Entomology (en·to·mol·o·gy)
: a branch of zoology that deals with insects
Research (re·search)
2: studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws
3: the collecting of information about a particular subject
Jonathan Mawdsley:
A Brief Time Line
Recent Research Work
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Ongoing Tiger Beetle
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Beetle Pollinator
Research
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Ongoing Research
Tiger Beetles
My recent work has included studies of tiger beetle ecology, taxonomy,
and conservation biology. I am especially interested in tiger beetles from eastern North America and southern Africa. The eastern North American tiger beetle fauna has come under intense pressure from to suburban and exurban development, and many areas which formerly supported tiger beetle populations have been destroyed in recent years. Documenting these declines is an important step towards developing conservation measures for these beetles. In contrast to the North American fauna, the ecology of African tiger beetle fauna is poorly known, and I am conducting some of the first systematic investigations on the ecology of these beetles.
Active projects include:
Conservation status evaluation of Cicindela patruela (the Northeastern Barrens Tiger Beetle) in the mid-Atlantic. The tiger beetle Cicindela patruela has been extirpated from many areas where it was once common. In 2005, I documented the loss of this species from historic collecting sites in the District of Columbia and Prince George's County, Maryland. These extirpations were clearly due to suburban development in the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area. In 2007, I published a detailed study of the endemic Atlantic coastal plain subspecies Cicindela patruela consentanea, which was formerly found in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Today this subspecies is only found at a few localities in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
Recent Publications:
Mawdsley, J. R. Published Online. Use of simple remote sensing tools to expedite surveys for rare tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae).
Journal of Insect Conservation.
Mawdsley, J. R. 2007. Ecology, distribution, and conservation biology of the tiger beetle Cicindela patruela consentanea Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae).
Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 109(1):17-28.
Mawdsley, J. R. 2005. Extirpation of a population of Cicindela patruela (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelini) in suburban Washington, D.C., USA.
Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 107(1):64-70.
Ecology and diversity of tiger beetles in Kruger National Park, South Africa. I am documenting key aspects of the ecology of tiger beetles in Kruger Park, starting with the suite of species that live along rivers. I am developing simple predictive habitat models for each of these species, and also am developing the first-ever checklist of tiger beetles found in Kruger Park.
Recent publication:
Mawdsley, J. R. and H. Sithole. Published Online. Dry season ecology of riverine tiger
beetles in Kruger National Park, South Africa (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae). African Journal of Ecology.
Beetle Pollinators
This aspect of my research program investigates pollination by beetles that visit flowers. Many beetles commonly visit flowers, but there have been relatively few studies to determine which of these beetles actually pollinate the flowers they visit. Current studies include inventories and assessments of the status of beetles that visit flowering trees in Kruger National Park.
Recent publications:
Mawdsley, J. R. 2004. Pollen transport by North American Trichodes Herbst
(Coleoptera: Cleridae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
106(1):199-201.
Mawdsley, J. R. 2003. The importance of species of Dasytinae (Coleoptera: Melyridae)
as pollinators in western North America. Coleopterists Bulletin 57(2):154-160.