Taylor Pierson, M.S.
Email: piersont@ufl.edu
As a Conservation Research Technician in the Daniels Lab, my interests lie in combining genetic research with hands-on management practices for at-risk and imperiled pollinator insects. I received my B.S. in Integrative Biology from the University of Florida in 2021, where I first began working at the Florida Museum of Natural History in the fish collection. Through my time at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, I have gained a strong interest in using genetic and genomic techniques for informing conservation management plans for otherwise overlooked species. I completed my M.S. in Interdisciplinary Ecology through the School of Natural Resources and Environment at UF in 2026, focusing on developing a population genomics pipeline to better understand the dynamics impacting the frosted elfin butterfly (Callophrys irus). As a technician, I will be continuing this work for both frosted elfin and other imperiled species, as well as aiding with captive colony rearing and field work.
Publications:
Pierson, T. L., Daniels, J. C., & de Bem Oliveira, I. (2026) Advancing conservation for an imperiled butterfly: a systematic review of the trends and knowledge gaps for frosted elfin (Callophrys irus). In Prep.
Pierson, T. L, de Bem Oliveira, I., Corvalan, L. C. J., Foquet, B., & Kawahara, A.Y. (2026). Genome, Mitogenome, and Annotation of the Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus (Saturniidae: Saturniinae). Genome Biology and Evolution. In Review.
Couch, C. D., Foquet, B, Godfrey, R. K., Pierson T. L., & Kawahara A. Y. (2026) A transcriptomic analysis of putative gustatory receptor genes in two hawkmoth species (Lapara coniferarum and Sphinx dollii). Submitted.
Martinez J. I., Homziak N. T., Pierson T. L., Campo R. J. L., Plotkin D. M., & Castillo-Argaez R. J. (2026). Revision of the comose flame moths of the genus Sosxetra Walker (Noctuidae, Dyopsinae), with descriptions of a new genus and three new species. ZooKeys 1268: 227-248. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.138260
Bethin, J., Hayden, J.E., Plotkin, D., Martinez, J., Pierson, T.L., & Kawahara, A.Y. (2025). A phylogeny of the aquatic moth subfamily Acentropinae (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Systematic Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.70027.
Rubin, J., Carvalho, A.P.S., Gomez, D., Elias, M., Pierson, T. L., Bernaud, D., Freitas, A.V.L., Pierre, J., Houssin, C., Casarella, K., Markee, A., Merrit, R., Guralnick, R., Pierce, N.E., Lohman, D.J., Willmott, K.R., & Kawahara, A.Y. (2025). Microhabitat modulates the evolution of transparency in a globally distributed group of butterflies (Nymphalidae: Acraeini). Evolution. Submitted.
de Bem Oliveira, I., Corvalan, L. C. J., Steele Cabrera, S., Hendrick, L., Pierson, T. L., Gott, R. J., Nunes, R., & Daniels, J. (2025). Leveraging High-Throughput Genomics for Conservation: Phylogenetics, Evolution, and Genetic Resources for Two Imperiled Euphyes Butterflies. Scientific Reports. Submitted.
Rubin, J., Campbell, C. J., Carvalho, A. P. S., St.Laurent, R. A., Crespo, G. I., Pierson, T. L., Guralnick, R. P., & Kawahara, A. Y. (2025). Stronger bat predation and weaker environmental constraints predict longer moth tails. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.2824.
Sourakov, A., Kabashima, J., Nooyen, F., Powell, C., Pierson, T. L., Hodel, D. (2024). Coral Trees of Southern California and the moths that attack them: Terastia meticulosalis occidentalis (Crambidae) and Opogona sacchari (Tineidae). News of the Lepidopterists’ Society, 66(2): 88-91. 10.13140/RG.2.2.31117.76000.