Wendy Moore

I am 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 centered on the carabid beetle subfamily Paussinae, which contains many obligate ant symbionts. Other ongoing projects explore the evolution of bombardier beetles and ground-dwelling arthropods in the Madrean Archipelago of the Southwestern US.

I have a deep appreciation for the largely untapped value of data in natural history collections. Specimens are the physical evidence for virtually everything we know about biology, they anchor our species concepts, hypotheses of relationships among species, patterns of distribution, as well as our more general theories about evolution, biogeography, and biodiversity. While collections represent the single largest source of information we have on planetary biodiversity, they are largely under-utilized and therefore also under-appreciated. As curator of the University of Arizona Insect Collection, I am committed to collections care and enhancement, and the use of bioinformatics to make collections-based data widely available to diverse user communities.

Davide Bergamaschi (Ph.D. candidate)

I am interested in insect systematics, phylogeography and host-symbiont interactions.  I am currently investigating the host-parasite associations between beetles of the subfamily Paussinae (Carabidae) and their host ants.  Different species of paussines have varying levels of specialization and striking adaptations for living with ants, including chemical and mechanical strategies. For example, Paussus favieri emulates their host ant’s stridulations which allow them to be integrated inside the nests of Pheidole pallidula.  For my dissertation research I plan to use molecular phylogenetic techniques to compare the evolutionary histories of these parasitic beetles and their host ants. 

Raine Ikagawa (Ph.D. student)

My research interests are in arthropod systematics, biodiversity, and evolution. I graduated from Macalester College with a B.A. in Biology in 2017, where I completed an undergraduate honors thesis, supervised by Dr. Sarah Boyer, comparing two populations of a harvestmen species, Leiobunum calcar, in terms of genetics, morphology, and reproductive behavior. Before starting my graduate work at the University of Arizona, I worked in a public library where I offered STEM programs to kids. I also spent five weeks last summer in the Ecuadorian Amazon with a team led by Dr. Terry Erwin. 

For my graduate research I am studying bombardier beetles, which possess incredible explosive defensive chemistry, that belong to the genus Brachinus (Carabidae: Brachininae). The majority of hypotheses of Brachinusevolutionary relationships rest upon morphological data, with the exception of a single phylogeny built using molecular techniques performed here in the Moore lab. My present focus is on the relationships within the subgenus Neobrachinus, and I am generating additional molecular data from species across the subgenus and integrating them with existing morphological data to test hypotheses of Neobrachinus phylogeny and contribute to our understanding of these amazing beetles!

Charles Bradley (Ph.D. candidate)

Under construction….

Mara Short (Ph.D. student)

PhD Student in medical entomology studying the ecology and genetics of the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus. I am interested in ecological and biological aspects of vectors and urban insect pests that interact with human social structures and landscapes. Working in the labs of Drs. Kathleen Walker and Wendy Moore.

Alex Lombard (M.S. student)

Alex Lombard lives and makes artwork in Arizona. She grew up around geologists and botanists and went on to study art in Oregon and New York, with an MA in Printmaking from Pratt Institute. Her interest in sculpture that points toward mundane humor has led her practice to thrive on cross-pollination of diverse processes, like painting, printmaking, carpentry, and machining. Her work weaves observations from the outdoors into indoor climates – from a found glue-trap covered in entombed insects re-imagined as a miniature basketball court, to a lamp that simulates the pathway of the sun as it travels over an array of prints of the forest floor. She has lately been working on a design-build project for low income housing in Tucson.

Tanner Bland (M.S. student)

I currently serve as the program coordinator for the Tucson Bee Collaborative (TBC), a conservation research organization focused on documenting, describing, and protecting the native bee biodiversity of southern Arizona. We utilize traditional biological sampling in conjunction with next-generation sequencing methods in order to provide a library of molecular and morphological documentation of native solitary bee species. Being an interdisciplinary organization, I also assist in developing classroom curricula for high school and community college classrooms, providing hands-on research opportunities in DNA extraction, PCR, and sequencing.

My M.S. project investigates the evolution of pollen specialization within the bee tribe Perditini (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), the most speciose bee lineage in North America, comprising over 650 species. Interestingly, most species pollinate a small group of closely related plant species, and many have convergently specialized on similar host plants. Currently, my research focuses on tracking dietary shifts within the Macrotera subgenus Macroteropsis, with the goal of understanding phylogenetic patterns of their pollination ecology

Gene Hall, M.S., UAIC Collection Manager & CALS Cooperative Extension (Insect Diagnostics)

Natural history museum collections are resources that preserve and document our planet’s biodiversity. I strive to make the UA Insect Collection an active and accessible resource for scientists who use specimens and associated data for research and public outreach. I also provide insect and other arthropod identifications as part of the UA’s Cooperative Extension Insect Diagnostics Clinic.

My research program focuses on the evolutionary biology of insects, primarily the systematics, taxonomy, and biogeography of beetles, most notably Ptiliidae (featherwing beetles), Hydroscaphidae (skiff beetles), Sphaeriusidae (minute bog beetles), and New World species of Limnichidae (minute marsh-loving beetles). I also study fossil insects associated with pack rat middens to better understand past & recent fauna, flora, and climates of southwestern deserts.

Carlos Martinez, Photographer

Oona Husok, Research Technician

Jacob Simon, Research Technician

Ross Zimmerman, Post-postdoc

I completed my Ph.D. in Entomology at the University of Arizona in 1983. I studied Pterotermes occidentis, a termite native to the Sonoran Desert. I was also interested in computing. I was also an ultramarathon distance runner. The boyhood buddy of my running friend Wally Shiel wanted to start a computer division at his business machines place. He asked me to do that. I did, then ended up at the Pima County Attorney’s Office, Tucson Medical Center, and Pima Community College. I retired from PCC as the senior network designer in 2017. In 2022, I reconnected with Entomology through Wendy Moore and Gene Hall. They needed IT help. I ended up as a Designated Campus Colleague. I hang out with Wendy, Gene, and the students. I learn new things, and contribute what I can.

Jordan Allin
Shahrzad Badie
Ben Beal
Emmanuel Bernal
Lexie Cooper
Nick Dowdy
Emily Hall
Jeff Henkel 
Payton Genis
Maliha Khan
Avery Lane
Nico Lorenzen
Ryan McInroy
Reilly McManus
Jennifer Mings
Yomo Orho

Ramon Robles
​Amanda Romaine
Ajay Sankar
Jaime Sevilla
Katie Stout​
John Stuart
Charlotte Snyder
Carol Tepper
Tanya Turner
​Patricia Valenzuela
Pilar Vergeli
Sarah Rose Vining
Spencer Williams
Eryn Wuori
Kristin Wuori