Researchers

tom

Email:

[email protected]

tom_2

Cactopinus atkinsoni

Tom Atkinson

Collection Manager, University of Texas Insect Collection

 

My main taxonomic collection is housed at Texas A&M University and I continue to add to it. I also work closely with the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (Gainesville) and with the Centro de Entomología y Acarología of the Colegio de Postgraduados (Montecillo, Mexico) where I have long standing relationships.

I am mainly interested in biogeography and comparative biology of Neotropical bark and ambrosia beetles. In practice I spend most of my efforts on the Mexican fauna. Considering the lack of information for the region I find that I am spending a lot more time on alpha-taxonomy and databasing than I had originally intended. I am particularly interested in host plant associations and how different groups have colonized different plant lineages.

Short Bio

I was born and raised in southern Florida on the edge of the swamps. Since leaving home I have moved on to higher education and higher ground where I have remained ever since. The relentless fauna of subtropical Florida had something to do with my early and enduring interest in insects. As a result of 4H clubs I realized that one could actually get paid to do this and have never looked back. I received a B.S. (1972), M.S. (1976) and Ph.D. (1979) from the University of Florida, all in Entomology.

 

Over the years I have worked in a variety of academic and industrial settings in the U.S. and Latin America in forest entomology, urban pest management, stored products protection. (Florida, Panama, Mexico, California, Texas). My abiding interest during most of that time has been the biology and systematics of bark and ambrosia beetles.

Current Projects
  • Barkbeetles.info.  This is my website (http://www.barkbeetles.info). I am constantly adding to it and fiddling with it, but the main features are interactive checklists of Mexico, the southeastern U.S., and an image library (2,000 photos and line drawings of 600 species).  There are also some useful bibliographical features (Wood’s 1982 monograph and the Wood & Bright Catalog (1992) in indexed, interactive format). A full listing for North America (see next item) is coming soon.
  • Electronic Atlas and Catalog of the Bark and Ambrosia Beetles of North America. When finished this will include all published distribution and host information for all species of Scolytinae and Platypodinae from North America, including Mexico. The U.S. and Canada portions should be finished by mid summer of 2012,  Photographs and line drawings for many species are included. This work has been partially supported by the U.S. Forest Service.
  • Bark and Ambrosia Beetles of the Southeastern U.S. This project has been dragging on for far too long and I hope to have it finished in about  a year. At present there are about 200 species treated. There are some new species, synonymies and species notes that will probably be published
  • Checklist of the Bark and Ambrosia Beetles of Texas and Oklahoma (with Ed Riley). We hope to have a draft of this in about 2 months. At present we have 174 species. Interesting biogeographical patterns with mixtures of faunas of the southeastern U.S., southern Rocky Mountains, and Mexican dry subtropical elements.
  • New species and notes on Neotropical Scolytus with a key to Mesoamerican species. Two new species, 2 synonymies, some redescriptions and lots of pictures. Draft expected June 2012.
Education and Experience
  • 1994-2007. Dow AgroSciences, Senior Research Biologist (Dallas, Austin, Texas).                                               
  • 1990-1994. University of California, Riverside, Asst. Entomologist / Asst. Specialist, Dept. of Entomology.
  • 1987-1990. University of Florida, Dept. of Entomology & Nematology, Biological Scientist.
  • 1984-1986. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Chamela Biological Research Station, Investigador Asociado, Chamela, Jalisco.
  • 1979-1984 Colegio de Postgraduados, Centro de Entomología y Acarología, Profesor-investigador Adjunto,  Chapingo, México
  • 1979. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. , Ph. D. in Entomology
  • 1976. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. , M.S. in Entomology
  • 1973-1974. Chirqui Land Co. (United Fruit Co.), Entomologist, Changuinola, Panama
  • 1972. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. B.S. in Agriculture