Students, volunteers and visiting researchers

Read more information about volunteering or doing research at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera, FLMNH.

Current

Riley GottRiley Gott, UF, 2022-

Riley is working on the systematics and evolution of various Neotropical Hesperiidae genera for his PhD.


Sofia Nogales, UF, 2023-

Sofia is studying temporal changes in an Amazonian butterfly community for her MSc.


Nicole LunsfordNicole Lunsford, UF, 2022-

Nicole is a UF Emerging Scholar working on DNA approaches to resolving cryptic Neotropical butterfly species complexes.


Aidan BlochAidan Bloch, UF, 2022-

Aidan is a UF Emerging Scholar student doing research on South American pronophiline butterflies.


Olivia MauleOlivia Maule, UF, 2022-

Olivia is a UF University Scholar student doing research on the biogeography of tropical Andean butterflies.


Gracie RutzGracie Rutz, 2023-

Gracie is a University Scholar mapping satyrine butterfly distributions to study their macroecology.


Kaylie JohnsonKaylie Johnson, 2023-

Kaylie is an Emerging Scholar studying cryptic species in Memphis butterflies.


Steve WalshSteve Walsh, 2022-

Steve is a volunteer curating our Adelpha collection.


Jada SimardJada Simard, 2022-

Jada is a Curatorial Assistant imaging and digitizing Florida Lepidoptera species.


Pseudoscada florula butterflyMaya Lahti, 2022-

Maya is a volunteer helping to curate our Ithomiini pro tem. collection.


Heraclides thoas butterflyJacklyn Freitag, 2023-

Jacklyn is a volunteer helping to curate Euptychiina.


Kaitlyn Harrison, 2023-

Kaitlyn is a volunteer helping to curate Euptychiina.


Heraclides thoas butterflyAnisha Sapkota, 2024-

Anisha is a Curatorial Assistant imaging and digitizing Florida Lepidoptera species, among others.


Heraclides thoas butterflySajan KC, 2024-

Sajan is a Curatorial Assistant imaging and digitizing Florida Lepidoptera species, among others.


Jamie Robinson Willmott Jamie Robinson Willmott

Jamie helps with collection and curation of Neotropical butterflies.


Past

Visiting Researchers

Vladimir Lukhtanov, 2010-2013.

Vladimir worked on our NSF BRC grant to curate and integrate the Ulf Eitschberger collection of Lepidoptera, focusing in particular on Lycaenidae and Satyrinae.

Postdocs

Patricio Salazar

Patricio was a postdoc at UF from 2015 to 2017, coordinating field work in Ecuador to test the hypothesis that stronger biotic interactions contribute to the latitudinal gradient in species richness of Adelpha butterflies.

Marianne Espeland

Marianne worked as a postdoc at UF from 2014 to 2015 and continues to lead the research on the molecular phylogenetics of Euptychiina.

University of Florida Students

Denise Tan, PhD, UF, spring 2018.

Denise completed her PhD in the Entomology and Nematology department on the evolution, behavior and systematics of Hermeuptychia butterflies.

Shinichi Nakahara, MSc, UF, fall 2015; PhD, UF, summer 2021.

Shinichi revised the systematics of the satyrine genus Euptychia for his Masters degree, and Caeruleuptychia for his PhD degree, in addition to working on the taxonomy of numerous other euptychiine, and other butterfly, genera.

Geoff Gallice, MSc, UF, summer 2011; PhD, UF, summer 2015.

Geoff studied the relationship between abundance and range size in Neotropical butterflies.

Elena Ortíz, MSc, UF, summer 2011; PhD, UF, fall 2017.

Elena’s MSc research examined the generic classification and species limits in the Neotropical charaxine tribe Preponini. For her PhD, she studied the role of wing pattern and geography in the evolution of the tribe.

Pablo Sebastián Padrón, MSc, UF, summer 2010; PhD, UF, fall 2014.

Sebastián’s MSc thesis focused on the systematics, evolution and biogeography of high elevation Andean satyrines, particularly the genera Altopedaliodes and Neopedaliodes. His PhD involved the molecular systematics, evolution and biogeography of Catasticta, a diverse group of Neotropical montane cloud forest pierid butterflies.

María Fernanda Checa, MSc, UF, summer 2010; PhD, UF, fall 2016.

