the University of Arizona Insect Collection
Principal Investigator (PI)
2012
$468.1K
- Digitization TCN: CR: Southwest Collections of Arthropods Network (SCAN): A model for Collections Digitization to Promote Taxonomic and Ecological
Principal Investigator (PI)
2012
$333.5K
Books
- Invertebrates
2016
News
- Bee Afraid ... 'Murder Hornets' are Here
2020
- The Desert is Abuzz with Bees
2019
- 'Insecta' Explores Insects and the People Who Study Them
2017
- Meet the Beetle That Packs a Machine Gun
2015
- Live Bugs Tell of a Bug's Life at Insect Festival
2014
- How Beetles Hack Into Ant Colonies
2014
- UA Insect Collection Renovation Continues as Annual Festival Nears
2013
- Rain Gods in a Desert Sea: New Book Celebrates Southern Arizona's Mountains
2013
- Warming Climate Pushes Plants Up the Mountain
2013
- A Bug’s Afterlife: Revitalizing the UA Insect Collection
2012
- Glow-in-the-Dark Millipede Says 'Stay Away'
2011
- Bugs on the UA Mall
2011
- Scientists, Public Team Up to Discover Biodiversity
2011
- Grants Support Junior Faculty, Community Outreach Projects
2011
- Meet the Beetles
2010
Publications (46)
Recent
- Molecular phylogeny and revision of species groups of Nearctic bombardier beetles (Carabidae: Brachininae: Brachinus).
2022
- Molecular Phylogeny of Lichen Tiger Moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini): a contribution toward classifying the Western Hemisphere genera
2021
- Phylogeny of the supertribe Nebriitae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) based on analyses of DNA sequence data
2021
- Memories of Terry Erwin. In: Spence J, Casale A, Assmann T, Liebherr JК, Penev L (Eds) Systematic Zoology and Biodiversity Science: A tribute to Terry Erwin (1940-2020)
2021
- Cryptic enemies of the economically- and culturally-important scale insect, cochineal (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae)
2021
- Impacts of Pleistocene climate oscillations on the phylogeography of Synuchus dubius (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the U.S. Southwest.
2021
- Biosynthetic origin of benzoquinones in the explosive discharge of the bombardier beetle Brachinus elongatulus
2020
- Out of the burrow and into the nest: functional anatomy of three life history stages of Ozaena lemoulti (Coleoptera: Carabidae) reveals an obligate life with ants.
2019
- Impacts of 21st century climate change on montane habitat in the Madrean Sky Island Archipelago.
2019
- Morpho-functional analysis of the explosive defensive system of basal bombardier beetles (Carabidae: Paussinae: Metriini)
2019
- A new species of Hypoprepia from the mountains of central Arizona (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini)
2018
- Monophyly of the subfamily Neobisiinae (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae)
2018
- Bacterial Associates of a Gregarious Riparian Beetle With Explosive Defensive Chemistry
2018
- Molecular phylogeny, ecology and multispecies aggregation behaviour of bombardier beetles in Arizona
2018
- Dissecting the species groups of Paussus L. (Carabidae: Paussinae): unraveling morphological convergence associated with myrmecophilous life histories.
2016
- Up high and down low: Molecular systematics and insight into the diversification of the ground beetle genus Rhadine LeConte
2016
- Mechanistic origins of the bombardier beetle (Brachinini) explosive pulsed chemical defense.
2015
- Discovery of a glowing millipede in California and the gradual evolution of bioluminescence in Diplopoda.
2015
- Highly evolvable vectors: the genomes of 16 Anopheles mosquitoes.
2015
- Ground-Dwelling Arthropod Communities of a Sky Island Mountain Range in Southeastern Arizona, USA: Obtaining a Baseline for Assessing the Effects of Climate Change.
2015
- Explosive Adaptive Radiation and Extreme Phenotypic Diversity within Ant-Nest Beetles
2014
- Form, function and evolutionary significance of stridulatory organs in ant nest beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussini).
2014
- Dramatic Response to Climate Change in the Southwest: Robert Whittaker's 1963 Arizona Mountain Plant Transect Revisited.
2013
- Introduction to the Arizona Sky Island Arthropod Project (ASAP): systematics, biogeography, ecology and population genetics of arthropods of the Madrean Sky Islands
2013
- Dramatic response to climate change in the Southwest: Robert Whittaker's 1963 Arizona Mountain plant transect revisited
2013
- Insulin-like Peptides: Structure, Signaling, and Function
2012
- Behavior of Paussus favieri (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Paussini), a myrmecophilous beetle associated with Pheidole pallidula (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
2012
- The larva of Eustra (Coleoptera, Paussinae, Ozaenini): A facultative associate of ants
2011
- The putative AKH receptor of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, and its expression
2011
- The putative AKH receptor of Manduca sexta and its expression in fat body during development
2011
- Identification Tool to the Pink Bollworm and its Look-Alikes
2011
- Insulin-Like Peptides: Structure, Signaling and Function
2011
- The long-awaited first instar larva of Paussus favieri (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussini)
2011
- Biology needs cyberinfrastructure to facilitate specimen-level data acquisition for insects and other hyperdiverse groups
2011
- Bioluminescent aposematism in millipedes
2011
- First Arizona records of the multicolored asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
2010
- The first known larva of the Australian genus Mystropomus Chaudoir (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussinae)
2009
- Monophyly of terrestrial adephagan beetles as indicated by three nuclear genes (Coleoptera: Carabidae and Trachypachidae)
2009
- Phylogeny of the Western Hemisphere Ozaenini (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussinae) based on DNA sequence data
2008
- Metrius Eschscholtz (Carabidae: Paussinae) is not a millipede specialist
2008
- Taxonomic review of the Neotropical genus Moriosomus Motschulsky (Insecta: Coleoptera, Carabidae, Morionini) with notes on the way of life of the species
2007
- DNA extraction from dry museum beetles without conferring external morphological damage
2007
- Description and behaviour of Goniotropis kuntzeni larvae (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussinae: Ozaenini) and a key to genera of Paussinae larvae
2006
- The first-instar larva of the genus Arthropterus (Coleoptera:Carabidae: Paussinae): Implications for evolution of myrmecophily and phylogenetic relationships within the subfamily
2004
- Description of a new Synidotea species (Crustacea: Isopoda: Valvifera: Idoteidae) from Hawaii
2004
- A monograph on the isopod genus Colopisthus (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cirolanidae) with the description of a new genus
2003