1995-2017

Under the Direction of Dr. Chris Carlton

Facility Expansion1995-2017

• 1995: 1,190 square feet; standing room only, cabinets in hall
• 1996: 2,044 square feet; absorbed old toxicology lab
• 2001: 4,125 square feet; additional space was opened up when the Life Science Annex was built and other faculty moved to the new building.
• 2006: existing square footage remains and expansion room is limited.

LSAM Focuses on:

1) Traditional Landgrant Missions:

• Reference Collection
• Active Research Program
• Information Management Unit

2) Traditional Research Collection:

• Continue building the United States collection focusing on Louisiana and the southeast
• Increase international holdings
• Continue making loans to researchers around the world
  • Staphylinidae
  • Phalacridae
  • Histeridae
  • Nitidulidae
  • Carabidae
  • Coccinellidae
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Scarabaeidae
  • Aquatic Dryopoidea
  • Braconidae
  • Nymphalidae

Taxonomic Representation

Specimen Accessions

Research Focal Areas

Systematics of Coleoptera

• Staphylinidae

Dr. Chris Carlton – Director LSAM Systematics of Pselaphinae

Brittany Owens -Ph.D. 2020 (Dr. Chris Carlton) PhD Dissertation title: Taxonomy and Systematics of the New Zealand Pselaphini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Currently Instructor, LSU Department of Entomology.

Brittany Owens M.S.2014 (Dr. Chris Carlton)M.S. Thesis title: A Revision and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Genus Eutyphlus LeConte (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) with a Comparison of Sampling Methodologies.

Jong-Seok Park Ph.D. - 2013 (Dr. Chris Carlton)Ph.D. Dissertation title: Taxonomy and systematics of New Zealand Faronitae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Currently Assistant Professor, Dept. Biological Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju South Korea.

Michael Ferro -PhD 2011 (Dr. Chris Carlton)Ph.D. Dissertation title: Ecology and systematics of Coleoptera in woody debris of eastern North American forests. Currently Curator, Clemson University Insect Collection.

• Phalacridae

Matthew Gimmel – Ph.D. 2011 (Dr. Chris Carlton) Ph.D. Dissertation title: Revision and reclassification of the genera of Phalacridae Coleoptera: Cucujoidea). Currently Schlinger Endowed Curator, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

• Histeridae

Alexey Tishechkin -Ph.D. 2005 (Dr. Chris Carlton)Ph.D. Dissertation title: Systematics of the histerid beetle genus Mesynodites (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Hetaeriinae). Currently Insect Biosystematist, California Department of Food and Agriculture.

• Nitidulidae

Andrew Cline – Ph.D. 2005 (Dr. Chris Carlton) Ph.D. Dissertation title: Revision of Pocadius (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae). Supervisor, California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Victoria Bayless- Curator LSAM

Sadatomo Hisamatsu PostDoc 2016 Revision of Cyclocaccus Sharp (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulinae)Hisamatsu, S., V. M. Bayless, and C. E. Carlton. Revision of the genus Cyclocaccus Sharp (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulinae). Coleopts. Bull. 70: 825-870

• Carabidae

Igor Sokolov – Post Doc 2010

• Coccinellidae

Dr. Joan Chapin – Director LSAM

• Chrysomelidae

M. Sean Strother – M.S. 1993 (Dr. Tom Riley and Dr. Joan Chapin)M. S. Thesis title: A Taxonomic Revision of the New World Genus Fidia Baly 1863 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae) Currently MD Dermatology, Seattle Washington

• Scarabaeidae

Edward Riley – M.S. 1988 (Dr. Larry Rolston) M.S. Thesis Title: The Phyllophaga of Louisiana (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Currently, retired Assistant Curator, Texas A&M University

• Scarabaeidae

Cheryl Barr – M.S. 1981 (Dr. Joan Chapin)M.S. Thesis title: The Aquatic Dryopoidea of Louisiana (Coleoptera: Psephenidae, Dryopidae, Elmidae) Currently retired Collections Manager, Essig Museum, University of California, Berekley.

