Dr. Marcos Roca-Cusachs Lopez-Balcells
Position: Post doctoral fellow
Department: Evolution & Ecology Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University/Institute/Company: University of New South Wales
About
My research is mainly focused on the systematics and biogeography of Pentatomidae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Stink bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea: Pentatomidae) are a well- recognized family that represents the most diverse group in the superfamily Pentatomoidea, containing 940 genera and around 5,000 species distributed in all zoogeographic regions with the exception of the Antarctic continent. Some groups have economical importance; the family is mainly phytophagous, and consequently with some species considered as major pests (i.e. Halyomorpha halys Stål), however, on the other hand, some predatory species have potential applications as biological control agents.
After the results derived from my systematic studies, were the family was found to be non monophyletic, and with a non-congruent internal classification, I’m currently attempting to delimit and reclassify the family. Additionally, some of my other current projects include the taxonomy of the superfamily Pentatomoidea in a broad sense, with special focus on the Early Diverging Lineages (EDP) of Pentatomidae (e.g. “Rhynchocorini”, Placosternum genus-group) and the catalogues and checklists from the Iberico-Macaronesian region (Heteroptera) and from the Korean peninsula (Pentatomoidea). Recently I have shown some interest in the study of the Heteroptera paleofauna, mainly from amber (Burmese) inclusions.
Disciplines: Biology
- Biology: Entomology, Evolutionary Biology, Linnaean Taxonomy, Molecular Biology, Systematics (Taxonomy), Zoology
My resume
