Current Research
Brush Mountain Myriapods
I am currently investigating the diversity of myriapods, especially centipedes, on Brush Mountain in Montgomery County, Virginia. Part of this work involved building a low-cost Berlese funnel apparatus, which I document in this blog post. The data collection portion of the project is coming to an end and I’m moving on to specimen identification and analysis. Thus far, I’ve collected about 70 species of myriapods from the mountain and have documented a few range extensions, new county records, and rare species that occur on the mountain. A surprising preliminary result from my field work is the importance of cold-weather collecting, as a number of species are only found during the cold weather of late fall through early spring.
Scolopocryptops peregrinator
An uncommon species thought to be more active in cold weather, collected on Brush Mountain, Montgomery County, Virginia.
Myriapod Identification Resources
An important motivation for my research is improving identification resources for myriapods. There are few such resources for North American species, and the available identification keys are typically found in the primary literature, which can be difficult to access.
My first step in addressing this problem was to write an identification guide for the Millipedes of Ohio with my co-author Jeff Brown. This is the first field guide for millipedes in the United States and was produced in a collaboration with the Ohio Division of Wildlife as part of their excellent Ohio Wildlife Field Guide series. The guide is available as a free PDF here, and there are also physical copies available from the Ohio Division of Wildlife. If you have difficulty downloading the PDF from the previous link (people outside the United States sometimes have trouble with the .gov link), the guide is also available from this link.
In the future, I’m looking forward to writing additional field guides for other millipede and centipede groups, particularly the stone centipedes. Stay tuned!
Millipedes of Ohio Field Guide, published in 2021.
Dissertation Research
My Ph.D. research involved three main projects: a taxonomic revision of the millipede genus Pseudopolydesmus (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae), a taxonomic revision of the millipede genus Nannaria (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae), and the evolution of the cyanide defense gland in the cherry millipedes, family Xystodesmidae.
Pseudopolydesmus
The genus Pseudopolydesmus is one of the most common millipede genera in eastern North America, but its taxonomy is confused and its species haven’t been phylogenetically investigated. By working with museum specimens and new specimens from my own collecting in 20 states, I’m revising the group based on both morphological and molecular data.
Nannaria
The genus Nannaria has a large range in eastern North America, but reaches its greatest diversity in Appalachia. Most of its species were previously undescribed, and males have twisted claws of unknown function. By combining intense field collecting with a phylogenetic approach, I described 17 new species in the genus, some of which had been sitting in museum collections for decades. You can read about the new species here.
Cherry millipede Cyanide Gland Evolution
Colorful cyanide-producing millipedes if the family Xystodesmidae are commonly known as cherry millipedes, due to their fruity smell. This surprising scent is a result of a chemical reaction that produces hydrogen cyanide (a poison) and benzaldehyde (the cherry smell). This is a potent anti-predator defense, and these millipedes often mimic co-occurring species. My research focuses on questions of toxicity between millipedes in a mimicry ring and how it evolved across the millipede family tree.