Postdocs

David Plotkin

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email: dplotkin@ufl.edu

My research involves the systematics and morphology of emerald moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Geometrinae). Although most emerald moths have green wings, the particular shade of green is highly variable within the subfamily, resulting in significant diversity in wing color and pattern, including a few instances of phenotypic plasticity. Geometrine wing color is believed to be highly influenced by the expression of a unique pigment called geoverdin; further study of geoverdin will shed light on the evolution of color in this remarkable group of moths.

Keating Godfrey

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email: rkeating.godfrey@ufl.edu
Website: https://rkeatinggodfrey.weebly.com/

I have a background in ecology and neuroscience and am interested in the roles of genetic variation and neural plasticity in decision-making behaviors in insects. I am specifically interested in host choice and therefore variation in the molecular pathways and neural circuits underlying egg-laying and feeding behaviors. In the Kawahara lab I focus on chemosensory receptor evolution in hawk moths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae).

Ana Paula Carvalho

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email: apsdecarvalho@gmail.com
Website
ResearchGate

I am interested in butterfly sexual dynamics, especially on how male strategies to prevent female re-mating, like mating plugs, can be a result of sexual conflict. I want to analyze the relationship between the morphology of these strategies and the butterfly phylogenetic history in order to understand how these traits evolved. I also want to investigate what factors (ecological, biological, environmental, behavioral) are related to the presence of the mating plugs, why some closely related species diverge on the presence and absence of such structures and how the strategies affect male and female reproductive success.

Education

I graduated from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brazil, in January 2012 with a B.S. in Biology. I have a M.S. in Animal Biodiversity also from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brazil (2014). My previous research was focused on inventories of butterflies from grassland areas, coastal habitats and urban parks in Southern Brazil. I also used Species Distribution Modeling to predict the possible distribution of the endangered and very rare butterfly Stichelia pelotensis Biezanko, O. Mielke & Wedderhoff, 1978. My main objective with this model was to find environmentally suitable places for this species in an aim to suggest areas for conservation.

Publications

Carvalho, A. P. S., Mota, L. L., Kawahara, A. Y. Intersexual ‘arms race’ and the evolution of the sphragis in Pteronymia butterflies. Insect Systematics and Biodiversity, 3(1): 1-13, 2019.

Carvalho, A. P. S., Orr, A. G., Kawahara, A. Y. A review of the occurrence and diversity of the sphragis in butterflies (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea). ZooKeys, 694: 41-70, 2017.

St Laurent, R. A., Carvalho, A. P. S. Report of diurnal activity in Mimallonoidea with notes on the sexual behavior of Lacosoma chiridota Grote, 1864. The Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, 71(1): 12-15, 2017.

St Laurent, R. A., Carvalho, A. P. S. A new genus of Andean Mimallonidae (Mimallonoidea), with the descriptions of four new species. The Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, 71(2): 92-108, 2017.

Carvalho, A. P. S.; Piovesan, G.; Morais, A. B. B. Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of grassland areas in the Pampa biome, southern Brazil. Check List, 11(5): 1-6, 2015.

Carvalho, A. P. S.; Morais, A. B. B. Borboletas associadas a ambientes de restinga no extremo sul do Brasil (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea). SHILAP. Revista de Lepidopterología, 43(171): 349-363, 2015.

Lemes, R.; Carvalho, A. P. S.; Ribeiro, T. C.; Morais, A. B. B. Borboletas de áreas verdes urbanas de Santa Maria, sul do Brasil (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea). SHILAP. Revista de Lepidopterología, 43(169): 95-111, 2015.

Carvalho, A. P. S; Gottschalk, M. S.; Morais, A. B. B. Identificação e Catalogação de Borboletas (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea e Papilionoidea) da Coleção Entomológica da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande. EntomoBrasilis (Vassouras), 6: 227-231, 2013.