Fernanda completed her MSc thesis on spatial and temporal patterns in abundance and composition of an Ecuadorian dry forest butterfy community. Her PhD extended this research to examine seasonality in three west Ecuadorian forest butterfly communities across multiple microhabitats.

Undergraduates, High School Students, Research Assistants, Other Volunteers

Shanna Phu, 2022-2024, Volunteer helping to prepare Neotropical butterfly specimens.

Gwynn Munger, UF, 2023. Volunteer/Curatorial Assistant helping digitize butterfly specimens.

Robert Law, UF, 2022. Volunteer helping to prepare Neotropical butterfly specimens.

Nick Sherwin, UF, 2022. Volunteer helping to transcribe data from imaged Neotropical butterfly specimens from our collection.

Ava Mingrone, UF, 2022-2024. Emerging Scholars Program student doing taxonomic research on Malaveria butterflies.

Kyo Ramirez, 2022-2023. Volunteer digitization Cyllopsis butterflies.

Kelsey Aadland, 2022-2023. Volunteer digitization Cyllopsis butterflies.

Kailee Stover, UF, 2022-2024. Volunteer then Curatorial Assistant currently helping to prepare Neotropical butterfly specimens and image Florida Lepidoptera species.

Clara Darr, 2022- 2023. Volunteer helping to prepare Neotropical butterfly specimens.

Juliemar Cuevas-Hernandez, 2022-2023. Natural History Student Diversity and Inclusion Museum Intern working on DNA barcoding in Neotropical butterflies.

Jane Blanchard, 2006-2022. Long-term volunteer taking a break from her invaluable curatorial work in our collections, most recently tackling Adelpha.

Johanna Schwartz, 2018-2020. UF undergraduate working with Shinichi Nakahara on a systematic study of Pseudodebis.

Kaylin Kleckner, 2019-2020. UF undergraduate working with Shinichi Nakahara on DNA sequencing of several Euptychiina genera.

Brittany Arthur, 2019. UF undergraduate working on DNA sequencing of several Euptychiina genera.

Kevin Burnette, 2019-2020. Volunteer helping to curate the MGCL collections and working on a morphological study of Taygetis.

Kayla Clary, 2019. UF undergraduate studying morphology of Magneuptychia.

Alyssa Quinn, 2017-2020. UF undergraduate and University Scholar building a DNA barcode library for Ecuadorian butterflies to help study life histories.

Max Woodbury, 2017-2020. UF undergraduate and University Scholar developing distribution maps for Adelpha butterflies to study macroecology.

Brooke Patrusky, 2017-2018. UF undergraduate DNA sequencing Ecuadorian butterflies.

Carlie Taylor, 2018. UF undergraduate helping with butterfly specimen preparation.

Ashley Story, 2018. UF undergraduate DNA barcoding Ecuadorian butterflies.

Karunakar Kallam, 2017. UF graduate working on SNA seuqencing of Euptychiina.

Ryan Gorday, 2017-2018. UF undergraduate helping with specimen preparation.

Gebreyes Kassu, 2016. UF undergraduate working on curation of Adelpha and DNA sequencing of Euptychiina.

Alexandra Pagac, 2015-2018. UF undergraduate databasing Ithomiini and Euptychiina.

Sarah Nguyentran, 2015-2016. UF undergraduate working on DNA sequencing of Euptychiina.

Brittany Milo, 2015-2018. UF undergraduate and University Scholar working on systematics of Taygetis virgilia group.

Tyler Cook, 2015-2018. UF undergraduate and University Scholar working on morphological study of Taygetis.

Vanessa Navas, 2015-2017. UF undergraduate working on DNA barcoding of various Euptychiina genera.

Nathan Duerr, 2015-2016. UF undergraduate helping to curate Magneuptychia.

Lindsay Richards, 2015-2018. UF undergraduate working on systematics of Taygetis.

Cassandra Doll, 2015-2017. UF undergraduate working on systematics of Taygetis.

Catherine Greene, 2016-2017. UF undergraduate helping with specimen preparation and processing.

Nicole Okuthe, 2015-2018. UF undergraduate and University Scholar working on systematics of Forsterinaria.

Alexandra Pagac, 2015-2018. UF undergraduate databasing Ithomiini and Euptychiina.

