Dr. Andrei Sourakov
Collections Coordinator
McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity
Florida Museum of Natural History
3215 Hull Road
Gainesville, FL 32611-2710
352-273-2013
Email: asourakov@flmnh.ufl.edu
Ph. D. (1997) in Entomology, University of Florida
Select Recent Publications (for complete list, see CV):
Most cited (146 citations): Lukhtanov V. A., A. Sourakov, E. V. Zakharov, and P. D. N. Hebert, 2009. DNA barcoding Central Asian butterflies: Increasing geographical dimension does not reduce the success of species identification. Molecular Ecology Resources. 9: 1302-1310. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2009.02577.x
- Sourakov, A. & G. T. Austin. 2019. What one can learn from collecting 25,000 moths in one’s backyard during two years. News of the Lepidopterists’ Society, 61(2): 92-98.
- Sourakov, A., 2019. Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 29(1): 52-55: Evaluating potential aposematic signals in caterpillars using a fluorescent microscope and spectrometer.
- Sourakov, A. 2018. Tropical Lepidoptera Research 28(2): 96-98. Baculovirus infection may affect wing color of the Zebra Longwing butterfly.
- Sourakov, A. 2018. F1000Research 7:1842. Leopards and giants, tigers and woolly bears: casting a broader net in exploring heparin effects on Lepidoptera wing patterns.
- Sourakov, A. 2018. Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 28(1): 35-38. Mass aggregations of Idia moths inside hollow trees in Florida.
- Sourakov, A. 2018. Journal of Natural History 52(7-8): 483-490. Size, spines and crochets: defences of luna moth caterpillars against predation by brown anoles.
- Sourakov, A., R. A. St Laurent, K. Dexter, C. Doll. 2017. Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 27(2): 117-119. Experimental evidence for polyphenism in Automeris io ..
- Sourakov A. 2017. Giving eyespots a shiner: Pharmacologic manipulation of the Io moth wing pattern. F1000Research 6:1319 (doi: 12688/f1000research.12258.2)
- Long, I. and Sourakov, A., 2017. The Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society. Remarkable Longevity of the Chemically Defended Moth, Utetheisa ornatrix … PDF.
- Sourakov, A. 2017. News of the Lepidopterists’ Society. Studying Lepidoptera in different lights., 59(2): 96-101. PDF
- Sourakov, A. & H. Alborn. 2017. Tropical Lepidoptera Research. On the evolutionary arms-race between the moth Utetheisa ornatrix..and Crotalaria pumila:chemical attraction and mechanical defense. PDF
- Brandon, C. J & A. Sourakov. 2016. Tropical Lepidoptera Research. Evaluation of mechanical defense provided by pericarps of three different Crotalaria species to their seeds against a specialist herbivore, Utetheisa ornatrix… PDF
- Lukhtanov V. L., A. Sourakov, E. V. Zakharov. 2016. Systematics and Biodiversity. DNA barcodes as a tool in biodiversity research: testing pre-existing taxonomic hypotheses…
- Sourakov, A., D. Plotkin, A. Y. Kawahara, L. Xiao, W. Hallwachs, D. Janzen. 2015. Tropical Lepidoptera Research. On the taxonomy of the erythrina moths Agathodes and Terastia …PDF
- Sourakov, A. 2015. News of Lepid. Soc. Gynandromorphism in Automeris io (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). PDF
- Sourakov, A. 2015. Tropical Lepidoptera Research. Temperature-dependent phenotypic plasticity in wing pattern of Utetheisa ornatrix bella... PDF
- Sourakov, A. 2015. J. Nat. Hist. You are what you eat: Native versus exotic Crotalaria species (Fabaceae) as host plants of the Ornate Bella Moth…
- Matos-Maraví, P., R. N. Águila, C. Peña, J. Y. Miller, A. Sourakov, & N. Wahlberg. 2014. BMC Evol. Biol. Causes of endemic radiation in the Caribbean: evidence from the historical biogeography and diversification of the butterfly genus Calisto…
- Sourakov, A. 2013. J. Nat. Hist. Two Heads are better than one: False Head allows Calycopis cecrops to escape Predation by a Jumping Spider…
Books:
Teaching:
- “Insects and Plants” IDH2930 or ENY4905 This course will be offered again in the Fall 2019. Past course syllabus
- “Individual Studies in Entomology” (arrange by e-mail)
Recent Curatorial Activities:
- Digitizing Irving Finkelstein Collection
- Accessioning Ronald Flaspohler collection
- Accessioning Knudson/Bordelon collection
- Processing and integrating into McGuire collection moth samples from around the world (over 300,000 specimens in the last 7 years)
Recent outreach activities:
TV 20 special coverage of the project
- LepCamp: middle school level summer camp instructing how to make insect collections
- Junior Volunteers in Lepidoptera Collections: high school students learning to curate collections
- Creating insect displays for the new Discovery Zone at the Florida Museum of Natural History
- Leading tours to Mexico to visit overwintering sites of monarch butterflies (next trip Feb 2020)
Photography and Film
- For samples of my insect photography, please visit my Twitter page
- Recently, I teamed up with the museum marketing to create a video that promotes butterfly gardening. Most of the footage in this video was shot on the way to and from work with my cell phone.
- Also, we recently made a film about the biology of Zebra Longwing, the official Florida state butterfly.
My research featured in Florida Museum’s Science Stories:
- 25,000 moths from one florida backyard show how insects change with the seasons (2019)
- Hollow trees host massive moth slumber parties (2018)
- DNA barcodes help solve butterfly classification conundrums (2017)
- Bella moth keeps dangerous invasive plants at bay in Florida (2015)
- Jumping spider vs. hairstreak butterfly (2013)
- Exotic plants affect native moth (2013)
- Documenting evidence of mimicry in caterpillar (2011)
- Using DNA bar coding to improve tropical butterfly classification (2011)
- Eighth-grader wins science fairs with butterfly behavior project (2010)
- DNA barcoding shows promise for butterfly identification (2009)
Curriculum Vitae and List of Publications – PDF