Systematics of Hymenoptera

• Braconidae

Ilgoo Kang – PhD -2021 (Dr. Rodrigo Diaz)

Systematics of Lepidoptera

• Nymphalidae

Debra Murray – PhD -2001 (Dr. Chris Carlton and Dr. Dorothy Prowell) Ph.D. Dissertation title: Systematics of Neotropical Satyrine Butterflies (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Euptychina) Based on Larval Morphology and DNA Sequence Data and the Evolution of Life History Traits. Currently Research Assistant Professor, Duke University.

Systematics of Hemiptera

• Pentatomidae

David Rider - Phd 1988 (Dr. Joan Chapin)Ph.D. Dissertation Title:The Systematics of the Genus Thyanta Stal(Hemiptera:Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Biodiversity, Ecology, Forensics

• Dead Wood Coleoptera

Michael Ferro - Ph.D. 2011 (Dr. Chris Carlton) Ph.D. Dissertation title: Ecology and systematics of Coleoptera in woody debris of eastern North American forests. Currently Curator, Clemson University Insect Collection.

Stephanie Gil – M.S. 2008 (Dr. Chris Carlton) M.S. Thesis title: Succession of Coleoptera on freshly killed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and southern red oak (Quercus falcata Michaux) in Louisiana. Currently Research Associate, LSU School of Coast and Environment.

• Blattodea

Forest Huval – M.S. 2016 (Dr. Chris Carlton and Dr. Greg Henderson) M.S. Thesis title: Cockroaches (Blattodea) of Southern Louisiana: Morphology, Diversity, and Life Histories. Currently, Research Associate, LSU Department of Entomology.

• Forensics

Erin Watson-Grindly Horzelsky - PhD 2004(Dr. Chris Carlton) Ph.D. Dissertation title: Faunal succession of necrophilous insects associated with high profile wildlife carcasses in Louisiana. Currently Associate Professor, Southeastern Louisiana University.

• Arachnida

Joyce Johnson Fasbender – M.S. 2002 (Dr. Chris Carlton) Joyce Fassbender, M.S. Thesis title: Diversity of Forest Litter and Surface Inhabiting Spiders in Mixed Mesophytic Forest in Louisiana. Completed Ph.D., City University of New York, 2012. Currently Instructor, Florida Gulf Coast University.

• Lepidoptera

Vernon Brou (LSAM Associate)

Debra Landau – Ph.D. (Dr. Dorothy Powell)

• Apoidea

Brittany Owens – 2018 Publication: The Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Louisiana: An updated, annotated Checklist.Proc.Entomol.Soc.Wash. 120(2), 2018 pp272-307.

Chanda Bartholomew – M.S. (Dr. Dorothy Powell)

• Formicidae

Deana Colby – Postdoc (Dr. Dorothy Powell)

• Cleridae

Brian Riley – Undergrad Researcher(Dr. Chris Carlton)

• Cerambycidae

Patti Newel – M.S. 2008 (Dr. Michael Kaller)

• Passalidae

Stephanie Gross – M. S. (Dr. Merideth Blackwell)

Coleoptera of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2001-2010

This project begun in 2001, which is still ongoing, is a part of the larger, all encompassing All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.Link to the Discover Life in America website The goal of an ATBI is to inventory every living species within a particular boundary. This project intends to assist National Park and State Park personnel in the methods of inventorying and compiling data about biological diversity. The LSAM became involved with the task of organizing and producing not only a species list but a record of where and when each species occurs in the park.Currently the list of 2,520 species is available here as an Excel file.Species are added as researchers work in the LSAM collections and help to determine specimens that still need, either identifying or describing new species. Also specimens are available on the LSAM database, searchable at XXXXSearch for locality GSMNP.

The LSAM also conducted numerous educational events in the Park while conducting our research.We heldfive “Bioblitzes.” Many members of the Coleoptera community participatedas well as members of the local public.

• 2001 Beetle Blitz One, 3 days
• 2003 Beetle Blitz Two, 7 days
• 2004 Litter Blitz, 7 days
• 2005 Mega Beetle Blitz One, 14 days
• 2006 Mega Beetle Blitz Two, 14 days

Collecting Expeditions to increase the holdings of the LSAM 1995-2017

(If you are looking for species/specimens from these areas, please contact the LSAM)