Stephanie Tyler, 2015-2018. High school student then undergraduate working on systematics of Chloreuptychia.

Michelle Dunbar, 2015. UF undergraduate working on DNA barcoding of Hermeuptychia.

Lauren Holian, 2015. UF undergraduate dissecting Caeruleuptychia.

Sridhar Chandrasekaran, 2015. UF undergraduate working on DNA barcoding of Magneuptychia.

Courtnie Moodie, 2015. UF undergraduate dissecting Hermeuptychia.

Ana Parus, 2014-2015. UF undergraduate working on DNA barcoding of Hermeuptychia.

Tatiana Pomerantz, 2014-2015. UF undergraduate working on systematics of Euptychoides.

Jessie Cable, 2015. UF undergraduate curating Adelpha.

Sumayya Mujeeb, 2015. UF undergraduate curating Adelpha.

Kate Lee, 2015. Curation of Taygetis.

Caroline Nickerson, 2015. Systematics of Euptychiina.

Neha Jagtap, 2015. Systematics of Euptychiina.

Michelle Modena, 2015. Databasing of Euptychiina.

Allie Sourakov, 2013-2014. Curation of Euptychiina.

Kirsten Verster, 2012-2014. REU scholar working on systematics of Tegosa.

Amanda Anderson, 2013-2014. Systematics of Euptychiina.

Natalie Harrison, 2013-2014. Systematics of Euptychiina.

Addison Nguyen, 2013-2014. Systematics of Euptychiina.

Veronica Ramirez, 2013-2014. Systematics of Euptychiina.

Beatrice Caruso, 2013-2014. Systematics of Euptychiina.

Lei Xiao, 2010-2018. Lei proved indispensable as a molecular lab volunteer and became lab manager.

Derick Crespo, University of Puerto Rico, 2012. Visiting REU scholar working on systematics of Tegosa.

Luisa Lima e Mota, UNICAMP, 2011. Visiting scholar working on morphology and phylogeny of Pteronymia.

Noel Cawley, 2010. Georeferencing of specimen localities from Venezuela.

Craig Segebarth, 2010. Spreading of Ecuadorian specimens and curation of the Ulf Eitschberger collection.

Natasha Wright, 2009-2010. Curation of the Ulf Eitschberger collection.

Lindsay Segawa, 2010. Databasing neotropical Pieridae.

Nina Zagvazdina, 2009-2010. Curating neotropical nymphalid genus Actinote, and assisting with curation of Ulf Eitschberger collection.

Jackie Tseng, 2009. Curating neotropical papilionid genus Heraclides.

Ellen Walker, 2009. Databasing and curating Catasticta and Leptophobia.

Neil Rosser, 2009. Curating and databasing Heliconius and related genera to look at geographical patterns of speciation. Neil is a PhD student at University College London (UCL).

Lauren Johnston, 2008. Curating and databasing neotropical Papilionidae.

Judi Muscle, 2008. Databasing specimen data from papered Ecuadorian butterflies collected over the last couple of years.

Stephanie Borrios, 2008. Databasing of specimen records for Dismorphiinae.

Morgan Edwards, 2008. Ecological niche modelling for Andean butterflies to assess IUCN threat status.

Glaucia Marconato, Universidade de Sao Paulo, 2007. Visiting scholar conducting research on a phylogeny of the Charaxinae based on morphological characters.

Sam Landrian, UF, 2007. Databasing specimen locality information for Heliconius butterflies from the donated collection of Walter Neukirchen.

Isis Jaimez, 2007. Curation Pronophilina, a diverse and complex group of montane neotropical satyrines.

Kevin Carty, UF, 2006. Databasing of literature records for Biblidinae and curation of Ithomiinae.

Lyndall Brezina, UF, 2006. Databasing of Ithomiinae specimens.

Shelly Flanagin, UF, 2006-2007. Curation of Papilionidae, databasing literature records.

Jimmy Nguyen, UF, ZOO 4905 Individual Studies. Curation and databasing of Dismorphia, Scada and Aeria, and study of relative abundance of putative mimics and models in a classic Batesian mimicry system.

Ian Segebarth, 2006-2007. Curation, identification and databasing of Ecuadorian butterflies.